Skip to main content

Gut query

“Why are we so corrupt?” That was the question cultural activist Joy Virata lobbed at Francisco Sionil Jose.  I’m pushing 90, Jose said. Virata must have considered my being ancient, perhaps enhanced by a little knowledge of history.

Jose has authored novels set in the context of Philippine history to essays.  He won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism and Literature in 1980 and shortly thereafter the Pablo Neurda Centennial Award.

Historian William Henry Scott analyzed an inventory, in the 1896 revolution, Jose recalled. It listed   broken pens, battered chairs, “trivia put down by outgoing bureaucrats illustrating their honesty”.

In the 1930s, politicians spent their own money for their elections campaign. Many were impoverished by their aspirations.

Former Secretary of Health Juan Salcedo and, Sen. Juan Flavier used public transport. Cabinet Secretary Conrado Estrella and Sen. Emmanuel Pelaez traveled without any escort. Today, even a small city mayor careens with a fleet of security vehicles.

Look at the composition of the Senate in the 1950s: Recto, Tañada, Pelaez, Manglapus and others. “Yes, there was one movie star—Rogelio dela Rosa but he was circumspect, competent enough to be ambassador, too.

Look at senators today, and weep. After four years, the Ampatuan massacre trial is still ongoing. What rendered us so apathetic?

“There are realities that aggravate the Filipino metastasis: mass poverty; pakikisama, wherein we don’t ostracize the corrupt; our cowardice even—all these basically obstruct the creation of a just society

“Many evils are ‘accruements of a colonial past’. True. Vestiges remain and, as the writer Salvador de Madariaga pointed out, a country can well be a colony of its own elites.” And this is what we have become.”

The past century tested us as a people aspiring to be a nation. After the execution of Jose Rizal, by the Spaniards, in 1986, the revolution broke out. It was sold out, by a weakened leadership, in the Pact of Biak na Bato. That struggle was resuscitated when the Americans came in 1898. We fought them, too. But the ragtag revolutionary Army was beaten and we became an American colony.

Apolinario Mabini’s singular role was a stern moral leadership. But his voice was not heeded even by the president. General Emilio Aguinaldo, was surrounded by rich ilustrados who urged negotiations with the new imperialists to enrich themselves. See in the early Malolos Republic this fatal virus:  collaboration with the enemy for personal gain.

The same virus resurged in the Japanese occupation. So many collaborated with them, some out of belief that they would relieve Asia from Western colonialism but most, simply to preserve their privileged status and profit.

In Europe, the Danes started killing the collaborators even before Nazi Germany collapsed. The French hounded jailed them. Here, many proclaimed themselves patriots. They were granted amnesty.

The virus erupted under martial law. Mass infraction of human rights was of little concern for the masa as long as food was cheap. Again, many worked gladly for Marcos, legitimized his regime. They contributed to the death, imprisonment and torture of thousands.

In our history, the collaborators were never punished. They ended up rich, and many successfully masqueraded as heroes.  Today, we see the Marcoses and their hirelings back in power, sneering at our credulity.

For hosannas evoked by development in the economy, we need to think of the past which impacts on today. There is one great failing of government, from Cory’s to her son’s. This is the resolution of the assassination of Ninoy Aquino.

No one seriously believes that those soldiers imprisoned for the crime were the real perpetrators. Someone upstairs, powerful and well-connected masterminded it all, as well as the cover-up murders of several people who were in the know. Such a crime—without being fully resolved—contributes to the apathy of people, 

The assassination of Ninoy is known all over the world, it is blot on the image of the nation as it illustrates to the rottenness of Filipino justice system. If there is no justice for Ninoy Aquino, how can there be justice for poor, anonymous Juan? If President PNoy knows, he does not say.  That is the most damning because he is the son.

What aggravates our moral decay is our very nature, and hypocrisy. We are familiar with the crimes of our leaders. Yet, we fete them, invite them in social functions, often bonded as they are with us not just by social ties but by gratitude for what these politicians do for us.

Our economic system, which is propelled by consumerism and untrammeled greed, which anchors a question: Is there no hope for Filipinos then?

The answer is with our youth. Our heroes who wrote history with their blood were all in their 20s and 30s. For sure, many of the ilustrados joined the revolution for themselves. But Rizal, Mabini, Bonifacio and so many others did not.


And we are a talented people, as illustrated no less by Rizal. No country in Asia has ever produced a man like him. When we celebrate his birthday just remember, he was a novelist, a sculptor, a medical doctor, a scholar, a teacher and a martyr at 35 when the Spaniards executed him.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Empanada festival: A celebration of good taste and good life

By Dominic B. dela Cruz & Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporters BATAC CITY—If there is one thing Batac is truly proud of, it would be its famous empanada-making business that has nurtured its people over the years. Embracing a century-old culture and culinary tradition, Batac’s empanada claims to be the best and tastiest in the country with its distinctive Ilokano taste courtesy of its local ingredients: fresh grated papaya, mongo, chopped longganisa, and egg. The crispy orange wrapper and is made of rice flour that is deep-fried. The celebration of this city’s famous traditional fast food attracting locals and tourists elsewhere comes with the City Charter Day of Batac every 23 rd  of June. Every year, the City Government of Batac led by Mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta commemorate the city’s charter day celebration to further promote its famous One-Town, One Product, the Batac empanada. Empanada City The Batac empanada festival has already become an annua

PIDS expert says income tax cuts justified; warns gov’t of revenue loss

Proposals to amend the personal income tax schedule appear to be well-justified. However, these proposals should include measures that will allow government to recover the revenue loss from lower income taxes. Dr. Rosario Manasan, senior research fellow of state think-tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), said at a seminar sponsored by the Philippine Senate, that government should look for new revenue measures to compensate for the projected revenue loss that will arise as a result of the implementation of any of the various proposals to restructure the personal income tax. Currently, there are several income tax reform proposals pending in both houses of Congress. All of them, according to Dr. Manasan, have the same objective of addressing the phenomenon of bracket creep, which results from “non-indexation to inflation of personal income tax brackets”. Simply put, bracket creep occurs when employees’ income increases over time as a result of inflation. Th

PGIN honors Ilocano heroes of past, present through Heroes Walk

SPO1 Allan Lampitoc Franco of Banna, Ilocos Norte and PO2 Jovalyn D. Lozano of Adams, Ilocos Norte receive a resolution of commendation, a certificate of college scholarship grant to their family members and a P20,000 cash incentive each from the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte represented by Governor Imee R. Marcos and Vice Governor Angelo M. Barba in recognition of their bravery and heroic acts in the Mamasapano clash in Maguindanao on January 25. Mr. Franco and Mr. Lozano were recognized on March 10 in time for the unveiling of the second batch of Ilocano heroes at the Heroes Walk located along the Sirib Mile in Laoag City.  (Lei Adriano) By Jennifer T. Pambid PGIN-CMO In honor of the heroes who brought freedom, fame and glory to the province as well as to the country in the past century, the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) through the Education Department and Sirib Youth Office launched the second batch of Ilocano Heroes Walk on March 10, 2015.