How Far Can the Filipinos Still Bend?
Posted on Tuesday 1 July 2014
How
Far Can the
Filipinos
Still Bend?
By Apolinario Villalobos
Filipinos are proud to be referred to as a
resilient people, a proud race that can effortlessly bend to the onslaught of
calamities be they natural or man-made. Metaphorically, the Filipinos are
resilient like a bamboo, that after bending to the blow of hurricanes and
typhoons, it returns to its majestic posture, proud and sturdy. But how far can the Filipinos still bend?
There is nothing wrong with being
resilient. In fact, it is a plus factor for a people who belongs to a third world country like the Philippines. It
shows that the Filipinos can stand the trials that they face along the way of
their struggle towards a better life. What is wrong is the Filipinos’ meekness
in enduring the abuse that pound them down without let up.
The different kinds of exploitation,
practically come from within and outside the country. Those from within are
from countrymen who pretend to be protectors of their rights – government
officials and lawmakers. Those from outside are from the foreigners who covet
the country’s natural resources, as well as, sabotage the economy of the
country, by establishing businesses, revenues from which are siphoned back to
their own countries.
There is the revolting double-talk of the
government about progress as indicated by “projects”. These are projects about
schools allegedly being built in the countryside to promote literacy, bridges
and roads that are being built to sustain the farm to market programs. There
are also talks about the upgrading of
salaries of frontline government workers such as teachers, social workers and
village medical staff, and many more, that are just on papers. Intrepid field
reporters/researchers of TV companies regularly report about “schools” with
dilapidated walls and roofs, underpaid teachers in villages who shell out their
own money to buy school supplies for some of their students, teachers who cross
rivers, literally, on foot just to reach their school, kilometers away beyond
hills, teachers who take the risk of being kidnapped by criminals in the
far-flung islands of Mindanao. Even the indispensable technical staff of
PAG-ASA complain of not being paid the promised compensation. Bridges long
promised do not materialized despite reports of the already spent budget.
Half-finished roads proliferate in far-flung areas, safely distant from the
prying eyes of government auditors. These are just some of the questionable
signs of progress.
Despite the availability of donations in
cash and kind, victims of calamities are left to suffer. Despite months of
publicities on rehabilitation efforts, the thousands of temporary housing units
are found to be just a few hundreds. Packed donations are sold and nothing is
done to the culprits. There are also reports on non-cooperation of at least two
government agencies in the rehabilitation effort.
At the rate things are going, the
“resilient”, may no longer stand for the positive connotation to which the
Filipinos are proud to be likened. If this is happens, can the Filipinos still
stand proud after bending to evade the inflections of calamities? Or, can the
Filipinos still patiently bend, though with a heavy heart….. and just how far
can they go?
Discussion