Vision of Our Nation at 80

Raul Maravilla Gonzalez turned eighty (80) years old last December 3. He is an honorable public servant.
He publicly opposed Pres. Ferdinand Marcos' declaration of Martial Law from its earliest days in 1972 when it was very risky and unpopular to do so. He was part of the defence team of ex-Senator Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino when the dictator had Ninoy tried before a military tribunal that sentenced Ninoy to death. He is one of a few people who visited Ninoy many times in prison. A letter Ninoy wrote him has been reproduced in my 27 August 2009 blog entry.
Raul Gonzalez offered free legal aid to poor victims of the human rights abuses of the Marcos dictatorship.
He became the 1st Tanodbayan (Ombudsman, 1986-1988) during the presidency of Corazon Aquino.
He was elected Congressman of Iloilo City, his hometown, for three consecutive terms (1995-2004) and became Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2001-2004. He was part of the 12-member official team of Congressmen who prosecuted Pres. Joseph Estrada during his impeachment trial in 2000-2001.
He served as Secretary of Justice in 2004-2009 and then Chief Presidential Legal Counsel during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Below is an excerpt of the speech that Raul Gonzalez gave at his oath-taking as Congressman on 30 June 1995. It contains his vision for Iloilo City & the Philippines throughout his years in public service:

"Come, let us reason together. Let us work together for freedom & justice, for mutual trust & mutual respect. These are the bonds that hold a people together….I pledge to pursue my program of social justice. It is by implementing the constitutionally mandated principle of social justice that we can bridge the wide ocean that divides the very rich and the very poor in our land.
"John F. Kennedy said in ringing terms: 'If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.' Or as Thomas Jefferson opined: 'Widespread poverty & concentrated wealth cannot long endure side by side with democracy.'
"The principle of social justice in our Constitution & the purpose of government are based on the greatest law of all: the welfare of the people. So government must provide things that individuals, especially the poor, cannot provide themselves: preserve the peace; provide a mechanism by which the people’s character can be expressed in local & national affairs; above all, resolve inequalities.
"Because freedom in the Philippines must exist, not only for those who have money & power, but also for the working class, capital must not turn the society into a paradise for the rich & hell for the workers & the poor.
"I entered public service because I have a vision for the City (of Iloilo) & the Nation.
"I see a City & Nation in which law & order is not a mere slogan but a way of life.
"I see a Nation in which your child & my child & every child, regardless of background, receive an education that will permit full development of talents & abilities.
"I see a Nation that has a job for every man & woman who wants to work.
"I see a Nation where the poor will have a little more roof over their heads, a little more clothing to cover their nakedness & a little more food to feed their hunger.
"I see a City & Nation where the urban poor are not called 'squatters' & whose shanties will not be demolished because the small piece of land where their small “castles” stand is finally their own.
"I see a Nation where the poor do not live under bridges, along canals, or along 'da riles,' much less rummage for leftovers in garbage cans.
"I see a Nation where our sick are admitted to hospitals & get free hospitalization & medicine, without having to beg in order to pay for medical bills they can never afford.
"I see a Nation united, its wounds healed, its head high, a Nation with pride in its past & faith in its future, moving with confidence, competence & compassion, a Nation that lives up to the nobility of its religion & the decency of its people.
"We are not fighting for & we shall not attain a Utopia. Indeed, in our City & Nation the work is never finished. All our plans, all our programs, will not be finished in the first 100 days, in the first 1,000 days, in 3 years, or perhaps in the 3 years of another term. But let us begin…."