Disclaimer: I may be totally counterintuitive right now, but for someone who wants to live her entire life in this country, see this as a statement from genuine concern. So pardon me if this is too insensitive or disorganized.
There has been a clamor for change in the country. Maybe because after three revolutions, there has still haven’t been any sincere, meaningful and lasting change. Just very recently, a known democracy icon has passed and it refreshed memories of moments where there has been a spark of hope for the country. Whether or not the expectation from that hope was fulfilled is given little importance.
In the Philippines, I have noticed that people tend to pay more intention to the cinematic dramatics of a matter than the actual feature, function or result of it. It’s not whether one has delivered, it’s more on whether one likes or does not like a person for some trivial, superficial reason or maybe some tear-jerking moment of the politician on television.
Our nation’s life is so backward that we liken it to proverbial Pinoy teleseryes wherein the Filipino’s are forever “api” or that we need that flowery moment of graceful unity, that unfortunately, lasts for, well, at most, a couple of months.
Sometimes, we fail to rationalize, weigh the pros and cons and derive the best solution mix because we are so caught in that moment of sentimental brouhaha. In doing that, we become more and more helpless. We fail to look at the essentials. Advertisements here, a couple guesting in noon time tv shows, perfect marketing by the interest-ridden media and voila! instant winner! Basta patok sa kadramahan ng mga tao, pwede na. di bale kung inutil. uso eh. Sa huli, kahit may eksena pang pampelikula, ang taumbayan pa rin ang “api” sa teleserye ng Pilipinas.
Kailangan ba, parang mga bida tayo sa teleserye? Lugmok at sirang-sira bago makabangon? Baka naman mas masalimuot pa ang abutin natin, baka, sa halip na makabangon, kaiinin na tayo ng kumunoy ng pagpapawalang-bahala natin?
Maybe that’s why we’ve always been short of statesmen – more often than not, our congressmen, senators and presidents are more concerned with their moment in the spotlight, working up some hell of emotional-filled moment - fit to be awarded in some acting ceremony - than the real labor involved in building a nation that has been destroyed over and over again. Sadly, our leaders, who are also Filipinos, who share the same heritage, history and ancestors, end up making a business out of the hopes and hearts of the Filipinos – naïve and vulnerable as we already are.
Time and again symbols of unity, of democracy, of independence and of freedom as in the words of A. Navarra, are put on a pedestal, printed on shirts and forgotten after a benefit concert. Just as Navarra has said, we should have a bomb for each of us so that it can blow up in our faces so we can sit dazed and confused… wondering what we have done we are so called intellect! Sure, that may be some sort of figure of speech but really, why haven’t we been thinking rationally?
One, we have not held a cause as long as we should so that it can take effect. We leave the old; get hold of a new until the former loses all chances for resolve. I bet whatever the Philippines is so passionate right now, will be a thing of the past once the new year comes. We forget the meat of an issue after a new issue comes along. Second, we are convinced too easily. We deserve the BEST. Let us demand the best. We settle for who CAN win, but if THEY DO win, are they REALLY capable of leading? Why don't we choose first someone who is qualified in all aspects and then work up the campaign. We dont need any "magic", more so, our pambato should not be compromised because we believe in this "magic".
In being such a bunch of zombies, watching the news by some overbearing media people, and believing whatever they say as important to us. We remain spectators of this Grand Teleserye of the country’s political milieu.
So, the people who fought for this country’s growth and freedom, wind up as rotting cadavers, simply rotting cadavers of flesh or plain hard bones– who gave their lives for a nation of gullible immature morons who can’t even think of their own welfare.
Isn’t that enough to behoove us to remember that we have failed many times in what we initially thought as the ‘solution-in-a-person’ and ‘instant-cure’ and that choosing so recklessly, came with a very costly consequence? Two legitimate revolutions and we still haven’t changed… a single bit.
More and more, the burden of the initiative to change has been passed, thrown and put on the backs of certain individuals… In this case, one individual. Kawawa naman siya, paano kung hindi pa pala talaga niya kaya, we’ll wind up kicking that symbol of hope out again? O baka mamatay na ang pag-asa natin ng tuluyan?
People it should not be one’s person’s burden... Ang nangyayari, the hopes of the nation is dependent on the success of someone we chose out of, well, their bloodline.
Kapag nandoon na ang manok, nawawala na ang tutok. Balik sa dating-gawi ang lahat ng tao. Pag may nangyari, nasa isa lang ang sisi. At tila, ang mga nagwalang-bahala at walang ginawa, walang sala. Nakakapanlumo ‘di ba?
The ancient Greek said, the state is ‘man writ large’. The state is similar to a man as a living body composed of several organic parts. Whatever pain is suffered by an organic part, is suffered by the whole body. Likewise, when corruption and greed breeds, in just a small part of the system, the whole body feels it. Hindi lang mahalaga kung ulo ang tiwali – kung kahit sa bewang, sa singit-singit, kahit sa kalingkingan ng daliri ay nanalaytay ang kurapsyon at kasakiman, kahit magpalit pa tayo ng ulo, – masakit pa rin ang kabuuan.
What do we need right now? Moral ascendancy, right? I think, that is our best interest. the government is that CORRUPT. Comparing it to the course of social evolution, every man must be an organic part of the body- a functional, enabled and ennobled part– in order for the whole body to fulfill its need. So, placing the load on the back on just one person or just one little part of the body can backfire on us. Big time.
It is really a system overhaul, an attitude overhaul, so we can fix the whole body, or in this case, the whole nation. Now, choosing just one thoughtlessly and relying on one because of faulty reasons, is a double-bladed sword. Why can't we choose the one then make them winnable? Not the other way around - we choose the winnable candidate then just pray they are gonna be good leaders.
Richard Gordon made a lot of sense in the papers today, (and although I do work for him, I am not entirely decided on whether I’ll vote for him if ever he will run for any position and I am NOT campaigning him. Honestly, I was eyeing on someone else. Not a senator.) – Leadership is EARNED. It is NOT inherited. A good story helps but whether the idea can translate to charisma, or more importantly, whether a person can BE what he is expected to be, is an entirely different story.
Naniniwala lang kasi ako sa Pilipinas at sa Pilipino. Matagal ng nasa posisyon ang “person of the moment”… sa totoo lang, sablay eh. Kung gusto naman talaga niya baguhin ang Pilipinas, matagal na niyang nasimulan gawin yun. Pero, bakit halos wala akong makita. The people does not just deserve to win, the people, this nation, deserves nothing short of the best.
Personally, I believe that nation building is not a hype-driven thing. It’s hard work. And I’m sorry but in the middle of Noynoy Aquino hype, other more qualified candidates are dropped on the sidelines. I hope all the voters will do their homework.
