tonyo is now at tonyocruz.com

To non-Filipino speakers, that's "a meaningful Christmas to you all" for you.

May Christmas continue to inspire and renew our faith in ourselves as a people so that we could all work for the birth of a new Philippines that is peaceful, free, just and prosperous.

All foes of progress seek to consign Christmas to commodification, selfishness and cynicism because they fear the people would realize the powerful images and messages of the season.

Our best wishes may not be just that -- wishes -- if we take hold of the images and messages of Christmas. Peace, freedom, justice and prosperity are attainable goals of any people. Sans corruption and sans the stumbling blocks called "compradors and landlords", we would attain these long sought after "gifts" and bring hope to the nation and the world.

I am especially addressing this to the Filipino youth. The future belongs to us. Let us not allow the most malignant forces in society to hijack the future and to tell us that nothing could be done to improve the situation. A new one should replace the corrupt, rotten and putrid social order. Let Christmas be an occasion to refresh our beliefs in just social change, in bringing change in every fabric of society, and in waging revolution against this old system.