HOW SHOULD WE LOOK AT THE FILIPINO?
Our kababayan, and we are products of history, products of the environment around us including our families, our communities and educational institutions. We cannot divorce ourselves from these aspects of living in this lifetime.
Some would look at our problems from that class standpoint and say that our problems rest on class struggles -- the pitting of one class against another. If we pursue this line of thinking, then we could not have lived with Cory, for she belonged to the upper class, while we are from the lower middle class. (I remember how one writer said, "She's d____ good," in a very sacred ground of the church while Cory was lying in state. How could he have used that word at all when everyone was praising her for her self-sacricing, humble and nurturing attitudes while being a president and afterwards? I really found that very OFF, as if he was trying to say, "You know I can curse her if I want to because I am me, a writer." Hah, braggart!)
What I mean here is that talking of class struggle is constricting our viewpoints and exclusionary, excluding certain groups of people in looking at the problems in our country squarely; and if not exclusionary, then being "USERS" of other people for what ends?
Others would look at problems from the religious viewpoint and then say, we need more prayerful people. Well, not all priests do that anymore because there is the so-called Liberation Theology which appreciates the problems of the poor from structural viewpoints. Yet the Church in the Philippines is divided into two - those pro and anti-administration. And this is a very difficult problem to solve. Some priests are more Vaticano than Filipino. Although they know that the population problem truly inhibits the country from progressing, and that a family cannot prosper unless there are less mouths to feed, or that women will never reach their goals of financial independence unless they free themselves from having to care for babies year in and year out; they would not run counter against any dictats from Rome which is sad really.
However, there are groups that are saving graces in our country -- the feminist groups and the mixed non-government organizations.
Feminists would counter that problems arise now because women do not enjoy equality with men in our society. That is the old brand of feminism. Third World feminism views women's problems as arising from inequalities, as well as iniquitous socio-political, economic and cultural relationships in society. This is why women's groups (non-government organizations) in the Philippines have very diverse interests -- funding for livelihood, the arts, establishment of a political party, and entrepreneurship, among others. It is not enough to talk about inequalities; they also have to empower the women constituents so that they can be more assertive in society and assume powerful positions in all arenas.
Non-government organizations present a more flexible handling of people's problems. These arose and multiplied in our country in the 80's as the Marcos government became too coercive of obedience, suppressing intellectual pursuits and rewarding only those who showed blind loyalty to martial law. The NGOs became a haven for free thinkers who had and continue to have their own ideas on how our country has to progress.
Hence, despite the beautiful qualities of Cory as a leader, how come they were not enough to solve our problems as a people? Cory was encircled by traditional politicians whose views of politics was grim power -- economic and political.The NGO people who had a similar view of the country like Cory, could not work within the bureaucracy of a government that was rigid, inflexible and hierarchical.
So when Cory was ending her term as president, she must have suddenly felt so relieved, aside from her commitment to serve only her term and to insure a peaceful transition of political powers.
The government bureaucracy kills initiative, creativity, breeds "tayu-tayo" mentality which then is a good ground for scams and corrupt practices. So no matter how well meaning an individual is like Cory, and the Hyatt Ten staff who resigned en masse, the bureaucracy will kill all their new ideas that could really bring about change in the country.
--- to be continued....
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