As the calendar turns to 2026, the Philippines stands at a crossroads of possibility. If 2025 was a year of transition, then 2026 must be a year of transformation—a time when renewed pursuits for truth, reinvigorated efforts for national progress, and the vital contributions of local colleges converge to shape a more meaningful future.
The challenges of poverty, inequality, and weak governance cannot be solved by slogans alone. They demand reinvigorated efforts—policies that empower communities, initiatives that uplift the marginalized, and civic action that holds institutions accountable. A better Philippines is not measured only in economic growth but in the dignity of every Filipino. This year must be about building a nation where opportunity is shared, and hope is tangible.
At the heart of this transformation are local colleges. Too often overshadowed by their metropolitan counterparts, these institutions are the lifeblood of provincial communities. They nurture future teachers, engineers, nurses, and leaders who remain rooted in their hometowns, bringing knowledge and service where it is most needed. Abuyog Community College, Burauen Community College, Collegio de Las Navas, City College of Ormoc and Barugo Bayview College may be unheard, unpopular but they remain true to their vision, local in actions, national and global in impact.
Often overlooked, local colleges are crucial to this vision. They are not merely schools; they are incubators of transformation. By nurturing teachers, Information Technology Professionals, engineers, and leaders who remain rooted in their communities, these institutions ensure that progress reaches even the most remote barangays. Local colleges foster critical thinking, civic responsibility, and research that addresses local problems. In 2026, their role must be elevated through stronger support, better funding, and recognition of their equal importance alongside elite universities.
This year offers us a chance to be bolder, brighter, and more honest than ever before. With truth as our compass, progress as our mission, and education as our foundation, the Philippines can make 2026 a turning point. Local colleges, deeply tied to the communities they serve, are uniquely positioned to lead this charge.
If 2025 was about recovery, let 2026 be about meaning. A year where truth is defended, progress is shared, and education becomes the cornerstone of nation building.
We are one big family of God
ON the Feast of the Holy Family, we are reminded that we actually comprise one big family of God with Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We are united, despite all the differences and conflicts we unavoidably have, due to the love God has for all of us which we should also reflect in our own lives. If God loves everyone, we too should love everyone. That’s how we become one big family of God.
We therefore need to expand our idea of what a family is. Of course, we do this in stages. We start with our own blood family, then with those related to us by sanguinity or affinity, then with those we share culture, nationality, and so on and so forth, until we realize we are one family with God as our common Father.
We just have to process this responsibility slowly but constantly until, with God’s grace, we can truly say that, yes, we are a family, all of us, including those with whom we may have serious differences and conflicts, even those we may consider as our enemies under different categories.
That is the reason why Christ told us to love our enemies too. (cfr. Mt 5,44) In this regard, we may ask: Does God also love the devils, who do nothing other than oppose him? Of course, he does! It’s not his problem if they do not love him. But he will always love them.
The fact that they originally came from him can only mean that God, as their creator, is always with them, and his presence in all his creatures is always a presence of love. If the creature does not reciprocate his love, that’s the creature’s problem. Not his.
We should channel God’s presence of love in all his creatures in our own lives. Somehow, we should also be present with the presence of love in the lives of everyone. That is why Christ again told us clearly that we should love everyone the way he loves us. (cfr. Jn 13,34)
The details of this kind of love can be seen in some Pauline texts. For example, in the Letter to the Colossians, St. Paul said: “Bear one another, forgive one another, if any has a complaint against another, even as the Lord has forgiven you, so do you also. But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection.” (3,13-14)
This is a tremendous challenge for us, of course, but we have to realize that God assures us that we can do it as long as we unite ourselves with him, trying our best to follow his will and ways, and refrain from depending only on our human powers which can only go so far.
The moment we encounter difficulties in this area because of our differences and conflicts, we should realize that we are actually given a golden opportunity to grow more in our virtues, to identify ourselves more with God which is the ideal thing to pursue in our life.
Indeed, we somehow have to learn how to be present in the lives of everyone just as God is present in everyone. This obviously will require us to go beyond our personal preferences, transcending the many human, natural and other worldly conditionings that tend to separate us from others.
Yes, there is always diversity among ourselves, which is actually a healthy feature in our humanity if we only know to handle it properly. But such condition should only sharpen our desire to be one family with God. God himself assures us that we can do this.