Once Upon A Time

We, as Filipinos, grew up with unforgettable “kasabihans” from our elders. Honestly, I still turn around my dinner plate each time our singer, Willy, leaves the table early — kasi baka ‘di na s’ya makapag-asawa! Seriously though, there is one “traditional saying” that endeared me most — “Ang taong hindi marunong lumingon sa kanyang pinaggalingan ay hindi makararating sa kanyang paroroonan!”. Well, contemporarily speaking, this adage refer to our utang-na-loob values. However, as a citizen and the man that I have now become, I see a broader perspective in this “saying”.

As Filipinos, we should learn to dig deep into our past to understand our history as a people and a nation so that we can have a better foresight of things to come. Our ignorance of our glorious past makes us less confident to regain our rightful place in the community of nations.

Once upon a time, our land gave birth to its most famous son — Dr. Jose Rizal — undoubtedly the pride of the Malay race. Rizal, a man whose 35 years of life had been chronicled as packed with varied achievements both in academic and artistic field proved that the Filipino people has the capacity to equal if not excel even those who have oppressed and treated him as a slave. Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt, Rizal’s Austrian friend and rector of the Imperial Atheneum of Leitmeritz, said, “Rizal was the greatest product of the Philippines and his coming to the world was like the appearance of a rare comet, whose rare brilliance appears only every other century.” A German friend, Dr. Adolf B. Meyer, director of the Dresden Museum, remarked, “Rizal’s many-sidedness was stupendous.” Local historians describe Rizal as the “versatile genius.” He was an actor, musician, linguist, sculptor, journalist, archeologist, botanist, ophthalmologist, pharmacologist, physician, etcetera etcetera – all of these in about 15 years of his adult life. That proves that we are capable of greatness! Can you tell me of anybody in this part of the world who have come close to what Rizal has achieved? If we move forward in not so distant past, more specifically in the early 60’s, our country is the envy of our Far East Asian neighbors for its economic and social standing. Even Hong Kong residents send their relatives to pursue higher education in our country hoping for a more secure and brighter career.

So you see, we are not an inferior race nor that can it be said to our people as a nation. But we cannot escape the blame for what our country have become now. We have allowed ourselves to be manipulated by the powers-that-be! Our parents, brothers, sisters, friends and loved ones do not have the chance to see the outside world and so they are unaware that in other parts of the world, efficient government exist; that public officials are accountable and sensitive to scandals that they resign; that public utilities such as electricity, water supply, communication and transportation are functional. As OFWs, we are aware of all these! Therefore, we have the obligation to inform them, to educate them and compel them to choose morally upright people to lead our barangays, our cities, provinces and eventually our beloved country.

My father, whom I admire for his Solomonic wisdom, told me that once upon a time, President Magsaysay deputized not the police, not the military but just the ROTC to watch over the national election of that time and it went down into our history as the cleanest election we ever had. So again, we are capable of being honest! And so, we may be labeled globally as household helpers, copy-cat entertainers, or even prostitutes but that is inherent to our ability to survive (kapit na tayo sa patalim, ‘ika nga). What is incomprehensible to me (nakakasuka talaga) is for Filipinos to be branded as cheaters, liars, forgers and worse yet, violent people in the eyes of the international community — thanks to our leaders who shamelessly display their misconstrued brand of public service while the OFWs suffer the humiliation and insult in our daily struggle to be accepted as a dependable and trustworthy worker.

In1982, after the failed assassination to the life of the then Ambassador Emmanuel Pelaez (ex-Vice President of the Philippines), he asked the famous question to the then QC police chief Tomas Karingal, “General, what is happening to our country?” Ironically, years later, General Karingal died violently in the hands of an assassin. (Remember the song “Time In A Bottle”?) For me, that holds true today, I want to ask the same question to our leaders: What is happening to our country today?

Author: Tony Bartolome, Editor/Art Director, True Friends Newsmag