A major collision of forces is inevitable. Some call it a battle royal between good and evil. It can very well be, even though there the good is not as obvious as the evil. That is natural. The evil of the Maguindanao massacre stinks to the high heavens and has struck a chord in the heart of decency itself. Even foreign governments and people all over the world felt and expressed revulsion at the bestiality and arrogance of power.
Filipinos are now being made to face their reality and the horrible degradation of their religious and value system. It seems that the constant manifestation of corruption and poverty had become so usual that it has to take a Maguindanao massacre and a president stooping down so she can run for Congress to jolt us into accepting the perversion that has crept into our societal life.
I recall a few weeks ago about a statement that I made regarding how the Philippines leads in corruption and poverty despite the alleged Christianity of its people and the abundance of its natural resources. It elicited a rebuke from a reader who contested the accuracy of the term “leads.” I reviewed the statistics that international agencies developed in assessing our corruption and poverty and realized that, indeed, we are not at the top of this shameful list. We are, however, part of the worst, and that does not make it any shameful. Definitely, too, the impact of corruption and poverty on Filipinos cannot be less painful.
Pointing to other countries as having a worse time, like maybe Iraq and Afghanistan as having more violent incidents, or Congo and Somalia as being more hungry, is a serious distraction from the depravity that is overtaking decency and kindness in Philippine society. The horror of other countries is not an excuse for our own slide to hell. It is precisely the cowardly reaction of leaders who look to other places as being worse in order to deflect accountability for their own lack of performance or the crimes they commit.
Even as I am holding on tight to hope being evoked by spectacular achievements of some Filipinos like boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and CNN Hero of the Year Efren Penaflorida, I am crushed by the Maguinadano massacre and the congressional run of a sitting president. It seems that whenever Filipinos bring honor and pride to our race, other Filipinos have the greater knack of dishonoring and shaming us before the world.
This tug-of-war between good and evil takes on a very public face in Philippine society. It is the consequence of centuries of hypocrisy at the top and subservience at the bottom. The highest virtues of Christianity and Islam bow to the lowest sins of their religious systems, pointing to the lack of inspiration and discipline from leadership on one hand and the superstitious obedience of their followers on the other. As in secular governance, a weak citizenry invites the worst of leadership. People in power cannot simply seem to defy the invitation to exploit innocence and ignorance, whether these people are in Barong Tagalog or in white robes.
Still and all, good is not being overwhelmed by evil despite the show of force as in the Magunidanao massacre or the lust for power as manifested by Gloria the president wanting to be Gloria the congresswoman. Good remains solidly embedded in the soul of most Filipinos and invariably rises to the surface in their daily lives. Smiles outnumber frowns in the streets and as first reactions of people. In the depths of their souls, Filipinos love life and hope springs eternal for many.
I am here again in California as part of a continuing research and experimentation on the effort to facilitate solidarity among Fil-Ams. The solidarity is impossible if the aim is to build a single united organization from the many factions that are already in existence. But solidarity for common causes or interests offers more hope as I have seen Fil-Ams cheer as one people whenever Manny Pacquiao enters the ring or when an Efren Penaflorida is acknowledged and awarded by an international institution. I even saw a unified resentment among Fil-Ams when a slur in the Desperate Housewives television show was hurled at Filipinos.
Fil-Ams have the distinct quality of having left the motherland in varying levels of despair. Except for a few exceptions, most Filipinos who migrated to the United States thought there was no chance of a better life in the Philippines, not for themselves, not for their families. Faced with the awesome challenge of making a dream come true in a culture so different from theirs, faced with separation from relatives and community, faced with competition from everybody else in a land which rewards success, Fil-Ams did survive, did build a better life for their second generation by sacrificing themselves, and now in a position to help those they left behind.
The good in the Filipino that is often discouraged by the environment in the motherland has found encouragement in American society which is largely based on meritocracy. Filipino families are now the second highest family earners in the United States from sheer hard work and staying together. While many first generation Fil-Ams may have brought with them the virus of divisiveness, their children do not show the crab mentality that their parents have been accused of.
Change is also possible in the Philippines without Filipinos having to migrate, but a generation must sacrifice itself for its children. There is no more easy path for change and growth because the evil that has dominated Philippine society will not just let go. When all Filipinos were celebrating the achievements of the best of them, they were quickly reminded by the Maguindanao massacre that there is a long way to go to recover our nobility and honor.
Gloria’s wanting to run for a seat in Congress has demeaned the presidency, her only connection to whatever respect is available for her. And, to the few whose anticipation for political perversity is more active than most, Gloria’s congressional run is an omen of the disaster that may claim more lives than the Maguindanao massacre. - Jose Ma. Montelibano, Columnist, INQUIRER.net, December 03, 2009
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