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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Chitang, Somewhere
By Antonio C. Abaya Written June 25, 2007 For the Standard Today, June 26 issue Chitang, of course, is Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, one of the heroes and heroines in the small pantheon where I worship, whose impeccable prose, genteel good sense and wry humor have, for me, often made the unbearable bearable in this our most imperfect perfectible inang bayan. . A few months ago, I had gone to National to buy a copy of her recently released autobiography, Myself, Elsewhere, only to be told that it was sold out and they did not know when new stocks, if any, would arrive. Crestfallen, I was resigned to the fact that my habitual procrastination had cost me dearly this time, when an email from her daughter Liza told me that she was sending me a review copy of her mother�s book. There is a God, after all, I thought.. It arrived by postal mail in the middle of the electoral campaign and was thus temporarily sidelined as the political infighting grabbed the better part of my conscious hours. I have only recently read it and enjoyed it so much I am reading it for the second time. But, review? I am not a literary person and feel rather uneasy about reviewing someone else�s output, especially one who has been an icon for decades. With ultimate grace, Chitang recalls for us indios a space-time continuum that has ceased to exist. This was the Ermita enclave of pre-World War II, where genteel, Spanish-speaking well-to-do families of various racial ancestries chose to build their homes and raise their children. �Ermita had �it�, the x-factor, charisma. The sugar hacenderos from Pampanga and the Visayas brought houses in Ermita and Todo Manila trooped to the boulevard (Dewey) and the Luneta on weekends for the paseo; Americans went to Ermita to have fun in their clubs and the Manila Hotel. The Spaniards considered it their lost citadel. Being from Ermita gave us an immediate and unexplainable, social cachet, although I never gave it a thought.� This was also a time of transition, when the social graces, the public pieties, the familial ties of the Spanish era were slowly giving way to the more brash, more open, arguably more democratic manners and mores of the Americans, with the more conservative families, including Chitang�s elders, resisting the social tsunami. �Some of the (Ermita) diehards vowed they would never learn English because they had been Christianized and civilized enough by another, manic evangelist and empire-builder, Philip II, for more than 300 years � It is in this setting of ineluctable social change that Chitang lived out her life in the Ermita of the 30s and 40s, with her highly educated family; her father a distinguished medical doctor trained at Washington University in Missouri , her mother also a university graduate, labeled by the press as the First Filipina Woman Pharmacist. With such impeccable DNA, including a direct lineage to Jose Rizal through her Lola Maria Rizal � who �renounced both Spanish and the Roman Catholic Church at the same time and for the same reason: the execution of Jose, her dearly beloved brother� � Chitang and her brothers were programmed for pre-eminence in their chosen fields How they actually struggled to reach those pinnacles of excellence is the essence of the book and only Chitang can tell it with elegant prose and wit, of which she is and has been the undisputed maitresse. But it is not only the recollections of childhood and growing up in such a charmed familial circle that captures and keeps the reader�s attention. Chitang would not be Chitang without the acerbic social comment and the trenchant historical asides: �The institutional racism of the Spanish government left Filipinos with an acute sense of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy, an almost total loss of self-esteem, a servile attitude to the white foreigner. That is why it was so easy, centuries later, for the American consuls in Hong Kong to deceive Aguinaldo into thinking they were acting in good faith. At the end of the Spanish era, unremitting racism had almost broken the Filipino spirit. But the ilustrados and the katipuneros, patriots from both ends of the social scale, emerged from Spanish colonization in high fury. The repression had turned to rage. One of the graphic acts of the revolution was to cut off the high Caucasian noses from the wooden saints� images found in the churches. They can still be seen in the curio shops today�..� My only regret is that she did not dwell long enough on what I think is the central moral problem of our day: the moral decline of Filipino society since the end of World War II. She wrote: �The Japanese occupation was my generation�s trial by fire. Most of us were dross before it was over, because we had been at our most vulnerable when the war broke out. We were core-soft with optimism and well-being: the copra, hemp and sugar trade; Hollywood and the Filipino dream of being little brown American masters of the Pacific. Bataan and Corregidor turned out to be national suicide and the Americans had abandoned us. �The worst of it was the moral disaster it inflicted. Good and evil, right and wrong were pragmatic decisions. Fathers hid tins of meat from their children, brothers informed on their brothers, everyone was some kind of a prostitute�..� Clearly, something else was destroyed in February 1945, aside from the gentrified neighborhoods of Ermita. Perhaps Chitang can tell us in another book about the what and the why of that moral decline . ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Chitang, Somewhere� More Reactions to �In One Generation� �We Cannot Let This Happen� Thanks, Tony, for giving your readership an introduction of famous ilustrado families from that enclave of wealth, high profile intellectuals and Filipino writers known as Ermita District. Today's generation of Filipinos are still blessed with Carmen Guerrero Nakpil who represents the cream of the crop who can write the true unadulterated description of the Filipino and Philippine society. With the passing of other prolific writers Nick Joaquin and Pura Santillan Castrence decades ago, your Chitang is alone, but her credibility as critic to our social and political behaviour is beyond question. I wish the Department of Education would take cognizance requiring high school and college special readings of the works of Nick Joaquin, Pura Santillan-Castrence and Carmen Guerrero-Nakpil, other than the required course on Rizal's NOLI and FILI. Again, thanks for the Chitang article and looking forward to reading about Quijano de Manila and Pura Santillan Castrence. Jose Sison Luzadas, (by email), Toronto , Canada , June 28, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Chitong, Your non-review commentary on "Myself, Elsewhere" is now tucked in the book itself, which, coincidentally, I had just finished last night - a copy given to me by Ninit Roces Paterno when I was there last February. Thanks for providing an even sharper focus, even if it isn't an official review! And, btw, you are quite literary yourself! So many of the names were contemporaries of my dad and I do recall meeting both Mrs. Guerrero-Nakpil and her brother, Leonie. Of course, being a shallow teenager then, all I knew was that they were well-known. What a pleasure to read history through real eyes and to have some light shed on some of the more puzzling aspects of us Filipinos. Cayo Nievera-Marschner, (by email), Moraga , California , June 28, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi, My Mom is now 90 and she will love to have this read to her. May I know where I can get a copy if as you mentioned it is not in National? Thanks and God bless, Lennie de la Rosa, (by email), June 28, 2007 (Try National Bookstore. They may have new stocks by now. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Good review, Tony!!! .. Chuck Agustin, (by email), June 28, 2007 President, National Defense College of the Philippines wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Mr. Abaya. This is George Arce�o, Jr. of the Bureau of Broadcast Services. We read your column on Mrs. Nakpil's autobiography titled "Myself, Elsewhere." We would like to review the above book on the Spanish-language cultural radio program "Filipinas Ahora Mismo" aired over DZRM 1278 kHz, Mon-Fri, 7-8 PM. Ms. Lolit Lizano, program consultant and one of the writers of the said program will do the review. Could you send us Liza's email address so we could also ask for a review copy of the book? Thank you. (We can also be reached at our office tel. 920-3936.) Truly yours, George C. Arce�o, Jr, (by email), June 28, 2007 (Your email has been forwarded to Mrs. Nakpil�s two daughters. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thanks, Tony, please keep them coming. God bless always. Jeremias, Decena, (by email), June 28, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Sir, From the perspective of an American of European antecedents, I find the references to the alleged "acute sense of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy, an almost total loss of self-esteem, a servile attitude to the white foreigner" to be at odds with my personal observations of the demeanor and attitude of the Filipino. The personal pride, the almost ceremonial respect rendered even the poorest and most ignorant of persons, and the deeply ingrained loyalty to family and friends sets a standard of cultural strength that can only be envied by North Americans. This cultural strength is borne out by the success of Filipino immigrants to North America, often becoming more American/Canadian in terms of personal achievement and patriotism, than those born and bred in Canada and the USA . In the context of my military orientation, three3 people come to mind as being exemplars of high achievement: Lt. General Edward Soriano, Maj. General Antonio M. Taguba, and Maj. General John R. D'Araujo, Jr. These American soldiers reached levels of achievement that represent no mean feat for anyone, much less immigrants. On a personal knowledge level, Pastor and Mrs. Lowell Teves of the Seattle Fil-Am SDA Church , represent what is so often the case with Filipino immigrants. Tasked by the church to build an ethnic congregation and having little more than a small stipend, this couple achieved their goal with a dignity and aplomb that elicits honor and respect from all who know them. You referenced the author�s comment, "the Filipino dream of being little brown American masters of the Pacific". When I walk the streets of Manila and Cebu, the very atmosphere resonates with energy and drive, the will to survive, no matter the odds, strongly suggesting to me that when and if the people are freed to pursue their economic goals, the Philippines will indeed become the master of the western Pacific. I believe that what is needed is not authoritarian leadership, but simply, laissez-faire opportunity. The time is long past for the oligarchy to relax its anti-competitive strangle- hold on the flow of international investment capital and make the ultimate patriotic statement by allowing the native creativity and energy of the Filipino people to takes its natural course. John Long, (by email), Seattle , Washington , June 28, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi, Tony. Thanks for your latest article, on Chitang Nakpil. I found the book impossibly poignant and was deeply moved by the casually restrained narrative. You pointed out something that I missed, even after several readings, but which I now realize was there in the book all the time. I guess I have been unconsciously avoiding such a point of view because it inevitably leads me to gloomy thoughts about how much we have lost and how uncaring we can be as a people about our country's past, and future. Rex Robles, (by email), June 29, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi, Tony. I would be happy to read some of your articles about our country, the Philippines , I am very much interested to know the development (if there are really big changes that are going on under this administration) GOD BLESS the PHILIPPINES because it is the Land of my Birth! Angelita Harris, (by email), June 29, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi,Tony, When I read your "Chitang, Somewhere" of June 25, 2007, I felt so totally satisfied and vindicated about the line you wrote below: "My only regret is that she did not dwell long enough on what I think is the central moral problem of our day: the moral decline of Filipino society since the end of World War II. " I have been talking to whoever is willing to listen among friends, former classmates, and acquaintances, about the very real moral decline that in my 75 years of existence, I have perceived to have happened in our country. Further, I blame this moral decline, either directly or indirectly, for practically every problem our country faces today. Whether you agree with the cause and effect relationship between this moral decline and the state our country is in, the fact remains that nothing seems to be in the planning stage to arrest this moral decline. What is more, I have been told that since the decline has gone on for almost half a century, to restore the moral fiber of the country will certainly take much longer, perhaps one or maybe two generations. If so, it behooves us to try and start the corrective process NOW. It seems to me that two agencies are particularly efficacious in creating this cultural-moral-attitudinal change. The Dept. of Education, and the Catholic Church. With neither agency do I see any motivation to solve this problem, nor even any awareness that the problem exists. (The 3rd factor that forms the moral basis of the individual, the family, is itself largely influenced by the above 2 agencies) Where and how should we start? Or should we? Is this really a trivial problem when all is said and done? Am I barking up the wrong tree? Beating the wrong bush? Best regards, Chito Makalintal, (by email), June 29, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww That was a nice tribute you wrote about Carmen Guerrero-Nakpil. I first started reading her columns in the Manila Chronicle in the 60s, and she has not lost the grace and felicity that have made her writings so distinctive. I have two of her previous books, and I wish I could get a copy of her latest. Some writers get better with age, and that is certainly true of Chitang. Reading excerpts from her latest book, quoted here by Mr. Abaya, reminds me of one book I have (WHATEVER, I believe) where she wrote similarly about pre-war Manila (Ermita in particular), the post-war destruction, and her family. Her memoirs are reminiscent of what the late Nick Joaquin used to write about old Manila , which he knew so well, particularly the old churches in the city. There is a Filipino bookstore in San Francisco , and getting that book when it becomes available here, if ever, will be something I will be looking forward to. Tony, thanks again for this beautiful piece about one of our literary icons. Chitang deserves all those accolades, and more. Remigio G. Lacsamana, M.D,. (by email), Daytona Beach , Florida , June 30, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Very interesting write-up on a literary icon. By the way, Chitang is not related to Rizal; it was her first husband Cruz who was. Regards. Poch (Robles), (by email), June 30, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Other than Ermita, was there any other pre -World War II enclave that have the X-factor in Metro Manila and suburbia ? The only place I know then was Escolta. I still remember that phrase " Pang- Escolta." Sincerely yours, Auggie Surtida, (by email), July 05, 2007 (I really don�t know, Auggie. I was only nine when the war ended. I knew nothing about x-factor then. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww �We Cannot Let This Happen.� Good afternoon, Mr. Abaya. My name is Ruby Gonzalez Meyer. I have been one of your readers for years now. As I was searching the internet, this website came up " DAPAT TAPAT " and then I thought to myself: why not direct them to our website. Why : My family , in particular my brother Luis Qurino Gonzalez and myself, are involved in a terribly unjust situation. Kindly go to a website put up my our friends, and the issues are discussed in depth. http://www.wecannotletthishappen.com If you are interested in pursuing more background on this story, kindly email me at this address. Thank you. Ruby Gonzalez-Meyer, (by email), June 30, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �In One Generation� Friends, Please do not be surprise. I tell you, in less than a decade (10 years) we will have a better Philippines . The succeeding decade will find Filipinos prosperous and wealthy. Poverty will be limited to those who choose to remain poor. We are sprouting as of a seed buried deep so deep. A dear little plant lay fast asleep. Now our nation is starting to wake up amidst this soil that has corrupted our culture, now will serve as fertilizer for us to grow and become a big productive tree like the Philippine Mango. Believe me, I have seen this in my lifetime (am 69 years), happening in many nations, after severe hardship, progress and prosperity follows. Rex Rivera, (by email), July 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Crisis and opportunity in the May 14 elections by Hecky Villanueva Mon, 07 May 2007 08:22:15 -0700 (PDT) The upcoming May 14 elections provide many opportunities. Unfortunately, many of these opportunities are not for the country. Aging, education-deficient B-actors and singers, disgraced politicians, Marcos loyalists, vacuous oppositionists, and rent-seeking administration candidates fill the roster of political applicants. Of the 37 Senate candidates, only a handful led by Joker Arroyo and the Ang Kapatiran candidates are worthy of the Filipino vote. In Congress, at least 160 family-based political-dynasties are seeking to further entrench themselves. The stench of their sense of entitlement is overwhelming. They will murder to ensure they win. Already, the PNP has recorded 125 election related deaths. Who let the dogs out (with apologies to our canine friends)? What options do we have amidst this game-fixing political contest? Despite the barren political landscape, there are cracks, which instead of falling into; we can use to improve our lot. All we need to do is identify and recognize the opportunities, band together, and seize it. Most of you know these already, but let me frame it this way: Let not the politicians or mass media dictate the political conversation. It is us who should put forth the ideas that address poverty and social inequality. The current climate, that of political cynicism and indifference, presents opportunities for a radical break with how things are done. The vision is known, the ideas articulated, the strategies are there. Some of these are: 1. Direct Cash Transfers (DCT) to the poor. The term for a handful of proposals to help the poor in ways that recognizes their resilience, capabilities, assets, and rights. Worldwide, there is a growing movement for a movement for a basic income guarantee (see BIG). With BIG, the government periodically provides a uniform amount to each adult permanent resident, regardless of economic and employment status, as subsistence. This amount will replace most welfare services, shrink the government bureaucracy, promote economic liberty, raise wages, and stimulate economic activity, among others. DCT and BIG initiatives have documented successes worldwide. Funding for a BIG can be sourced from more efficient tax collection, less tax exemptions, collection of economic rents (use of natural resources), savings from downsized welfare services, etc. 2. Hyperwage. The StreetStrategist (SS) aka Thads Bentulan has formulated the Nobel Prize-potential Hyperwage Theory (See HT, you will need to join the discussion group first.), which is more radical than a communist revolution or right wing junta. According to the SS, pricing human labor at its true value will launch the country into developed country status in the shortest time possible. Extending Keynesian multiplier theory into its fullest potential, higher wages with base reference point of P20,000/month for household helpers, directly transfers cash to the poor; generates higher quality productivity; increases consumption; and ultimately stimulates investment. Objections to HT such as runaway inflation, barriers to implementation, cost, etc. are discussed and resolved. For example, inflation will reach an asymptote (a physical limit). Besides, we are already paying for many First World prices (consumer electronics, foreign travel, foreign consultants, etc.). While redistributive, the rich, especially the entrepreneurs, will eventually benefit from increasing consumer purchasing power. 3. Conscious capitalism. An emerging buzzword for social entrepreneurs� (another buzzword) use of capital. Simply, poverty, social inequity, and environmental degradation are prevalent. However, the solutions can make for good business. Alternative energy, loans to small start ups and poor communities, fair trade business, socially responsible investing (SRI) etc. have good profit potential. Using ICT (information communication technologies), peer-to-peer lending and microfinance are beginning to carve an alternative niche to the banking industry, pay day cash loans, and predatory lenders. Prosper.com ( U.S. ) for example reported at least 240,000 users and nearly $60 million in loans since 2005. Other versions are Zopa ( UK ), and CircleLending. Lenders earn from loan interest. With Kiva, lenders do not earn interest but they do fund livelihood projects worldwide. Kiva�s repayment rate is 100%. Providing other financial services to the poor, aside from capital, is also needed. Remittance and payment fees are too high for the poor, their overseas relatives, or farmer cooperatives. Firms such as B2bpricenow.com have teamed up with LandBank, IT, and telephone companies to offer free e-commerce subcription services such as a trading and settlement platforms. Using SMS and working with cooperatives and local business shops, they are lowering the transaction costs for the �last mile of payment� or cash delivery to the barrio. The challenge for the expat Filipino community is the �first mile of delivery� or from the OFW to the Philippines . Gawad Kalinga�s Reunion Village , an integrated farm, retirement, husing, tourst, resort complex that is environment-friendly, will eventually have a market value of at least PhP100 Million. More affordable transportation, medical equipment and services, basic tools and machinery, housing, energy, water supply, tourism, retirement facilities, IT services, food production, medicine are among the markets that Filipinos can enter. 4. Civil society as convergence points. Because politics and government are dysfunctional at so many levels; because many of our government officials and politicians do not have transformational leadership skills; because they have not articulated a national vision; there is a yawning opportunity for those outside of government and politics to articulate and implement a national vision. As the Gawad Kalinga, RockEd Philippines, GILAS, etc. movements show, nation building starts with a sense of community. Filipinos are also active in the international internet based volunteer group called NABUUR. It could be in housing, the youth, the educational sector, the environment, artists, etc. A relatively flat organization, open source type of communication and knowledge type, national focus, creative, energized, multi-media, and mass based is reviving civil society in the country. Without waiting for anyone, they are addressing the needs of specific sectors of society. They are providing opportunities for Filipinos who want to help- and there are many- in direct ways. They have national scope with transnational links. They are collectively challenging the status quo not with anger and pessimism, but by modeling change and edifying daily heroic actions to one another (GK�s bayani sa isa�t isa). They bring to the table skills, resources, imagination, persistence, and a will to succeed. See what happens when all these groups support and get together on a national scale. 5. Cultural resources. A direct consequence or probably a cause of (you choose) of civil society is a conscious focus on our cultural resources. You can observe it everywhere. Indigenous Philippine psychology (Sikolohiyang Pilipino) is gaining ground. The arts sector is booming, as well as the music scene (RockED seems to be the premier concert promoter these days). Because of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA), IP groups are now more active and confident, especially in their negotiations with mining companies. The youth is active in design, outdoors, environmental, adventure travel, ICT, etc. that blend global standards with native innovations. Retirees and expats are enriching local initiatives. Futkal (football sa Kalye) in slums, Pinoy podcasts, adventure racing in the Rice Terraces, the annual Tour of the Fireflies (cycling around Metro Manila), the Philippine Hobie sailing challenge, Pinoy science and research, etc. are generating a lot of buzz. Promote culture and people run away with it with so many innovations. 6. Alternative technologies. Global warming, deforestation, regional conflicts over energy sources, increasing energy prices amidst increasing energy demand, water supply constraints, etc. are some of our challenges. However, these present opportunities. With billions living below the poverty indicator ($1/day), without adequate housing, water supply, and electricity, innovations which address these challenges have much potential. Whether you laugh at him or not, Daniel Dingel�s water car has spawned an international e-group that has built on and innovated on his original concept car. I won�t anymore hark on the economic and energy potentials of coconut, bagasse, rice, corn, recycled cooking oil, solar, wind, etc. We�re doing it already. The Enhancing Household Biomass Energy Use in the Philippines for example is a good resource. A major issue though seems to be maintenance and scaling up. Once communities purchase or receive donated equipment, i.e. water pumps, solar cells, its maintenance and replacement becomes costly. What is needed is an indigenous way of maintaining tools and equipment. Again, open source provides a solution. For example, the MULTIMACHINE tool, made out of recycled car parts is a transportable, easy to build, affordable, all-purpose machine tool, steel-rolling equipment, educational and livelihood project for rural communities. It can be used to build homes, repair water pumps, manufacture tools, etc. These are just but a few of the emerging trends not only in the Philippines , but worldwide. The Philippines and the United States , as well as many other countries have incompetent, corrupt, and uninspiring leaders. Why haven�t these countries collapsed? It is because of its resilient and innovative citizenry. This is where change will ultimately emerge. Last year, the global warming debate was burning out (excuse the pun) because of the heavy lobbying of the oil industry. Look what happens when various sectors of society get together. Clean energy and conservation are now the IN thing. The ultimate goal of national development is fulfillment of basic household needs, green industrialization, social equity, and a knowledgeable and cohesive citizenry. With so many challenges facing us, all we need to do is get together, innovate, and work hard. Politics is only one of several ways to achieving it. If we can�t access political power, let us remake the political landscape. Disruptive technology and ideas are needed. Hecky Villanueva, (by email), Tuczon , Arizona , July 01, 2007 PhD Program, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Arizona wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, I wrote this many years ago. The Reinvention The Best You Can Be Every Pinoy should strive to be the best at whatever they do. The best carpenter, the best writer, the best basurero, the best engineer, the best ombudsman, and yes even the best kurakot politician or government functionary. Fear not, because I believe that since good triumphs over evil, the best ombudsman will soon enough catch even the best grafters of them all and get them shot, everyone of them. Yes, sir! With every Pinoy at every level striving for excellence or at least dutifully doing what is required of them, our current decrepit society will be up to snuff and humming in no time. Dyahe, pare. Jean Paul Sartre once said that words are loaded pistols. Indeed, they are also like shards of glass that bury deep into the psyche and bleeds the victim to a slow lingering death. I propose that the word dyahe, a legacy of the colonial past that continues to subjugate us mentally, not be uttered again and thrown into the dustbin. Dyahe or nakakahiya impedes initiative, risk taking, innovation and progress. This is not to say we are at liberty to transgress and be walanghiya. All I am saying is if we break no law and hurt nobody, who cares what others would say? If they call us aggressive, we should consider it a compliment, for we are being part of the solution. We are simply being confident and self-reliant. Must we act only after somebody gives us permission or tells us to, otherwise it's dyahe? It is not enough that we have a functioning society. We need to catch up with the rest of the world that is fast hurtling forward, and only by being self-starters and go-getters can we ever do so. What to do? With dyahe gone, we are ready to speak up. If we don't, others will speak for us! Yet if we only talk among ourselves, it is just being incestuous and quite limited. But thanks to the Internet and advances in communication technologies we can leapfrog and make great strides because our voices become more resounding and far-reaching and we can hasten change much faster and more effectively. We also need to talk to Gabby Lopez or Lisa Gokongwei, esteemed media magnates about participating. (I really should have done this a long time ago. But I am such an incurable cunctator. But I promise I will get to it.) They have the power in their hands (vested in them by us) to reach and change the enslaved mentality of EVERY Pinoy in the country. We entrusted them with the air waves and the presses not just to entertain us with more than a few local and foreign trash, but also to serve as a true vehicle for the public good with programs, movies and publications that are patriotic, socially redeeming and most encouraging of the traits and the discipline that we will need if we are to move forward. Oh yes, the movie industry, the other broadband pipe to the masa. Can't we get in our subliminal messages in every film they make? The CIA, the State Department and the Tobacco Institute do it all the time with Hollywood . And what about the Church? I don't go to church so I don't know what they say or do there regarding the more immediate and temporal concerns of life here on earth. But from what I see and don't see in our society, (other than their toppling of governments) there's still much to be desired from this perhaps most powerful institution. Like family planning, that is, if they truly love the poor. Oh, yes, the schools. I don't know about the public schools, but when I was in Ateneo our obligatory Bayan Magiliw was karaoke even before there was karaoke. The Irish-American Jesuits mostly from the Bronx (of all places) every morning at assembly rushed us to listen to our very patriotic and most beautiful of all national anthems WITHOUT the words! They sure did a job on us. That is partly why we are what we are, and we are where we are. Well, at least I know the tune. We never read any Rizal but we were certainly well-versed in Shakespeare, and were so proud of it! Little brown Americans we were. Now, little brown Republicans even! Heck, the Japanese, the Chinese and the Koreans read no Shakespeare and are doing just fine, thank you. I wonder if the Pinoy Jesuits are still perpetuating this mental slavery our generation went through. Really, how can we even begin to talk about progress for our beloved Philippines if in schools and at home we are never taught to become patriots, to LOVE our own country, our own language, our own people? The task is enormous, but not insurmountable. Every great nation has gone through similar phases, many of them, many times over! As you can see it really boils down to software, i.e., the reprogramming of the Pinoy mind, our reinventing of ourselves from the current easy service economy as a nation of maids, nurses, caregivers, entertainers and ordertakers -- unarguably all heroes -- to Pinoy Version 2.0, a race of hard-nosed, independent-minded storekeepers, shopkeepers, traders, craftsmen, artists, artisans, bankers, engineers, writers, scientists, musicians, doctors, educators, actors, professional public servants, agriculturists, manufacturers, etc., etc. par excellence! And this Renaissance, this Reconquista of the mind, attitude, and spirit gone soft and astray, which I call the Reinvention of the Pinoy is doable because we do have a telecommunication and media infrastructure that is greatly improved and moving forward even more, and our social institutions, albeit crumbling, are still in place and will still make a good conduit. And most importantly, we still have millions of enlightened Pinoy patriots, though quiet they may be at the moment, who ARE for Pinoys realizing that if not, who will be. When you think it about there's really not a whole lot to inculcate. Twenty one hundred years ago the liberal Hillel (the right wing Republicans:Sadducees hated him a liberal Democrat:Pharisees. Hehehe! Jesus was a leftist radical!) was asked, "Rabbi, while standing on one foot, what is the essence of your religion?" He replied, "What is hateful to thee, do not unto thy fellow man: this is the whole Law; the rest is mere commentary". Confucius said basically the same thing three hundred years earlier. And of course, much later Jesus phrased it positively with "Do unto others as you would others do unto to you". And even more recently, and while not of the same stature, Robert Fulghum wrote his equally sensible "All You Need is What You Learned in Kindergarten". In short, civics, duty, discipline and excellence are the simple basic stuffs -- nothing fancy -- that make a nation prosperous. Pray! I have nothing against praying which the good Jesuits et al are wont to advise us to do, i.e., pray for this, pray for that. Pray for the country's salvation as Fr. Reuter and lately Cory exhort us! E, pero abuso na 'yan, katamaran at selfishness at ginugulo laang natin ang Diyos! Kung sana Ateneo-LaSalle basketball championship! E, ibang usapan na 'yan! Pati ako magno-novena, not ma�ana, but right now! As Juvenal said, and I agree with him, the only thing we should pray for is a sound mind in a healthy body [Orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano.] For everything else we should roll up our sleeves and take care of them ourselves from the sweat of our brows and not rely on God, our leaders or anybody else! Blessings of health and intelligence, dogged hardwork and tenacity on our part individually and collectively are all we need to have a great nation. Furthermore, we must change this naive faith that there is a lone saviour in a white shining armor who'd rescue us from our socio-political-economic mess. The sad truth is that many of us are still like the two characters in that famous play of the theater of the absurd Waiting for Godot. Like them we put too much emphasis on a messiah who'd cleanse our sins and lead us out of this wilderness to the promised land. And all the while we are all polarized and paralyzed as we forever wait for him or her to come and save us, instead of acknowledging our individual and collective guilt and redeeming ourselves by reinventing, changing and bettering ourselves, by helping each other right now and ahora mismo and pronto with the bootstraps we already have. . It is us alone who can help ourselves. We don't need any expensive imported hardware or software with all those hifalutin' unnecessary bells and whistles. Worse yet, many of them contain Trojan viruses! We simply need to change our mindset and our worldview! Like the Jews with their eternal touchstone question Is it good for the Jews?, we should similarly be forever asking and requiring an affirmative answer to the one paramount question Is it good for the Pinoys? before moving forward on any issue of national and international importance, and the hell with what other countries may think. And finally, writing mere commentaries are a far cry for doing. Can we bridge the gap and deliver? With constant education from the media and all the institutions, it will take at least a generation, some twenty years, to see some results. By the way, Hillel also said, "If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?" Louie Fernandez, (by email), July 02, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony: I am pleased and grateful to read your footnote to my email in which I suggested (your choice of word inciting) a sweeping revolt in the Philippines to change the government and mindset of our people. I will follow up by reading the article mentioned appearing in your blog. You and I are at best singing a similar tune in changing the ways of doing things in the country. That is good to know. Living six thousand miles away did not plant the seed of change in me. I completed high school in 1955 and even then my good and very dear friend and classmate now Senator Rudy Biazon and our circle of fairly talented friends were debating the need to make changes when we take our leadership roles after college. We felt we were the first few batches educated totally under America 's tutelage. And with little Spanish influence. Being a US citizen I left for America some 52 years ago, went to college and been living and competing with the Anglos to achieve the sometime illusive American dream. However, Life has been good but my heart, mind and soul is Filipino. We transplanted Filipinos in America and the rest of the world beat with the drum that sounds I am proud to be Filipino. A footnote for you to ponder. Why do Filipinos progress and do very well in other countries? The answer: "It is because of laws, authority and discipline". If I were living in the Philippines , undoubtedly I will be a revolutionary. The fire will always be there. It does not help matters when visiting many of the Asian countries being more progressive than the Philippines . One generation can with a CAN DO ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS. It is that simple really. It is ridiculous that the perceived enemies when I left were the communists and Huks. Now the real enemies are the plunderers in the government-our phony Filipino leaders. During one of my annual returns I had the honor to meet and celebrate the Late Dr. Jesus Lava's 86 birthday celebration. He was the uncle of my good friend with the same name. To think he was a feared individual in the mid fifties next to Taruc and he turned out to be like any man, warm and pleasant and even charming; who saw bad things early on. For some it takes time to realize these ills but so many never sees it. And that is sad. Thank you again. Oscar Apostol, (by email), Roseville, California, July 02, 2007 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |