By Reni M. Valenzuela
Can’t we be original and Filipino – as Filipinos?
Why do foreign things matter to us in enchanting ways, so much so that we usually end up broken and bankrupt on account of them, losing our national identity in the process to boot? The problem with our officials who are “confusedly Filipino” is their penchant to look outside and see what other governments are doing – and then imitate the same for our own.
Even if something or a “system” looks appealing and is being adopted in other countries, but if it is not acceptable, much less applicable to our peculiar situation, people and culture, and it is not suitable to prudence or better prudence in view of our endemic character/ethos/ingenuity as a nation and people (as Filipinos), why do we have to imitate it?
Behold, what has the Reproductive Health Law (which I opposed in the media) done to our country since its birth in 2012? Nothing. Nothing but corruption, promiscuity for our people, waste of money and opportunity for the nation, and deeper sleep for our slumbering officials. Fruitless. Inane.
Will the legalization of divorce and abortion be good to the Philippines? Certainly not. They have not even been doing good to countries that have them. Solve troubled lives the right way. Matthew 11:28-30. What if the US, Russia, China and the nuclear-crazy North Korea and other big nations would sanction genocide as Hitler did and executed it with “success,” shall we follow suit?
The chief argument why we have K-12 (Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2012) is because majority of the countries in the world have it. There’s the beef. Government officials, as usual, seem too comfortable/lazy to think for our own, swinging in their hammocks.
Think about this: from politics, governance, products, entertainment, fashion, recipe, etc., all we do is imitate. Small wonder, K-Pop, K-drama, K-look, K-hair, K-food and samgyupsal are very popular in the country, while everything Filipino abroad is not, but rather considered (generally) to be third-rate and crummy. It hurts, but truth indeed hurts. Parody.
K-12 is no different. It is just another product of Filipino imitation like the Maharlika Investment Fund (or K-MIF), among other Filipino imitations that did us bad, and will do us (ever) poorly and badly. Oh, my dear, you need not go far to think Filipino and act befittingly in order to progress as Filipinos – and so truly progress.
Remember supervillain Gru in the 2010 animated comic film, “Despicable Me”? This is funny but despicable: Filipinos (or our officials) seem to have originality but only in doing things wrong and wickedly.
While it is right, wise, proper and ideal that most international airports are actually state-owned, some so-called “public servants” and business people are pushing (openly and covertly) for the privatization of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) – for selfish end. Indeed, Chinese control of our national power grid (or greed) is a cause for alarm. Reverse it.
Hunt crooks, manipulators and saboteurs, and therefore solve the baffling “complex” troubles in NAIA. That’s the solution, not privatization. For all we know, there may be nothing technical or electrical about the “glitches” and brownouts that have been happening there. It may all just be privatization-connected. Nakalulungkot, dyan ho tayo orihinal at magaling – sa kalokohan. (Alas, that is where we are original and smart – in crookedness). Proverbs 12:2-3.
Privatization is nothing but slothfulness and bunk. Raising money for the government is usually their reason for doing it, when they should be raising their efforts, seriousness, worth and resolve to curb corruption to prevent billions upon billions of people’s money from being stolen.
Finally, dear Secretary Jaime Bautista: A magna cum laude medal has little or no value to do with solving our problems in the transport sector and in being an effective government administrator. As in the most corrupt agencies of the government for their heads – be wise, irreproachable and fearless.
Be the right man for the job, sir. Otherwise, allow a deserving person the chance to lead the Department of Transportation (DOTr,) the soonest possible time.
