As my blog’s subtitle suggests, my political orientation is in the center-left. I very much believe that substantial change is needed for our country to progress. For me, my (realistic) utopia of the Philippines is one of a social democracy, a political-economic model being followed by many European countries such as Sweden and Denmark. At the time of the Cold War, these countries were, literally and figuratively, in between capitalist America and socialist USSR and Eastern European countries. The countries who followed the social democracy model tried to strike a balance between the market and a state, and a balance between the individual and the community. It traces its roots from socialist tradition which would soon realize that the capitalist system is the only reliable mechanism for generating wealth. However, they strived to use the capitalist system, with adherence to a Keynesian style of economic policy, to actively redistribute wealth and bring necessary welfare to all of its citizens, particularly to the weak and vulnerable. If I may say so, social democracy is a compromise between capitalism and socialism.

A form of social democracy that is tailored-fit for the Philippine setting is the path that our government should take. It should be sensitive to the needs of all the country’s citizens, yet still respecting the origins, culture, and mindset of each one. Yes, it will be hard. Yes, it will take a lot of effort. But if only the government and the Filipino people are willing to take on the challenge, then we will eventually achieve our goals. A peaceful, reform-based, and cooperative transition should be the only way to get there.

I also believe that the Philippine government and society should take on a more liberal path. For one, I am in favor of disestablishing (removing its status as the state’s official religion)  the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines and advocating freedom of religion and conscience. I am also advocating equality amongst people of all races, religions, cultures, and sexual and political orientation who are living in the Philippines. However, our people’s most basic tenets of morality – being kind, honest, and sincere – should still be present in our society.

Forgive me if this sounds more like a campaign speech than an introduction. I am in no way interested in pursuing politics. I’m satisfied to be able to help people in the future to have an smart, informed opinion that is not simply based on hearsay and presumption.

As I make my op-eds for this blog, I will strive to base my opinion on facts, views, and statements from all sides of every issue. I would see to it that my opinion would be shaped not just through one perspective, but through as many perspectives as possible. (Yet there would be unavoidable circumstances where one view is obviously the most appropriate stance to make.)

I could elaborate some more on my political stances, but I’ll reserve that for times when future political issues compel me to do so. Also, much of my sociopolitical stances and views are still under construction, so my stands on certain issues may change from time to time, but it will still be in the confines of what I stated here.

I have so much ideas for topics for my next post in my head that I don’t know where to start. Not to mention the pile of schoolwork that I still have to finish *A*

But I promise that my next post won’t take long. I hope you can wait for that one. See you then soon ^^

As you can see from the blog’s new title, you will expect op-ed from a center-left perspective. Where in the center-left exactly? That you will find out in my future blog posts here. Meanwhile, you may visit the (now mostly) personal blog http://dcolon.livejournal.com

For now, gotta catch up on my sleep