The 25th of February
is supposedly the turning point in Philippine History as this day marked the
fall of the political strongman and alleged tyrant, Ferdinand Marcos. During
this day, we celebrate how the Aquinos supposedly liberated the Philippines
from a rotting dictatorial political system to an allegedly democratic one.
Fast forward to twenty-nine years
later and one would be forgiven to scratch his head raw, wondering just what
exactly have we accomplished (notice my copious use of uncertain words in the
first paragraph). Looking at a
historical perspective, we may sum up the good effects of the EDSA 'Revolution'
in one word: Nothing.
Twenty-nine years from EDSA I, we
still clamor for change. We still suffer from the same slave masters: the
oligarchs, the despots guised as freedom fighters, and political "activists"
who spew nothing but stupidity and who have sinister agenda underneath their
sleeves.
Twenty-nine years from EDSA I,
some of us still celebrate (and even liken to saints) the Aquino regime, despite
the overwhelming failure of the Mother and now, goodness forbid, the Son. Some
of us still hold on to the crazy notion that an Aquino will redeem our nation.
Never mind that Cory Aquino approved the sale of state-run businesses including
the Philippine Airlines, banks and subsidiaries of the national oil company,
leaving major businesses in the country and in turn, the people, at the mercy
of the oligarchs. Never mind that Benigno Simeon 'BS' Aquino is following in
his mother's legacy of epic failure with the 2010 Manila Hostage Crisis, the
forging of the unconstitutional national sellout Bangsamoro Basic Law, and the
recent and horrifying deaths of the SAF 44 among many others.
But what exactly is wrong in the
Philippines?
Simple. While it is true that we
are ruled by incompetent leaders, it was the typical Filipino who put them to
place. The Philippines need to change the ones seated in power but more
importantly, the Filipinos need to change themselves. For if anything, the
government is only a reflection of the society it serves.
The Philippine Government is
corrupt, crass, mediocre, self-serving, and vengeful. But so are common
Filipinos (if not much worse).
The typical Filipino is self-entitled,
immune to even the simplest rules and regulations that otherwise apply to common mortals. He does
not pay heed to the laws of traffic nor the simple no littering or "Bawal umihi dito, hindi ka aso."
The typical Filipino has no need for such abstract constructs as he is above
the rest.
The typical Filipino is
infallible. He can criticize foreigners to his heart's content but he will cry
foul when he is criticized. No matter where you are born, if you happen to be
recognized and happen to have even the smallest drop of Pinoy blood, you are
Pinoy and basta Pinoy, da best! Though,
collectively, we are yet to prove our worth (besides the cheap labor force) to
the world.
The typical Filipino is crass and
mediocre. He celebrates stupidity and ignorance. He hates those who are
ambitious; for in this country, being called 'ambisyoso' or 'ambisyosa' often
has a negative connotation. He makes fun of intellectuals—like bullies in the
kindergarten playground. Observe how they often become derisive of
knowledgeable people. How they make foolish jokes as to how a smart remark made
their noses bleed, or how English speakers are stigmatized as spoiled, anti-poor,
rich kids just because they fail to understand the language and that they
simply refuse to learn the language.
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| If the collective intelligence of the Philippines is a Financial Statement, we are dangerously close to filing for Bankruptcy. |
The typical Filipino thrives in
the mundane and refuses to think deep, or rather, to think at all. Why else
would Kris Aquino gain fame despite her insufferable mouth and in-your-face
attitude? Why else would the 'Royal' DongYan wedding get the attention it
garnered? Why else would soap operas, and movies that have idiotic plots, bland
characters, and script that have little to no literary value be watched at all?
Seriously, if the collective intelligence of the Philippines is a Financial
Statement, we are dangerously close to filing for Bankruptcy.
The typical Filipino is self-serving.
He will not join causes for the sake of change, but he will join because he
knows that he will benefit from it. He will not vote properly for he had not
been offered the right amount. He will not help those in need if he knows that
there will be no debt of gratitude (utang
na loob). Each one for himself.
The typical Filipino is vengeful.
Utak squatter. One look at how BS
Aquino runs his office will show you definitive proof of this. Rizal once said
that "There are no tyrants if there are no slaves." While this is
true in its essence, the problem here is that the typical Filipino often seeks
revenge to offenses whether real or imagined. He is the epitome of legendary
butthurt. There will be no tyrants if there are those who don't allow
themselves be enslaved. However as time goes by, we develop a vicious cycle
wherein the former slaves become the tyrants themselves and their slaves in
turn, will become the tyrants of the next generation and so on. Intellectuals and
revolutionaries here are bad, but self-service and vendetta are a-OK.
We need to change. Not just the
system of the government, but also our culture of mediocrity and patronage
politics. We need to change our self-serving attitude and vindictive nature. We
need to change as a people, not drench ourselves year after year in some pipe
dream that one day, a savior will come and turn the tides for the better. "Freedom" in itself is not necessarily the hallmark of a great nation. It's how we responsibly use that freedom to better ourselves that counts.
