I am a Filipino, proud
…yet suffer, too
By Apolinario B Villalobos
“Let us not lose hope…”
This I have to say first
For if I won’t, but
instead
Put that line at the end
I will be stirring your
anger
That I will just regret
later.
When foreign people
Set foot on our sacred
shore
Our ancestors welcomed
them -
Not just with smile
But warm embrace
Showed them kindness
Showed them love -
The way of Filipinos
As the whole world know.
The Chinese brought pots
and silk
Gave names to our islands
and islets,
The Japanese brought their
skill
And goods of steel,
Spain sent forth
Christianity
Tainted with gracious
civility,
The Americans brought
more-
More than what we could
muster
And all of these-
Supposed to enrich our
culture
But instead, defiled our
identity
Stained much of it with
sheer gravity!
I hear Filipinos speak
English with a twang
But should not be, when
they speak our language –
Filipino, the rich
language of every Juan.
I see Filipinos enjoy
foreign food, every bit of it
But should not be, when they
push aside
Our own sinigang and pinakbet.
I hear Filipinos sing
foreign songs so soulfully
It’s just nice, but not
when they despise
Our own that should be
sung with dignity.
Deep inside, I suffer as I
see and hear them
I know that just like me,
others out there
Are gritting their teeth
but can’t do anything;
Proud as a Filipino, yes I
am
But so many things are
left undone –
Things that our heroes in
the past have begun
They who put color
To the vivid pages of our
history;
Things that should have been
done
By our heroes of today
But who died just when a
new light
Started to shine on our
democracy.
Leaders, policy makers,
lawmakers…
Are they…really?
They who warble promises
And steal the people’s
money?
Paid with lofty sum from
the coffer
Where money for those who
suffer
Should have come
But only the few – these
warblers
Enjoyed no end, they who
are supposed
To be brimming with
wisdom!
After the father, comes
the wife
Then the daughter, and the
son
Not contented, the cousins
and in-laws
All in the family, to
power they strut
With a taunt in their face
that says:
“What are we in power for,
And you with money has
none
Eat your heart out, here
we come!”
Rain that used to bless
the earth
Filipinos now desist
Especially those who live
Along the river banks of
the cities
For with it comes the
flood
A curse that only the
Bible says
Shall wipe out sinners
From the face of the
earth;
But why…the floods?
Simple: the money for
saving projects
The conscienceless -
Unscrupulously pocketed!
Innocent lengths of
asphalted roads
That for long defied the
trash of nature
Helplessly wrecked by
greedy contractors
So that low-grade fresh
overlay can be spread
Later giving up to rain’s
patters
And treading of cars,
trucks, and all…
Even the precious school
books are not spared
By purported educators
blinded with greed
Seeing to it that new
ones, yearly will be printed
Exam questions, at the end
of every chapter
Are cleverly printed!
So then, closing school
years would also see
These books so dear,
become useless -
Thrown to the garbage, not
to be used
By aspiring younger brood
of the family.
I am pained by the sight
Of plates at restaurants
and food stations of the
malls -
Half –finished food left
with pride
By those who seem to say
“I am rich, I can squander
money”
And who never thought
That out there in the
dumps
Some brethrens try to
salvage morsels -
Precious food that could
be stuffed
Into their guts so they
can live
Better than nothing, or
they’re dead.
I said in the beginning of
this:
Let us not lose hope…
But wish for the best
If we strive together
And do what is right
Then new life for us
Will be in sight!
