Every Filipino is Guilty

More than 24 hours have passed since the massacre or—as the government wants to put it: 'misencounter'—in Mamasapano, Maguindanao transpired. This inhumane incident involved the death of 44 members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Forces (PNP-SAF) in the hands of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

Considered as an ambush more than anything else, where only 8 members of the MILF and BIFF were killed, the President along with his lackeys chose to call this abomination a 'misencounter.'

However, the misnomer and the insistence of that misnomer in the part of the government is but only the tip of a sinister iceberg. The truly disturbing part of it all is that for more than 24 hours that have passed, the President is yet to address his constituents. Until now, we receive no consolation, condemnation nor assurance in any action the government will take (if there is in fact, any at all).

Nothing.

For more than 24 hours that have passed, the only thing the government could do is to point fingers, call this incident a mis-encounter and—goodness forbid—even blame those who died for they were 'lost.' We receive no acknowledgment of losses, we receive no sympathy, no reprieve nor do we receive any messages for the Filipinos to remain strong and unite in times like this for we have no true leader. No, what we have seated in power are heartless parasites the dumbed-down, unthinking masses put in place.

For more than 24 hours that have passed, the people of the Philippines remain apathetic—consorting to a 'public outrage' that remains just that: a public outrage with no plans of actions to be taken. It may sound hypocritical coming from a blogger sitting behind a computer, but this is precisely why France is a developed country and the Philippines can only wish to be. During the killings in the Charlie Hebdo, a total of 12 people were killed and almost immediately, the French took to the streets and unleashed their national fury. Here though, you would be hard pushed to find such movements as Filipinos boast a clannish culture—each one to himself. Sure, one would be forgiven to say that they have driven a dictator and a mediocre statesman through People Power I and II, but a compelling question remains: Where are we now?

Logic and a basic understanding of the current hierarchy of the Philippine Government compel us to think that these slain men were mobilized by either the DILG Secretary or the PNP Chief, who takes direct orders from the President himself. This is to pursue BIFF Commander Basit Usman and Zulkifli bin Hir, a Malaysian bomb expert with a 5 million dollar bounty on his head. Now, if it is also true that this massacre occurred because of poor intelligence (or whatever excuse that may be thrown for that matter), then it logically follows that every Filipino is guilty of having the blood of the 64 slain policemen as much as the MILF and the BIFF.

We put these people to power.

In our still feudal-colonial society, we vote the same crooks over and over again for we fear to think, we fear to change. We only help each other so long as we gain something in return. We cry of democracy and freedom, yet when it is time the Philippines needs us, we bow our heads and let the system of cruelty wash over us without even putting up a fight. In this day and age, we still nurture patronage politics and the padrino system despite of the evil these have caused us.

We move on, we recover and we put on a
retarded dog-like grin but
we never learn—we refuse to learn.

But never mind, the Filipinos are a resilient people. No matter what tragedy befalls us, we will get back up with a smile on our faces. The problem is... resilience is not synonymous to learning. Sure, we move on, we recover and we put on a retarded dog-like grin but we never learn—we refuse to learn. We scream foul of the inequities committed by those seated but we are bark and no bite. In fact, we even find it in us to stare in awe at these crooks whenever they break free of charges against them no matter the strength of evidence. Finally, we cry for change yet we are not willing to learn.

In the end, we are all to blame. Truly, it is more fun in the Philippines.

Why the Poor and the ‘Masa’ of the Philippines Fail to Move Me

His Holiness Pope Francis:
Perhaps one of the many souls
that humanity needs now.

What with the coming of the Pope and all, the streets of the Metro Manila have been once again filled with thousands and millions of Filipinos all professing their love for the Pontiff. Don’t get me wrong though, I like the Pope—inasmuch of an irony that it may sound, given that it was coming from a non-religious. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, or better known as His Holiness the Pope Francis, is both a rational and religious man who believes in evolution as much as the scriptures. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that he is perhaps one of the many souls that humanity needs now—whether one is a believer or non-believer, or anyone who are in between.

Now, the visit of the Pope to the Philippines has been, of course, eventful. Besides the cringe-inducing woe-is-me speech by none other than the President, the shallow almost idiotic covering of the Philippine media (believe me, here in the Philippines, the way a psalm singer looks or mundane things such as the wind conditions and the manner with which the Pope waves are more important than an analysis on the meat of the Pontiff’s messages), and the truckloads of trash left by devotees, the Pope has left Filipinos strong messages regarding corruption, freedom of speech, the youth, the role of females in the society and equality, poverty, and a lot more.

I would agree with most of what he said. Most, but not all. Let us focus on poverty. The Pope has left a challenge among us to care for our poor brethren. Sure, I agree to that. But here in this country, such sentiments are lightyears far easier said than done.

Oh sure, we do care for the poor. The problem is that most of the poor are sods who continuously cry of injustice whilst invading the properties of legal owners. Give them relocation sites, and they will up and leave their new settlements, sell them, and move to urban areas once again to settle illegally in another’s property (otherwise known as professional squatters). Worse is that when it's time for such owners to claim what's theirs, these people would huff up their chests, scream foul and swagger as if they own the earth. Never mind that they have already been given a solution to their housing problem, or that there are a lot of ways to educate one’s self for livelihood purposes for they still want more—like parasitic children weaning from taxpayers. What was the old adage again? Oh yeah—“give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Apparently, after giving fish and teaching how to fish, one still have a moral obligation to spoon feed.

Then there are the 'poor' who weep everyday of paralyzing poverty whilst they multiply like bacteria on a Petri dish without thinking of the consequences. Never mind that with every Filipino born is another mouth to feed, brain to educate, and body to nurture because contraceptives are against their god’s laws—that because having more children than one can afford signify a strong, virile and alpha male of a father.

Let us also not forget those who clamor for change yet vote the same imbeciles over and over again. These people claim that they are jaded of corruption here and corruption there, but when you ask them who they want as their leaders, you’ll get a clueless stare and a no less than retarded plethora of answers:

“Because _________ is an actor/actress!”

“Because _________ came from (insert name of a political dynasty)!”

“Because there’s no one else.”

Or the worst:

“I don’t know.”

Cue the laugh track and comedic sound effects. Only thing is, every bit of this is a sad, sad affair.

Sure, I will agree that there have been innumerable inequities committed against the poor; that those seated are robbing every one of us blind. But if the poor wear their poverty around their necks like a fashion statement, that’s when pity and sympathy run dry.

I care for this nation, but I do not pay taxes monthly to finance the cycle of corruption and the mindless masses who continually vote for the corrupt.

Seriously, had I not a shred of humanity in me, I'd say the Philippines is in dire need of eugenics. Screw natural selection, it only tends to reward those who multiply quickly, not those who are contributing to human evolution (then again, merely suggesting so make me sound hypocritically self righteous).

But this is the current status quo, and unless a similar but a lot less radical solution would occur to the Philippine populace, the best choice is to guide the masses and shove nasty truths right up their orifices, regardless the pain.

The Ironies of the #BlackNazarene

Tomorrow is January 9 again. Here in the Philippines, that could only mean the feast of the Black Nazarene. Every year, the devout prepare for this event hoping for an opportunity to touch and be blessed by a 400 year old statue brought to the Philippines by its Spanish colonizers. The devout may prepare with reverence for such festivities, but enforcing authorities and motorists on the other hand, will prepare for this event with a collective sigh as once again, main roads will be blocked by the Nazarene’s entourage, effectively halting any economic activities on those areas.

Seeing as the Philippines is a tropical country, it would be common to expect people to experience complications that come from the heat and of course, the mind-numbingly crowdedness of the venue. Heatstroke cases are, if not a customary, always expected hence the imperative need for medics to be always nearby. Also, should the worst case scenario happen, we may expect some other cardiovascular complications, stampedes and ultimately; death. Kind of a funny way to look at being “blessed” isn’t it? But it’s all worth it.

Or so we are told.

But that’s beside the point. Miracle or no miracle, this Feast of the Black Nazarene reflects the dysfunctional society the Philippines have. How? Let me enlighten you.

The Philippines is proud to be a predominantly Catholic country. In fact, we are so proud of our religion that we even drag it in issues where religion are not even relevant (elections, anyone? Or how about political debates on the RH Bill? Hmmm?). Moreover, if these so-called devout Catholic practitioners are challenged by scientific facts that have been proven with empirical results, they will always have a passage in their book that they will gladly defend to the death despite the overwhelming evidence (Creationism and Evolution come to mind). It’s always the same analogy of belief over proof; or more like a fairy tale versus a biography.

But I digress. Catholicism and religion are such big things in a despair-ridden country such as the Philippines. And for people in such a country, the Black Nazarene is beacon of light which somehow makes one’s problems all go away by simply wiping a white cloth on the statue. Yes, we Filipinos are complete suckers for instant gratification. Why then wouldn’t noontime shows that promise instant cash be a hit? Why then wouldn’t “Get rich quick” scams work? Why then wouldn’t visiting the Black Nazarene, getting trampled by the pushing and pulling of the multitude and risking one’s self for injury once a year be worth it if people claim that they got what they want by simply pulling on the ropes and/or by touching the statue itself?

Another thing is the religious hypocrisy. The First Commandment say so and the books of Exodus and Leviticus will agree with me.

Exodus 20:2-5: “I [am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth:

“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me.”

And Leviticus 26:1: "Do not make idols or set up carved images, or sacred pillars, or sculptured stones in your land so you may worship them. I am the LORD your God.”

Let me get one thing straight though, I think it’s perfectly fine to use a statue as a reminder or a figure for your god. But if you have such a commandment that is said to have come from heaven above—well, I don’t know about you but if making a ritualistic feast for a statue, kissing and bowing to that specific effigy, and crafting merchandises, mementos and what-have-you in the name of that one specific statue (as if it was the god, not just an effigy) isn’t some form of worship, then I don’t know what is.

Remember, you worship your god because of the goodness they have done for the world. So working on that thought, if you truly believe that your god is miraculous, any incarnation of their statue will do as reminder of their goodness—not just one specific statue. Sure, you believe that there is god. That that god is invisible and faith is the proof you have for their existence. But if your belief on your deity is truly based on faith, you wouldn’t need mere statues and effigies to believe in their miracles. That is, of course, if you’re like an agnostic who will refuse to believe unless given empirical proof. For if you are, welcome to the club.

I’ve mentioned earlier that we Filipinos are suckers for instant gratification. This feat is mostly evident in the people believing in the Black Nazarene. Years of observing the local media and the devout themselves provide more than enough proof of that (Believe me; I even personally know some of them). Every year, interviews will be shown asking people why they believe and most of the answers you’ll hear will always play somewhere between the lines of “Because the Nazarene grants wishes” and “Because I realized my dream of ________” and so on and so forth.

We are a Republic of Nganga.

Never mind that we don’t work for ourselves the whole year if the Nazarene grants wishes for one day. Never mind that we reproduce more and more children each year without thinking of the consequences. Never mind that we remain “Nganga” during political scandals such as the DAP and PDAF. Never mind that we remain politically ignorant and elect candidates with the flashiest campaign ads and the shallowest platforms. Never mind that we have a depressing brain drain in the country. Never mind, because by dragging yourself every year to Quiapo, by utterly risking yourself to the dangers of stampede and heat just to wipe a white cloth to a statue means that you are blessed and are entitled to expect your life to be completely turned around in one day.

Last I checked though, successful people relied more on hard work and diligence—not just through prayers. “Sa tao ang gawa,” as they say.

Truly, we are a Republic of Nganga.