A country which is a home of multiple cultures and traditional ethnicities, an archipelago composed of 7,107 islands and located at the south-eastern part of the biggest continent in the world (Asia), the Philippines. Philippines or the Pearl of the Orient Seas as what it’s called by some is also a melting pot of different races and culture. The Philippines possesses outstanding features specifically its culture, people and natural resources.
Filipino culture is not really a unique one. It is a combination of different cultures which had created a big role of what and how Filipinos lived. As a result of our constant interaction with these foreigners, we now lost our own identity. Part of these changes is our mode of dressing. Westerners changed the way we dress, from a so called “Maria Clara” style with skirts hiding the sole of women’s’ feet to a mini skirts and fashionable outfits brought by the Americans. Next is the language that we speak. We have learned the language of our colonizers as a consequence of our being a colony for many decades. Moreover, the introduction of a new religion, from paganism to Roman Catholic, created a major change the way of life of the Filipinos. The influx of the foreign products also influences our taste and lifestyle. We often regarded imported products as superior and competitive than our own products, and that is the negative side.
When we talk about natural resources, Philippines has a lot to show to the world. Its fertile lands give her bountiful harvest and the surrounding waters which provide us with all our necessities. The scenic spots which are very inviting for the tourists who visit our country are also something to be proud of. Yes, indeed, we have very rich country, but as time passes, we gradually lose it. By the time we were colonized, almost everything was taken away from us. What was left for the Filipinos are their love for their country which they are willing to die for….patriotism. However, colonization did not bring all harm in us. It somehow helped us improve us as an individual especially the formal education which was introduced by the Spaniards and the Americans to the Filipinos. Technology was also introduced which aid us in exploring more our natural resources and making use of them, too. We were known globally because of the opportunities given to us by our former colonizers which also aided us in our participation to the global economy. More businesses are pouring in; likewise job opportunities for the Filipinos are knocking on their doors. These job opportunities given by them help the government feed its 95 million population. Furthermore, a huge number of Filipinos outside the country are also employed as a result of our good diplomatic relationship with the other countries. Foreign countries are very confident with the capabilities of the Filipinos and the work ethics that we have, that explains why we are in demand among any other races to work abroad. Our hospitality and hard work always impress our foreign employers and that becomes an asset of the Filipinos. This is really something to be proud of.
On the other hand, lets talk about Philippine politics. Way back hundreds of years ago, Philippines is not organized as one country. The sense of being united as one did not exist yet. The country was divided into different barangays which were governed by tribal chieftains. The manner of choosing a successor to the throne is chosen from the bloodline of the royal family. Greediness in power, I say, has not yet existed among the ancient Filipinos because they have a high trust and confidence to their leaders which they respect the most, not until the conquistadors (colonizers) have reached our country and change almost all of who we are, what we do and how we do things specifically on how we do politics in our country at present.
From the beginning, electoral competition did not revolve around class differences. Instead, politics was a game played within the elite classes, who manipulated and controlled the political process. If you don’t have money to buy your votes, you will not win. One consequence was that the political and electoral process was based more on personality than on substance. As we can see, there are a lot of celebrities who entered politics and most of them won the elections. Are they worth it? Maybe some. But most are not.
When election is approaching, vote buying is rampant especially in the areas where most of the people are not so educated and can easily be tempted with the money offered by those politicians who wanted to have a sure win on the votes. Filipinos give money to the voters for them to be voted. That is why we are suffering from graft and corruption. Corruption occurs all over the globe and in all historical eras. Just think of 18th century England, the urban political machines of 19th century America, the caciques of Spain and Latin America, or the chaopho (godfathers) in Thailand. After the election, it’s time to pay. They will get the money that they used to buy your votes by proposing projects with budgets that exceeds the exact budget of their project. Because of that, many politicians own houses and businesses beyond their capacity. And not only the politicians, some of the government employees are also corrupt.
The Philippine state remains weak, and the continued power of entrenched elites makes it difficult for the central government to provide cohesive and non-corrupt leadership. Insider factions still maneuver for their pieces of the federal government pie, tax collections and customs collections are highly centralized, and the Philippines bureaucracy's long tradition of corruption remains intact. Further, the President and other national officials remain dependent on local politicians to deliver the votes on demand. All in all, a recipe for continued corruption.
Another problem in the Philippine politics is what you call nepotism. Those on the high chairs will appoint his or her kin to be on a position he is in. If you are working in the government and you are not their “man”, expect that you will no longer get your job.
Another issue commented on by many tourists and balikbayans, is the state of the country’s infrastructure. The national roads are good in places, you can travel freely and a lot of investment has gone into this area, however it is not enough. I once asked the mayor of a town why he doesn’t fix the roads, the pot holes and cracks meant even tricycles had to swerve around each other, delaying journey times and making for a less than comfortable ride, he replied by simply rubbing his thumb and fore finger together. Local investment is often not there.
Can we overcome these problems that the Philippines is facing now? The economic crisis, the unemployment, the corrupt politicians and the lost identity? Can we still recover from these crisis? We can!
The Philippines is a country with more people than Australia, the Netherlands and South Korea put together. Yet with all of these people, a third are under 15, that is almost 26 million children, that is 6 million more people than in the whole of Australia and 10 million more than in the Netherlands. What can we do with all these children?
As what a line of a song says, “I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way…” What did we do to make this possible? Are we just simply getting them through the education system or are we building the hopes, dreams and ambitions of these children? It is true that we have an excellent adult literacy rate and a population with an above average grasp of the global language, English. However, is that still the case? Are these truths created by a system designed to get workers to go abroad and send money home or to get foreign companies to use Filipino call-centres? What I do know is if children in the Philippines are being taught that escaping to work abroad or working for a foreign company is the goal then we are not doing the children justice. We teachers should teach them the sense of nationalism so by then they will learn to fight for their country and make it a better place to live in. They are the ones who will lead the next generation. As a teacher, I believe we can help them. We should teach them how to be an excellent leader.
So how can we make a difference? Does all this actually affect you and your family? These are the questions people often ask. Well the most important thing is that we should care what happens in the Philippines. As a second generation Filipino, policy and government do affect us here and our family. These affects are both direct and indirect, from legislation defining what I can do in the country to legislation that affects the image of a country that I represent in my day to day life.
We are at a point where the Philippines is in need of inspiration, the current Presidential battle of dynastic saviour and proponent of the anti-corruption campaign of Noynoy Aquino won’t come to reality if we Filipinos will not do our part. The biggest way that we can help the Philippines in improving education, infrastructure and development socially and economically is by teaching our students the right path. Vote wisely so the leaders that will lead us will not take advantage of their power. We will go hand in hand in saving the Philippines.
The future of our community is down to our communication. The typhoons last year brought back the spirit of Bayanihan and with every young Filipino that we meet these days, the interest levels, passion and pride is at an all time high. It is a great positive sign for our next generation of Filipinos. Let’s bring back the Filipino spirit which ignited our Filipino heroes won against the enemies. Let’s start now!
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