The United States has “In God we trust.”  The French, “equality, liberty and fraternity.” Slogans reflect the common vision for the nation, the goals to be reached, the challenges to be hurdled and the set of values shared by its people.I do not know of any direct correlation between a national slogan and a country’s development but the question is: what is ours? My friend JJ says it is “don’t worry, be happy.”

My other friend Jepet injects that rather it is “I love you three times a day.” Whether serious or in jest, it does reflect a certain lightness very dissimilar to the ones given above. Certainly it is not “mabuhay” as that is a customary greeting. We shout it on occasion and the non-Tagalogs hardly use it.

In line with our continuing love affair with our national hero, should it be “Rizal power.” Sadly, what we know of Rizal and his dream for dear motherland is not something that has been translated to a concrete statement that captures our aspirations.           

Our lack of a national slogan is the most visible symbol of the country’s disunity: a fractious state matched only by our thousands of big and small islands with their own coconut trees and towering egos. We can’t even define national interest unless it is aligned with personal or family interest. If it is something we can’t even put our finger on, how do we go about identifying the issues and proposing answers?

The funny thing is that we are a nation of acronyms and jingles and catchphrases. Witness the last elections, view the massive typhoon-defying billboards and all-around marketing savvy that projects and communicates a person, place or product. On the personal level, we have our mottos and our trusted journal. For friends and foes alike, there are the slum books, Friendster accounts and blogs. All these reflecting who we are and what we believe in. Our creativity and hard work are all channeled elsewhere except to a national slogan.          

Look at our official seals starting with the presidential one. Check the other governmental seals. Take out your money bills and see what the different denominations declare. There is simply no common ground to speak of. If there is none, how can we reach for the top? No wonder our national policies are not in sync.

Perhaps the reality is that we do not share a common identity, a unified vision of ourselves and for our country. Heck, it is not even obvious that we lack a national slogan as no one has bothered to spark a debate or to start acknowledging that we need one. Any enterprising legislator would have filed a bill already.

It is a realization that our state of affairs is a result of the absence of a national slogan. Go ahead and live out your company vision and mission. Family statements are in the vogue. But unless the country knows where it is going, everybody will be lost. In other countries, they already know their direction; it is a matter of figuring out which path to take. Here, we don’t even know what we want. There was Ramos’ Philippines 2000 and it is now 2007. PGMA’s attempt to craft a national vision of a StrongRepublic was immediately derided and promptly linked to the Marcosian New Society. We cannot criticize without giving a solution. Let me go first and I say let our national slogan be: “Kapayapaan at katarungan.”

For all these reasons and more, I am launching a contest for the Republic’s national slogan that stands for the Filipino spirit. All entries are welcome, foreigners are not disqualified, and please email to geronimo.sy[at]gmail.com. Top three winners will be announced. The grand prize is a round trip ticket to Estonia. Seriously, I do have some gift certificates for a new chicken restaurant in Greenhills. If that doesn’t motivate, then do it please out of patriotic duty por la patria.