The Manila Standard is no stranger to trying times. It has seen them, reported on them, helped the public make sense of them, and made it through them.
On this year’s anniversary, there is much to be thankful for. Amid an environment of uncertainty given the liberal flow of information, we recognize it is good there is even a flow to begin with. We note the abundance of real and contrived information, and sound and flimsy opinion, from various sides. The public is overwhelmed and bewildered, but in the end it enjoys the freedom to form its own conclusions and act on these in self-determination.
What we now have is infinitely better than a scenario where information is controlled and dissenters are silenced. We are confident our leaders are neither delusional nor foolish to take something this basic away from the people.
There are also practical realities we must contend with. In all these, genuine compassion and honesty from the principals, leadership from the managers, hard work, excellence and commitment from all the employees have been instrumental in making the organization resilient.
These days, the country is figuring out how best to change the Constitution to adapt to the times. It is trying to strike a balance between eradicating the menace of illegal drugs and corruption on one hand, and according everyone due process.
It is defining its foreign policy that is consistent and credible before the rest of the world.
Filipinos are also struggling to play down the noise of petty politics so we can focus on the non-sensational but all-important matters of infrastructure, employment and inclusive growth.
These are issues that take time to mature and see a solution. Filipinos do not expect to see results after a week, or a month. Manila Standard continues to be part of this journey, as it has for the past 31 years, and as it will for even longer.
It’s a milestone to have reached this point. An even bigger achievement is contemplating there are more to come.