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There’s a lot happening in the Philippines right now. I wish I could add to the conversation—to write something that provides at least some sort of perspective or insight, or even just a tiny push to the flywheel. But I am speechless in the face of not just the systemic corruption we are all familiar with and are forced to swallow daily, but these thieves’ blatant lack of remorse, disgusting greed, and (in my opinion, worst of all) presumption that we are all fucking stupid.
Php30M campaign donation just ’cause you’re friends? LMAO. You were victims? You didn’t look so helpless when you were proudly flaunting your 28 luxury cars.
I am so angry I want to cry. There are no words. Ang kakapal nang mga putang ina, is all I got.
In the midst of all this, I keep thinking about when I first learned that Dr. Jose Rizal wasn’t actually pushing for independence from Spain. When I came across that fact (suprisingly outside of any of the many Rizal classes I had to take in school) I was so confused. Why was he our national hero then? Why did he do the things he did if it weren’t for that objective?
So I went into a kind of rabbit hole to try and understand why. And one interpretation that I think makes the most sense, and makes me understand his perspective better, is that Rizal simply didn’t believe that the Philippines was ready to govern itself because we hadn’t established a strong national identity yet, one that is not just built upon love of country but also pride and camaraderie despite regional divides (here’s one good resource for further reading)1.
He was right, obviously. It’s been a long time since his death and the very first independence day, and our country is still run by thieves, only now they have the same features as us and speak the same language. The principalia class is alive and well too, running the country for their own interests in the background. A lot of us still feel inherently inferior. There is still shame—around our skin color, our noses, our products, our art, our language, our names, etcetera.
I am not above all of this. If I had the means to take all of my loved ones out of here and to somewhere with universal housing and healthcare, best believe I would do it in a heartbeat. That is to say, I am a part of the problem too.
In moments like these, when we are collectively angry, it’s easy to assume that we might finally have the sense of national identity that Rizal was dreaming of. But what happens after, once we’ve all calmed down, reveals where we actually stand.
I don’t have any answers. Like I said in a previous essay, sobrang hirap mahalin nang Pilipinas. Hindi lang dahil sa gobyerno, may parte din na dahil sa kultura. But I have to remind myself that the people, make the government. We establish our culture. If I want change, I also have to audit and change my harmful beliefs and behaviors. If I’m hoping for a stronger national identity, then I have to strengthen my identity as a Filipino too. If I want a village, I have to be a villager2.
We have come a long way. We still have a long way to go. But anger is useless if you let it keep you in despair. Despair is the easy choice, but it is rarely productive. To hope is always the correct course of action. Let us not let this anger go to waste.
I hope you are all taking care of yourselves during this time. And to those who are joining the protests and rallies, thank you, and please stay safe.
To clarify, Rizal didn’t oppose independence forever (at least from my understanding). Rather, at the time, he thought it was premature without first building unity, education, and identity. But I am not an expert, so feel free to correct me or provide more context in any way.
I cannot find the original source for this quote.
Thanks for this article. For us in the USA, we are pummeled too, in what Maria Ressa calls “the Filipinization of the US.”
About the patriarchy, I think of F. Sionil Jose who said that EDSA 1986 belonged to the people for 3 days, then power went back to the oligarchy.
Corruption is not surprising, it has been an accepted part of our culture for decades. So yes, I'm also part of the problem, as Vico said, and from what I read in Niko Batallones's post. Though I didn't join the rally, I hope to be part of the solution still.
What's surprising is how deep this corruption has become. Walang binatbat yun PDAF ni Napoles sa sobrang lala na pala. 🤦🏻