God bless the Philippines

As the “circus” comes to town in time for the May election fiesta, one cannot help but realize that perhaps God has truly blessed the Philippines. For how else can one explain the character, temperament and resiliency of its people. The bamboo is Filipino and the Filipino is bamboo, indeed.

Why blessed? Well, this is in many ways than one, in fact. For instance, God blessed Filipinos with very forgiving hearts, to allow the resurrection of old political leaders, despite allegations of their corruption and cruelty during their administration.

God likewise blessed Filipinos with patience and mild temper, to tolerate the warm weather, seasonal typhoons, more than 20 years of military rule, chaotic public governance, slow bureaucracy and lack of competent leaders.

God also blessed Filipinos with endurance and stamina, to take the pain and suffering inflicted by corrupt and incompetent government officials, bad roads, heavy traffic, smog and water pollution, poor health-care facilities, and sloppy legislation.

God blessed Filipinos with good humor, so they can laugh off their troubles and hardships, find joy in poverty in the same way that railroad track dwellers did, and be amused by the antics of political leaders, particularly during elections.

God blessed Filipinos with humility, to realize that he can do only so much with whatever little is left from what his leaders did not steal, and to accustom him to a life of subservience to ruthless political kingpins.

And lastly, God blessed Filipinos with faith—to believe that their deliverance from evil politics is at hand and that possessions and political leaders are temporary, and that the poor and persecuted will surely inherit the earth.

Blessed are the poor, indeed, and so are the meek and mild.

I wish not to offend, but I cannot help but be amused by the way we Filipinos have kindly tolerated and politely accepted the circus-like manner of political jousts. Mid-term elections are just a few months away, and to this day I have yet to hear any of the candidates competently and comprehensively discuss their respective action plans.

What we have witnessed so far are maneuverings, bashing, turncoats, opportunism and backroom deals between the very same people who have been running for office in the last 21 years. I was turning 15 when people all converged at Edsa for the very first People Power. I am turning 36 this year, and it seems not much has changed, politically. What has happened to the promise of Edsa? Candidates win still on the basis of popularity than political programs, and money and violence still influence electoral outcomes.

Perhaps I am naïve, and not savvy enough to understand how politics really works in this country. And perhaps Philippine politics will not change until after 300 years of democracy. But what I do know is that wherever I am in life right now, as with most people, I have to credit family, friends, colleagues, hard work and a large degree of luck. I doubt very much if the State, public governance, bureaucracy and the legislature have anything to do with most people’s success—although a handful managed to live rags-to-riches stories just by joining government service, even if only for a short three- or six-year period.

I suppose that for most people, electoral results no longer make much of a difference. After all, nowadays anybody can become congressman, or senator, or mayor. It’s all a matter of resources and connections. And tremendous faith on the part of the Filipino people, that the new set of leaders coming is no worse than the set stepping down. 

Comments to matort@yahoo.com

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As the “circus” comes to town in time for the May election fiesta, one cannot help but realize that perhaps God has truly blessed the Philippines. For how else can one explain the character, temperament and resiliency of its people. The bamboo is Filipino and the Filipino is bamboo, indeed.

In the Old Testament, the source of moral guidelines for every faithful is the Decalogue more commonly known as the 10 Commandments. In the New Testament, the source of moral guidelines of how we should witness life in all its fullness is the challenge of the Beatitudes.