A real winner

THIS one, for sure, is genuine. Wilfred Oliver Segovia, 23 years old and Filipino, won the top prize (and $3,000) in the recently concluded  international essay competition sponsored by the World Bank. The theme of this year’s competition is "Building a Secure Future: Seeking Practical Solutions."

The contestants were asked to answer two questions: What are the biggest obstacles you face in your daily life? and What practical solutions would you propose to build a secure future for yourself and others?

Segovia’s prize-winning entry, "The Triumph of Reason," provides us insights into the thinking of a young Filipino. "I was born in a time of turmoil and unrest in the Philippines," he begins. " In 1982, President Ferdinand Marcos strengthened his grip on power after nearly a decade of martial law. It was a time when Filipinos were slowly realizing that Mr Marcos’ dream of a ‘New Society’… was not coming into fruition."

The essay is interesting because it is both so despairing at the state of Philippine politics but also so hopeful that young people, through debate and discourse, can make a difference.

Here’s an excerpt: 

Soon, it will be my generation blindly electing fools and unqualified people into government.

Soon, my generation will have to face an increasingly oligarchic government wherein power and resources are concentrated within few political clans.

Soon, my generation will be acclimatized to think that it is perfectly acceptable to use public office for private gain. Soon, history will repeat itself all over again and we will still be where we were twenty years ago during the Marcos dictatorship. Only today, it is not a single tyrant, but a network of tyrants taking advantage of the whole nation. Enacting change slowly but surely is our everyday challenge.

Segovia’s practical solution draws from the experiences of the Ateneo debating club in going around the country to teach critical thinking, debate and argumentation to high school and college students.

To all the mature cynics out there, words of wisdom from a 23-year old : "Despite the immense task ahead, a small step in the right direction is infinitely more desirable than inaction."