I can still vividly remember Professor Roland Simbulan’s lesson about the nature of political parties in the Philippines. Actually, he discussed it every meeting for one whole semester. I can also still remember how he quoted Senator Juan [...]]]>

I can still vividly remember Professor Roland Simbulan’s lesson about the nature of political parties in the Philippines. Actually, he discussed it every meeting for one whole semester. I can also still remember how he quoted Senator Juan Ponce Enrile regarding the matter. According to Enrile, the only genuine political party in the Philippines is the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). The CPP  is a political party based on ideology which recruits members and formulates and carries out programs based on their core political philosophy. I can also remember how my professor described political parties abroad. He told us about a legitimate and productive communist party in Japan and the ideology-driven Conservative and Labour Parties in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, these things are not true in Philippine politics.

Visual from Pinoy Wired

Continue reading at 100araw.com

I’ll be a commentary writer for 100Araw.com–a collaborative project to enlighten the Filipino voting population about everything they should know about the upcoming elections. The articles that would be written here are beyond the superficial level but [...]]]>

I’ll be a commentary writer for 100Araw.com–a collaborative project to enlighten the Filipino voting population about everything they should know about the upcoming elections. The articles that would be written here are beyond the superficial level but still strive to be understood by all Filipino people across classes and political benches. Here’s the welcome entry by Tonyo Cruz for more information about 100Araw.com. Congratulations, Kuya Tonyo!

Today, we start 100Araw.com, an online collaborative project aimed at helping empower Filipinos in our quest for a new leadership that ends 100 days from now, on May 10, 2010 when voters cast their votes.

For the next 100 days, we will try to illuminate, elucidate, illustrate, take shots of the panorama, document, the coming elections, which is dubbed as the expression of the Filipino people’s democratic will. This project will feature the views and commentary of Filipinos from across various disciplines and fields, each one raising a “sun” of his/her own to help shatter the darkness that envelops the land and the minds of not a few.

We will share our collective hopes, yes. But we won’t think twice in challenging our own beliefs. For instance, others may question the electoral process itself which, from their point of view, remain a bulwark of the status quo. Can this single date be truly our date with destiny?

Not everything would be political, in the traditional sense. We will try to refrain from making the elections a mere horserace of candidates jockeying for position. There would be photo essays and videos of the goings on that we rarely see and sometimes refuse to see. We would hear voices of those who have long been marginalized from the process and may still remain in the shadows soon after the elections. They who have the biggest stake at social change should be given the widest latitude and most open space to share their aspirations – because the most intelligent, most powerful and most privileged (wealth and information-wise) may not know the truth after all.

We hope to provide as many voices a room to share their views. What do folks specializing travel and tourism think about the elections? For those in IT, is the automated elections a disaster waiting to happen? Or can it be saved? The views of the once young, they who have seen better days, are important too. The journalists also have much to offer beyond that allowed in their coverage. For the activists, what’s there to expect from the elections? Of course, there’s the young ones, the new voters who are full of hope – we want to hear from them and their versions of a bright, new Philippines they desire.

For while it is true that platforms and track record are important, an area our friends elsewhere have been working on, it is essential to hear ourselves speak out, to know the pulse, the needs, the wants, the dreams of individuals that make up sectors, that make up communities, that make up our country. It is about time we speak out, hear others (especially those least heard) and make it the centerpiece in judging the relevance, necessity, usefulness, practicality and authenticity of the plans offered by those who seek to lead us.

All in all, our objective is actually simple: Through this group effort, we will try our best to provide you a daily dose of reminders, news and views, coverage of important events, debate, funnies and interesting trivia, and everything else that we think could empower you, our readers, in making an informed choice on May 10, 2010. Allow us to learn from you too in what we hope would be spirited and passionate discussions in the comments sections. We welcome contributions and story tips too!

So for these 100 days, join us in 100Araw.com as we carry on the quest for change. Let our countdown begin.

For the team,
Tonyo Cruz

Every day, I can witness and experience some petty deviations from little rules. Negligible they may seem but they are an everyday test to a person’s patience, respect to rules and even respect to other people. I will be [...]]]>

Every day, I can witness and experience some petty deviations from little rules. Negligible they may seem but they are an everyday test to a person’s patience, respect to rules and even respect to other people. I will be enumerating these little rules that are so little, most people disobey them.

Do not block the pedestrian lane. Vehicles of all types never fail to block pedestrian lanes every single day of my commuting life. There are three reasons why this happen: First, cars failed to cross the intersection because the stoplight already showed a red light (which is almost a violation, see next item). Second, they wanted to be near the intersection as much as possible because they are in a hurry. Third, they saw no one in the pedestrian lane so it’s perfectly okay to block it. None of the three reasons are valid. All of the reasons are hate-worthy.

Little Rules, Little Meanings

Slow down when the stoplight shows orange. Almost all drivers equate the orange signal with the green one. Now, I tell them, their meanings are as different as their colors. Orange means slow-down to stop.  Well, it’s not really prohibited to cross the road when the orange bulb lights but it gives you a caution that the next traffic line will go in a while and you need to hurry when you want to cross the intersection. In an ideal and patient world, the traffic slows down when the orange shows, securing enough road space for the next traffic line. Man, you’re not the only person who is in a hurry.

Do not cross the road if it’s prohibited. I really don’t know why many people are fond of crossing roads where it is prohibited to do so. Are they challenged enough to risk life? Do they feel some kind of orgasmic satisfaction when they safely cross the dangerous road? There are two subjects under this rule: First, about roads which are prohibited to cross and second, about pedestrian lanes and stoplights. The latter is the more prevalent subject. Most pedestrians cross the pedestrian lane even if the pedestrian stoplight says otherwise. They do so because they don’t see any vehicles running. I know it is but logical to cross the road when it is safe to do so. But still, I stick to the pedestrian stoplight’s command—it may not have a mind of its own but it surely has the power to control traffic, and even has the power to control your life. This is the ultimate test of patience for pedestrians. And millions of Filipino pedestrians fail this test. If we have Singaporean-standards of traffic rules implementation, millions of pedestrians are already in jail.

Do not smoke in Public Utility Vehicles. The bus or jeepney is not your ashtray, not your smoking lounge either. If you want to light a cig, do it somewhere where you can minimize the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. More importantly, do it somewhere so that you can respect other people’s right to clean air.

Fall in line, please. When I was a kid, I saw numerous advocacies on the trimedia that advocate the simple rule of falling in line. I know this is not a hard, constitutional rule but this is a universally accepted standard to maintain order. You know what, those advocacies I saw failed to persuade the people. This is not because how the advocacy delivered but because of how people behave in general. I always see struggles in the train station and in bus stops. We suffer because we choose to suffer.

Can you please just keep right? Again, this is not a hard rule but this is something conceded by the world to maintain order. Okay, I may be insensitive to other cultures (if there are some who do otherwise; keep left perhaps?) but this is something easy to do to achieve and maintain order. Every day, I see spawn of people who keep left, keep right, swivel to the left, swivel to the right and all those random pedestrian choreographies. If someone bumps another, then this would start a fight or some stare of aggression at least. Do the right thing, keep right.

Use your horn in moderation. Yes, I’m talking about your car’s horn. Have you heard about noise pollution? I bet you still haven’t because these vehicles can’t just stop honking. If you go to Japan, car drivers barely use their horn (yes, the same horn I was talking about) because they believe that your horn usage is highly representative of your behaviour. If you are impatient and disrespectful, you honk until you get what you want. You brat.

If you can see, all of these are about vehicle and pedestrian traffic. And if you can see, these are the simplest of rules. Behavioural change starts with the simplest of things. I recommend everyone to observe these little rules. Thanks.

This blog entry, by the way, is inspired by my own daily experiences and by the book 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country by Alexander Ledesma Lacson. I don’t know if this is still out in the market but if you see one in your neighbourhood bookstore, please buy and read one. Again, thanks.

Yesterday, when I am about to ride a tricycle going home, I saw a group of people convening around a television set inside a food shop. I knew it—a recorded video of Manny Pacquiao’s (MP) fight with Ricky Hatton. [...]]]>

Yesterday, when I am about to ride a tricycle going home, I saw a group of people convening around a television set inside a food shop. I knew it—a recorded video of Manny Pacquiao’s (MP) fight with Ricky Hatton. With this, I can say that Filipinos are not yet over the two-round bout that made history. The almost magical spectacle will normally last for one week, with the media tackling about every angle of the story: From Hatton’s possible retirement to Pacquiao’s congress candidacy, from The Hatton Girlfriend’s sorrow to Aling Dionisia’s luxurious lifestyle and from Mayweather Jr’s dirty mouth to Roach’s accurate prophecy. The media may opt to, again, rewrite and reread Pacquiao’s biography—which is actually a habit of the media every after the boxer’s fight. This kind of a week-long syndrome also includes netizens or those people found in the world wide web to write their own reactions or stories behind the historical fight. Furthermore, many people also react to these first-hand crafted musings. One of the articles that sparked interest among Filipinos and Pacquiao fans alike is the one written by a supposedly-irrelevant person from Oddjack.com named “JJ”.

In a nutshell, the article, which is written before the fight, bashed the Filipino boxer and somehow predicted that the Brit could win. I can just imagine how the author curls-up from public scrutiny and criticism. In the light of scholarship, let us tackle his major points one-by-one.

The Issue of the “Real Boxing”
Yep, Ricky ‘’The Hitman’’ Hatton will be at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada where he tries to finally save boxing from Manny Pacquiao and third world retardation.

Third world retardation has gone long enough in the sport of boxing and it’s about time that somebody puts an end to it.

Yes, boxing, thanks to Manny ‘’The Pacman’’ Pacquiao, has become retarded since he took the sport from its scientific and technical roots and turned it into a circus.

Boxing was all about finding out who truly is the best in the business. Unfortunately for the sport, Pacquiao and his people are turning it into a fuck-fest where they just look for past world champions.

According to JJ, Pacquiao made the sport a retarded one and that of the third-world. There was no direct correlation between Pacquiao’s nationality and the sport that he plays but it is safe to assume that JJ meant the same thing. Since we are considering logical analysis here, let us take into the spotlight the sole argument that he offered: He said that Pacquiao took the sport away from its scientific and technical roots. Unfortunately, he did not discuss how boxing is a scientific and a technical endeavor. With his lack of details, we cannot properly lay a counter-argument. Nevertheless, let us offer one: Professional boxing has never been deviant when it comes to its rules, regulations and core-principles. There might be different factions of the sport and there might be little modifications of some rules (Three knock-down rule, saved-by-the-bell rule, etc.) but the sport retained its original percepts including its scientific and technical roots.

JJ exemplified his theory by saying that boxing was all about finding out who truly is the best in the business but Pacquiao and his company lurked for past world champions and defeated them. In his exemplification, I believe that he made a very bold contradiction. He said that the sport of boxing is a last-man-standing endeavor. Obviously, the pool of probable adversaries still includes (past) world boxing champions. Moreover, these (past) world champions expressed willingness, more than consent, to fight The 6-boxing-titles holder. It’s no fuck-fest, it’s boxing at its classical form.

The Issue of Pacquiao Fascination
Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, even claimed that ‘’people are becoming fascinated with him.’’ Really?!? There are people out there who are fascinated with this guy?

The only kind of people who I see will be fascinated with a fucking moron like Manny Pacquiao is either the kind of people who have no idea what boxing should really be or they are not fans of the sport at all.

The author has a personally limiting view about the Pacquiao Popularity. He confidently feels that he is indeed a representative sample of the world’s boxing enthusiasts, fans and mere spectators. Moreover, he also has a limiting view about who should watch the sport or who should be a genuine fan of a genuine boxer. According to him, Pacquiao’s fans are not genuine boxing fans because they don’t have any idea what boxing should really be or they are not fans of the sport at all. Sports have a very wide entertainment value more than its competitive value, that’s why athletes gain fans, supporters and even loyalists. The realm of sports extends from the athletes to the spectators. This means that sports is not all about those inside the arena; it includes those people sitting on the bleachers of the coliseum. With this kind of conceptual span and this kind of leisurely value sports have, a person is not and would never be required to know the technicalities of a sport so that he or she could enjoy it, could be a fan of it and/or could be a follower of an athlete that plays such sport. The only thing that he or she should know is the basic principle of the sport i.e. how to win the game. The rest of the principles are either learned by spectatorship or by logical deduction.

On the other hand, I concede to the fact that the fans of Pacquiao may not be genuine fans of the sport. Even without JJ’s standards of genuineness, I can still see his point. Some people may only watch or talk about boxing when MP is one of the contenders. This fact, however, is not an issue. It is not an issue because it does not harm the institution of boxing and pool of boxers. It is a personal preference that no one could conquer. JJ is so selfish that he only wants genuine fans of boxing to be followers of the sport. I said a while ago that a sport, being high in entertainment value, is a show for everyone: from the ordinary housewife cooking lunch while watching a delayed telecast of the fight to the boxing analysts and commentators who personally witnessed the bout.

The Issue of Pacquiao-for-the-Philippines
He can fool his remaining fans into thinking that he’s fighting for his country when in fact, he is absolutely NOT.

Besides, boxing is just a contest between two fighters trying to determine who is better. That’s just about it. And for a moron like Pacquiao who goes on and tells his country that he’s fighting to unite whatever it is he’s trying to unite is just plain retarded.

When you are playing for a professional sport, you represent something—it could be a team, an institution or even a nation. The bottom line is that you always represent something extra-personal. In the Olympics, for example, athletes are not only playing for themselves but for their respective countries too. In a microscopic example, players of Patintero (a local Philippine street game) represent their team. This means that the glory of a single athlete is also the glory of the team, institution or nation he is associated with. With this, MP automatically brings the glory back to his homeland whether he intends it or not. His mere verbal expression of giving the glory to The Nation and to The Filipino People is just a bonus, just an emphasis of all this drama.

Furthermore, JJ contends that boxing is a contest between two fighters to determine who is better. I already debunked this argument by saying that the realm of sports extends from the athletes to the spectators themselves and the professional sport athletes represent something extra-personal. If JJ’s contention is the case, then boxing is ideally done solitarily and there is no need to hype it using media.

The Issue of Existence
Manny Pacquiao shouldn’t be in the world of boxing in the first place and I’m really hoping Ricky Hatton takes him out, PERMANENTLY.

JJ shouldn’t be in the world of boxing in the first place and I am really hoping that I take him out, PERMANENTLY.

Read the JJ’s full article here.

When we went to UP Diliman for the Philippine Intercollegiate Debate Championship, my teammates and I saw this activist vandalism written on the chalkboard of one of the classrooms in Palma Hall. :o

Ciara’s reaction to the infamous Takipsilim made me want to post my reactions too. There were(are) a lot of reactions re:Takipsilim, most of them were really negative. Some of the reactors(?) are obvious poseurs [...]]]>

Ciara’s reaction to the infamous Takipsilim made me want to post my reactions too. There were(are) a lot of reactions re:Takipsilim, most of them were really negative. Some of the reactors(?) are obvious poseurs and some of them think highly of themselves a la elitista not welcoming any kind of “kajologan” (This might be a little unfair–just as unfair as some critics have reacted). I pity those Filipino commentors who virtually joined with foreigners bash the perceived Filipino production and even the Filipinos and Filipino race in general (shame) on foreign websites. They didn’t understand that media, just like any money-making industry, is a free market (laissez-faire–if they want the more sophisticated term) that caters to the needs and wants of people (ABS-CBN assumed that this is a want. Apparently, it seemed that it is not. But the negative reactions made it more appealing–I’ll call it backfiring. Haha). Even if these protesters rally outside, file a complaint, file an appeal and simply bash the producers at that, they won’t succeed simply because they don’t have the right to do so. They have the right to rant but they don’t have the right to meddle in the official business transaction between the station and the producers. Well okay, they may meddle in the transaction (if they are really that desperate)–but what’s their legitimate and mature rationale? They don’t want it because Rayver Cruz is fugly? They don’t want it because we are a culture of aswangs and not of vampires? If they are against it, then they may opt not to watch it (If I know, they would watch it anyway). Dude, you own the remote.

About Filipino creativity, I believe that creativity is not limited to producing new concepts. It also means giving a new flavor to an already-established concept. That’s how knowledge works, one has to start, the others would bank onto it and the resulting knowledge would be then again be banked onto by others (“Assembly Bonus Effect” as we call it in group communication). But then again, having an original idea would always be better. Ciara has said, in line with this, that the production may become an expression of unique Filipino art when it comes to directing movies and TV shows. The challenge to these artists and actors is the proper contextualization the story, the script (the script!), the show atmosphere and even the acting in the local television.

I’m neither a supporter nor a detractor of Takipislim (if it’s real). I’m just objective about the issue. Cheers. :)

And today’s Rizal Day. I was planning to write a year-ender article but I think it’s more contextual to write an entry about Rizal–the blogosphere lacks some In-commemoration-of-Jose-Rizal entries so I am more pressured to write something about him. [...]]]>

Original image from www.uweb.ucsb.edu

And today’s Rizal Day. I was planning to write a year-ender article but I think it’s more contextual to write an entry about Rizal–the blogosphere lacks some In-commemoration-of-Jose-Rizal entries so I am more pressured to write something about him. But of course, I won’t make this as a fanboy’s entry. I will share an expounded version of my reaction paper to Renato Constantino’s Veneration Without Understanding. At first glance or quick-read, the article might sound Anti-Rizal or Anti-Rizal-as-the-national-hero write-up but there’s even more than its face value. As I finished reading the article, there were multiple questions that entered my mind:

1. Is there a presence of standards that would determine a national hero?
2. Is there a presence of a certain hierarchy that states that this heroic feature is more important than another heroic feature?
3. Is Rizal really over-glorified?
4. How much glorification would equate to over-glorification?
5. Was Rizal a wrong choice for being a National Hero?
6. Who could replace him if ever there will be a revamp?

For the national revolution is invariably the one period in a nation’s history when the people were most united, most involved, and most decisively active in the fight for freedom. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that almost always the leader of that revolution becomes the principal hero of his people.

This is the primary premise of Constantino to the logic that Rizal should not be hailed as a principal hero: The primary criterion for a principal hero is his or her involvement in a significant national revolution. But I ask the question, is this really the standard? Is the involvement in a national revolution the only criterion for being a national hero? I concede to the fact that a national revolution is really a big thing or even the only way when it comes to a group of people’s fight for liberty and independence. But we must also accept the presence of the multitude of other factors that would make you, if not a national hero, a hero.

In our case, our national hero was not the leader of our Revolution. In fact, he repudiated that Revolution.

Here is another argument. Rizal was not part of the revolution. Worse, he repudiated it. Repudiating the importance of a revolution and the revolution itself is almost a double crime for a supposedly universally-valid national hero. And that made Rizal even more invalid. But I ask this question, is the national revolution so important and so vital that repudiating it would make you an invalid hero or a national hero? There are many ways of becoming a hero. I am no Rizal fan but I take logic into consideration. I can see Rizal’s perspective in this. I believe that he believes that it is indeed important that we have to consider different factors before we do something. Rizal believed that a revolution might not work and we need to go into the grassroots level first by, for example, educating our children.

Rizal and The Revolution

Because Rizal took no part in that Revolution and in fact he repudiated it, the general regard for our revolution is not as high as it otherwise would be.

I agree with Constantino on this one. I had different history subjects from my grade school and high school years up to my tertiary education years. On all of those years, the role of the revolution e.g. The Katipunan was exemplified. But if I look back on those years, I really didn’t much appreciate the bloody revolution. I felt that there was an outward emphasis on the notion of The-Pen-is-mightier-than-the-sword. True, using our writing skills could be a form of revolution. But the real, tangible revolution can be felt and even actualized in a revolution with armed revolutionists.

We have magnified Rizal’s role to such extent that we have lost our sense of proportion and relegated to a subordinate position our great mean and the historic events in which they took part.

I totally agree with Constantino. As I have mentioned, throughout my years as a student, Rizal was really the emphasized one. Well, it might be because he is the recognized national hero, but we should not forget our other heroes as well. I can clearly remember my history textbooks back in grade school wherein there are some biographies of different Filipino heroes. All are brief ones, except for one–Rizal’s. The problem is, in our early curriculum and how teachers teach history, they just bypass other heroes. The lesson becomes trivial and translates to not appreciating that specific figure. Compare it to Rizal, which even our parents idolize him and make us idolize him too. I remember my mom telling me that I should be a Rizal.

Rizal never advocated independence, nor did he advocate armed resistance to the government. He urged reform from within by publicity, by public education and appeal to public conscience. They favored a hero who would not run against the grain of American colonial policy.

I really agree with this since it is strongly grounded by some written accounts. But I want also to consider a perspective wherein the glass-is-half-full. The Americans’ motive by doing so falls into two perspectives. The first one is the negative one: They made Rizal as the national hero to make us passive revolutionists, therefore, making their stay a peaceful one. The second one is the positive one: They made Rizal as the national hero because they believe that we need to follow one of his ideals—to educate ourselves first before liberty. Now the question is this, what was the Americans’ real motive?

It must be remembered that the Filipino members of the Philippine Commission were conservative illustrados. The Americans regarded Rizal as belonging to this class. This was, therefore, one more point in his favor. Rizal belonged to the right social class—the class that they were cultivating and building up for leadership.

The uncritical attitude of his cultists has been greatly responsible for transforming biographers into hagiographers. His weaknesses and errors have been subtly underplayed and his virtues grossly exaggerated.

I have read a quotation by Abraham Lincoln. It reads: If you look for the bad in people, you will surely find it. What’s the point of finding and studying Rizal’s faults? If we think about it, all of our nation’s heroes have their own faults. We study their respective legacies because we could draw inspiration from them. I also believe that a part of studying history is to find problems and investigate their causes. But for now, we should not cry over spilled milk.

The Role of Heroes

If there had been no Rizal, another type of talent who have appeared who might have given a different style to the historic struggle.

I think that this is the most illogical statement by Constantino. His logic is like this: If there were no Rizal, there would be another heroic figure that would appear. And not to mention, he might give a different style. I don’t know if this is a prophecy by Constantino but I believe that the absence of Rizal may really change the course of Philippine History. And his absence may give another possible situation but not necessarily a new, alternative Rizal.

Rizal may have given form and articulation and color to the aspiration of people. But even without him, the nationalist struggle would have ensued.

I disagree with Constantino. I believe that everything affects everything else. The absence of Rizal would change everything, any possible situation may happen. We should not discount other possibilities other than the ensuing of the struggle. The presence or absence of Rizal may or may not trigger the revolution.

Relevance or Irrelevance Today

Economic prosperity spawned discontent when the native beneficiaries saw a new world of affluence opening for themselves and their class. They attained a new consciousness and hence, a new goal – that of equality with the peninsulares – not in the abstract, but in practical economic and political terms.

I believe that a similar situation exists today. Let’s see the Modern Manila. It is every probinsiyano’s and pronbinsiyana’s dream to go the metro. Manila is portrayed as a model of economic prosperity (at least in the Philippines) where dreams and aspirations are fulfilled. The metropolitans could be the modern peninsulares. And our rural people wanted to equal them by stepping into the wild waters of the urban jungle.

A true historical review would prove that great men are those who read the time and have a deeper understanding of reality. It is their insights that make them conversant with their periods and which enable them to articulate the needs of the people. To a large extent, Rizal, the ilustrado, fulfilled this function, for in voicing the goals of his class he had to include the aspirations of the entire people.

Our politicians today (which, most of them, belong to the elite society) see to it that they need to include the voice of the masses. I don’t know if this is just a politicking tactic but I believe that since there is a class gap, the needs of the masses don’t equate with the needs of the elite. Rizal’s burden was to voice out the needs of the masses. In the status quo our leaders have the burden to see the needs of the masses and voice them out.

The Negation of Rizal

The true hero is one with the masses; he does not exist above them.

Well the concept of a true hero is really subjective in nature. But taking into consideration today’s society, I could see that our small heroes are really found within the masses. Those heroes are their leaders who speak in behalf of them and encourage them to protest, to launch a revolution. I haven’t felt any of our elite politicians launch a revolution.

The inarticulate are now making history while the articulate may be headed for historical anonymity, if not ignominy.

Well this is not true all the time. But nowadays, we could really see the inarticulate or those who have, relatively, poor education are making history. Take into consideration the case of the Sumilao Farmers who, in a sense, launched a revolution. And they made history, not to mention, they became popular.

Rizal has become part of our great history. Regardless of his being a national hero or his being not-fit-to-be-a-national-hero, Rizal gave us a good lecture of Heroism 101. An inspirational Rizal Day to everyone :).

A Scholarly Scandal by Alfred Miguel M. Aguado is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 Philippines License. Based on a work at www.alpsaguado.com.

Christmas break–a time to relax, a time to get some sleep and a time to get time. The past few days were really baboy days for me–Getting up at almost 5 pm and would stay in front of my [...]]]>

Original image from http://www.kibaka.org/

Christmas break–a time to relax, a time to get some sleep and a time to get time. The past few days were really baboy days for me–Getting up at almost 5 pm and would stay in front of my laptop while eating something for the rest of the day. I just had my academic things-to-do listed in my planner but I believe that I haven’t done the bulk of it or I haven’t done anything yet. I was thinking of something to write about during this inactivity of mine so I got some books from my book bank and started browsing. Surprisingly, just like fate wants to tease me, I have seen an article by Alfred Yuson: Let’s face it, we’re a nation of Juan Tamads. “Haha”, I laughed. But I read it, and I felt guilty. Not just for myself but for the whole Filipino nation. With this, I have remembered a paper I wrote when I was still taking a Rizal Course (PI 100, as we call it in UP). So I thought of an idea to fuse my reactions about Yuson’s article and Rizal’s The Indolence of The Filipos (Ang Katamaran ng mga Pilipino–sounds heavier when said in Filipino). This entry might be a little long but I will try my best to be concise. :D

Let’s start by being direct, are Filipinos really indolent? Tamad nga ba tayong mga Pilipino? We don’t ask this question often just because we already know the answer to this.

Let’s face it, we’re a country of idlers which is not the same as saying that we can’t get things done. We just do them, generally, at a slower pace that what might be deemed ideal for the 20th century. The way we process papers, fix up potholes, fall into bed, say our farewells–There’s a languorous quality to our manner of dealing with people and projects.

And I feel the same way Yuson has felt. I witness it, I even do it myself. When I’m in school, it’s a common thing hearing my classmates saying Wala pa nga akong nagagawa eh! NagMovie-marathon kasi ako! Tsaka nakakatamad naman talaga! Last minute na natin gawin! And, you guessed it right, I hear myself say that too. I think I can attribute what Yuson have said the the infamous Filipino Time. We have the Filipino Time because we are indolent. Nakakatamad gumising ng maaga for a meeting; nakakatamad magCommute, galing pa akong Muntinlupa; wala namang mangyayari sa meeting eh, ‘di na lang ako pupunta.

So what could be the causes our indolence? Let’s take a look at some arguments presented by Rizal and Yuson. First, they told us about the climate:

A hot climate requires of the individual quiet and rest, just as cold incites to labor and inaction (Rizal).

Blame it to the sun, our placement in the tropics, the enervating humidity if not the lulling seabreeze… absence of four seasons (Yuson).

I was really fascinated by how Rizal gave the tropical climate as a cause to the indolence of the Filipinos. I really agree with Rizal when it comes to making the environment as a factor. But I do not strongly agree. Although we have this kind of climate as a factor for anything that we do under the sun, we need to understand that this would be a part of our daily life, whether we like it or not. Hence, we need to train ourselves to consider the climate as a non-hindering-factor for working. We may concede that the climate is almost an inevitable factor but we need to get used to it, just what Yuson wants to argue:

It is the present that hangs heavily over the archipelago, so that individual consciousness if left alone to geographical influence would not readily ascribe to the eight-hour workday or the five-year economic plan. For these, we have to open up to, adopt and master the lateral, sequential thinking that has been turned into a way of life by other-than-tropical pragmatists.

It means that if we consider indolence as a result of mere climate influence i.e. indolence as something natural, something unavoidable then we would be indolent forever. We need to cope with this kind of natural phenomena by discounting the negative factor (which is environment) and be goal-oriented and be proactive about the problem.

Second, I have learned from Yuson that the poor education system here in the Philippines or the presence of many uneducated Filipinos could be a cause:

The istambay in the kanto could pore over the classified ads on any given day and discovers worlds of opportunity out there, if only he were qualified. Alas, he is not.

Original image from http://www.kibaka.org/

These idlers could have easily applied for a job if he is qualified, but because they are not educated enough, they are not. So what do they do? Go to Manang’s sari-sari store, mangutang ng 10 bote ng gin at maging sunog-baga hanggang madaling araw. A typical sunog-baga may say: I haven’t finished elementary so I can’t find a job. I’m too old to study again. So I’ll just hang around, laugh and drink with my friends until I die. But of course, making the Philippine educational system better would not make the situation better. This kind of example is just tangential to the real cause: a culture of indolence. Even those who can afford schooling and even those who are greatly educated are still prone to become indolent because it’s a culture, a shared culture that is. On a positive note, Rizal noted:

Indolence in the Philippines is a chronic malady, but not a hereditary one.

This line suggests that indolence doesn’t run in our blood stream, it’s a culture that can be change, hence, we could do something to combat it. But we need to understand that culture can’t be changed overnight, one must begin, one must make being-non-indolent a lifestyle, one must make it a personal culture and one must share this culture to all the people he or she knows. The same process should be done by those who received the shared culture. Some say that the government has a role to combat this negative trait:

We have already truly said that when a house becomes disturbed and disordered, we should not accuse the youngest child or the servants, but the head of it, especially if his authority is unlimited. The Filipino people, not being master of its liberty, are not responsible for either its misfortunes or its woes.

I agree with Rizal but I do not strongly agree. I have realized that everything that we are now could be attributed to the people on the top–to the government. What the authorities are doing would eventually be felt by those who are in the bottom of the hierarchy, if I could call it that way. Everything affects everything else. Same is true with the societal setting—whatever our authorities are doing would result to the condition of the state. But I believe that it takes two to tango, the society needs to have a contributive role. I am happy that Rizal considered this on the last part:

Peoples and governments are correlated and complementary: a fatuous government would be an anomaly among righteous people, just as corrupt people cannot exist under rulers and wise laws.

The Culture, The Business

I could say that bulk of the assertions made by Rizal in his articles is still relevant up today. One of the most applicable to our society today is this: RED TAPE–which is also a cause of indolence among us. All the Filipinos, as well as those who have tried to engage in business in the Philippines know how many documents, how many stamped papers, how much patience is needed to secure from the government a permit for an enterprise. I could say that our government exudes too much bureaucracy that could be a cause of indolence. Many of us wanted the easy way—tagging along a fixer. These fixers know that people are lazy to fall-in-line and wait them to be called, these fixers know that Filipinos are so tamad so they know they would be succesful in the fixing business. These fixers, are also indolent themselves, indolent to find a proper, decent job. Because of this kind of system, because of this kind of “group think” wherein one benefits the other, because of this kind of shared culture–tamad ka? tamad din ako, the situation get worse every single day.

Now who’s starting to change this culture of indolence?

Hmm, so where’s my planner again? I have to get started crossing-out some items in my Things-to-do list.

A Culture of Indolence by Alfred Miguel M. Aguado is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 Philippines License. Based on a work at www.alpsaguado.com.

It’s all in the news, Pacquiao won the Dream Match. Anyway, here are my post-bout thoughts.

Some Asian nations like South Korea (And North Korea perhaps?) and Japan value pride and honesty. The Japanese have harakiri: a means to retain one’s honor after a disgrace, better even than doing good deeds during the times wherein [...]]]>

Some Asian nations like South Korea (And North Korea perhaps?) and Japan value pride and honesty. The Japanese have harakiri: a means to retain one’s honor after a disgrace, better even than doing good deeds during the times wherein being a samurai is still a craze. And even in the modern day Japan, honesty is still highly valued. Take this example:

Anywhere else perhaps, a shiny cellphone fallen on the backseat of a taxi, a nondescript umbrella left leaning against a subway door, a wad of cash dropped on a sidewalk, would be lost forever, the owners resigned to the vicissitudes of big city life.

But here in Tokyo, with 8 million people in the city and 33 million in the metropolitan area, these items and thousands more would probably find their way to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Lost and Found Center. In a four-story warehouse, hundreds of thousands of lost objects are meticulously catalogued according to the date and location of discovery, and the information put in a database.

Wow. I have actually seen a documentary about this before. The warehouse full of lost-and-found items is really really big and full of items, a proof that almost, if not all, the lost things in the Metro Tokyo are really kept for safety until the owners rant that they lost something and goes to the warehouse to inquire. Well, I don’t know if they actually rant considering the fact that they are confident that the lost item(s) would come back to them. Here in the Philippines, when someone we know lost something amidst the urban jungle, we would say to them something like this: Asa ka pang maibabalik pa sa iyo ‘yun (With a great emphasis on the word Asa).

And going to South Korea, a recent buzz in the political and social scene had the eyes of the world focused to the progressive Asian country:

After years of whispers which ultimately turned to shouts of corruption, Lee Kun-hee, Chairman of Samsung and son of Samsung’s founder, has resigned following an indictment on tax evasion charges. Lee said, “We, including myself, have caused troubles to the nation with the special probe. I deeply apologize for that, and I’ll take full responsibility for everything, both legally and morally.” Lee Jae-yong, the Chairman’s son and heir to the Samsung throne also resigned as did Vice Chairman Lee Hak-soo, Lee’s closest advisor. Lee Soo-bin, chairman of Samsung Life Insurance, takes on representation for Samsung Group although the group chairman position remains unfilled.

I at least appreciated what Lee Kun-hee have done. He directly apologized and he resigned–he resigned together with all those who are included in the confirmed scandal.

And here in the Philippines, this is what we got:

Pseudo honesty, selfish pride. GREAT.

I have read Lacson’s 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country. Included in the list is Speak positively about our country or something like that. And my entry (and a lot hell of entries in the Filipino Blogsphere), to some extent, defies the message of that Little Thing. But this is not only for criticism’s sake, more for the sake of challenging the people to uphold and value honesty and pride. Dramatic and cheesy may it seem but as far as I have observed every little deed we have in everyday life, those two values are not upheld that much. And those little things translate to the bigger, more serious things. I, still have hope for the Filipino people. ∞

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Value Honesty! Cite Sources!

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CEED71131F93BA35752C0A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1

http://img.timeinc.net/

http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/22/samsung-chairman-and-son-resign/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harakiri