So My Younger Cousin is Planning To Become A Soldier...

Photo Taken From:

http://www.pia.gov.ph/press/image/080318-ops-pma2.jpg

He told me that he wanted to be admitted into the Philippine Military Academy this year. He wanted to become a soldier.

So much has been written and said about the military profession as being the domain of exceptional individuals who embody strength of will, discipline, unyielding personal sacrifice, and just about every noble virtue which distinguishes a society's heroes. To become a soldier in the service of one's country, indeed, ought to mean taking one's place in the company of the oft-mentioned few and proud.

And now my younger cousin was aspiring to get into the Academy to prove himself worthy of taking a crack at the opportunity to belong to this worthy elite circle. He resolves to gain a place in an institution renowned for rooting out only the best of the best among the rest...or so goes the cliche.

Photo Taken From:

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0aineYMaQxfAN/610x.jpg

Among Pinoys, the Philippine Military Academy ( or the PMA ) stands tall as the august institution for inducting that rare breed of person into the uppermost tiers of military service. Sure, any able bodied citizen can enlist in any military fort or outpost to become the foot soldier, but the Academy is for those who can withstand the rigid intellectual and physical training reserved only for the future military officer. Perhaps any average man or woman can wield a gun and fight--but only a select group can command. It is no wonder that the screening for applicants into the Academy is arguably one of the toughest among all educational institutions in the country.

Photo Taken From:

http://cdn.wn.com/o25/ph//2009/01/25/16feab3e5a15d36b5a2eae922ccdd041-grande.jpg

Truth be told, however, the motivations which impel someone to seek admission into the Academy may not always be confined to the old adage "to serve the country". A lot of other intentions are certain to be involved.

It is quite common knowledge that PMA cadets receive renumeration--in the form of the so-called financial "stipend"--that practically covers all the expenses that are incurred throughout the whole period of training and study.

Perhaps it would not be too far fetched to think that some students think of PMA as a ticket to a free education. After all, the Academy does provide a college degree, along with a host of other educational programs. Your typical cash-strapped undergraduate might arguably find the prospect of earning a college degree without the crushing responsibility of coughing up the money for it very attractive, no matter that the trade-off would be endless hours of tortuous physical training coupled with the rigors of intense competition among peers.

And then, of course, it almost goes without saying that successful graduates of the PMA are instantly conferred high rankings in the military brass, which in almost every aspect imaginable is a status of considerable advantage, particularly more so in the Philippines. Where the average citizen finds it a challenge enough to secure sustainable employment after graduating from college--given the desperation of the Philippines' Third World plight--PMA graduates are privileged with reaping the rewards of their hard work and study right away. Not even Pinoy doctors or lawyers could say as much.

Photo Taken From:

http://www.paf.mil.ph/HQ/PIO/images/PMA%20class%202009%20call%20to%20CG%20PAF.jpg

Still, it could be argued that being handed a job in the military, however prestigious and high the office, would not perhaps be the most palatable responsibility in the world, not by a longshot...pun definitely intended. The military officer is not necessarily always at the front line of battle, but it would be idiotic to say that there would be no grave risk in the undertaking at all. It would be only fair and just, then, for those manning these valuable positions to enjoy some particular renumerations which would preferrably make up for the sacrifice.

Such "renumerations" are not normally conceived of as equating to ostentaneous wealth and privilege. The glory and nobility of a soldier, in its ideal sense, would not be predicated on the bounty--or what may be referred to more unappealingly as the "spoils of war"--one has amassed after fulfilling the required duty. However, it must be conceded that the world is in every sense very far from ideal. In too many instances, high-ranking military personnel in the Philippines have been accused of placing more value on obtaining profit and financial gain instead of prioritizing the proper defense of the homeland.

Allegations fly left and right regarding bribes in exchange for promotion; the diversion of government funds intended for procurement of arsenal into the coffers of upper-tier staff; the involvement of both active and retired officers in the protection of criminal enterprises--the list goes on and on with no end in sight.

Shamefully, such criticisms have been around for a long time. As early as the 1990's, or over a decade ago, a news article in the Los Angeles Times was pointed enough to be titled "Philippine Military Called Divided, Corrupt and Inept". The same article enumerated certain complaints from within military personnel. Among very sobering examples:

...soldiers complained of poor leadership, competing loyalties, unjust promotions and uneven military justice.

Navy Commander Proceso L. Maligalig, a decorated 20-year military veteran...charged in a long deposition that "corruption exists in the procurement system in the personnel administration system, in the (military) mutual aid retirement fund systems, and in equipment maintenance systems."

Maligalig, former deputy commander of the military's logistics operation, complained that officers take kickbacks from contractors, or buy substandard uniforms and medical supplies at vastly inflated prices.

One "known gunrunner" in the Department of Defense used his position to illegally import high-powered firearms for sale, Maligalig said. Another senior officer illegally held a second high-paying job at the Bureau of Customs, "drawing pay from both, plus income from customs shenanigans."

[ Army hospitals ] suffer from "chronic lack of supplies and medicines, a fact which has caused many a precipitate demise of military patients," he wrote. "In many AFP (military) hospitals, one has to bring his own intravenous injection kit if one expects to have a transfusion or dextrose feeding."

Paymasters, personnel clerks, claims officials and other administrative officers routinely insist on "outrageous" bribes to process papers, he added.

Quoted From:

http://articles.latimes.com/1990-09-11/news/wr-318_1_military-justice

These reports of anomalous practices have generated such a degree of disapproval and outrage that certain military officers took up the cudgels to advocate some form of investigation into their own ranks--even if the fact that military brass themselves calling for such strident inquiries lends some credence to any supposition that such accusations could be true. As detailed in an online publication from--curiously, of all places--China, People's Daily English, in an article entitled "Philippine military officers urge independent probe of corruption charges" :

"A number of military officers...called for the creation of an independent and credible auditing team that will look into the extent of corruption in the military and identify more officers who might be involved.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a middle-ranking officer said tapping an auditing team would clear public doubts that government is trying to cover up graft and corrupt practices of top military officials.

"It's a welcome move and only those hiding something will not agree. That is a welcome move if the government wants to quell these controversies, that is if the government wants to do that," the source said."

Quoted From:

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200410/10/eng20041010_159645.html

Might the mere possibility that any military officer can readily engage in corrupt schemes with impunity serve as twisted motivation for PMA cadets to eagerly graduate?

It would not be too hard to imagine so. High military office, it would appear, could actually protect the ranking officer from the consequences of breaking the law for their own selfish designs. There are even further insinuations that PMA'ers ( the collective term for active and retired officers, as well as the cadets themselves) also enjoy the cloak of conspiratorial silence among themselves to cover-up any wrongdoing. This is because of an unstinting credo of "brotherhood-in-arms", supposedly indoctrinated in the Academy itself. It's a situation that can easily attract anybody with enough determination to pursue self-enrichment no matter what it may involve.

On second thought, perhaps it would be grossly unfair to brand every PMA'er as a greedy fiend with the aim of using military officialdom as the most effective path for amassing wealth and influence. And yet, even until now, issues keep coming up which cast PMA'ers in less than admirable light.

Columnist Cito Beltran observes in one of his articles the eyebrow-raising "close relationship" which PMA'ers enjoy with Malacañang Palace--the Office of the Philippine President, and by rote the most powerful entity in the country. He sarcastically questions the practice of PMA alumni being given preference over other qualified candidates when certain sensitive government positions need to be filled up, to wit:

"Malacañang Palace is now called the strongest chapter of the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association. Why not? Considering that Malacañang Palace has been overrun by retired military and police officials who are all graduates of PMA...

First they took over the leadership of the AFP [ the Armed Forces of the Philippines ]. Then they trespassed into civilian domain by ruling over Philippine National Police. Then they meddled in the leadership of the country and in the removal of duly elected officials, which earned them posts as Cabinet members ( departmental heads of government agencies under the President ), who then parlayed their political interference by securing directorships in government for their brothers in arms.

From directors, they moved on by gunning for diplomatic posts and boxed-out many career foreign service officials lined up to become ambassadors. Since then no real civil servant can claim to be secure in his or her career. All it takes is a retired colonel, superintendent, general to call on their batch mates or “Mistahs” for a civil servant to be displaced by an active member of the PMA-AA. "

Quoted From:

http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/ht/ht008761.htm

Would it be entirely improper to assume that, given previous high-profile accounts of PMA alumni acquiring "choice positions" in sundry fashion such as what had been stated above, not a few of those wanting to secure education in the PMA might simply be looking for a bigger chance of landing politically influential positions in government in the eventual future? With being an alumni a key qualification?

Photo Taken From:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1234/543065560_6003dbe331.jpg

It would seem that those who successfully become PMA cadets will definitely come face to face with a whirlwind of "enticing prospects" whenever they contemplate what future could possibly be in store for them once they earn their stripes. Whether in accordance with the law or even in violation of it, all avenues seem to lead towards a mountain of benefits to be reaped by the cadet after graduation.

Where then, in every scenario, is the very reason for the Academy's existence in the first place fulfilled?

Shouldn't the uppermost objective of every military officer be to ensure the most effective defense of the homeland? If this was the most fundamental principle which Philippine Military Academy is tasked to instill in every cadet who has graced its halls, then perhaps the military officials it has been producing all this time should have already acheived this end to an optimum level. A formidable homeland defense must already be in existence, then. Well, isn't it?

Some excerpts from an article found in the International Herald Tribune might very well summarize the state of the Philippines' homeland defense, to wit:

[ The Philippines ] has troubles protecting its interests in territorial disputes like the one over the Spratly Islands, which [ China ] also claims.

"The military is clearly unprepared for aggressive island grabs, overfishing or exploration by China," said Zachary Abuza, an expert on terrorism and Southeast Asian security issues at the U.S. Institute of Peace, based in Washington. "There will be little they can do to deter aggressive actions, other than at the diplomatic level."

The Philippines' armed forces "has no role to play in the [ Southeast Asian ] region," he said. "It has almost no navy. Its ability to protect its exclusive economic zones and maritime resources is nil."

...the Philippines' military remains fragmented, politicized and corrupt, according to scholars, analysts and government officials. Its hardware is old and inadequate, its troop morale low...

Quoted From:

http://www.mail-archive.com/osint@yahoogroups.com/msg09844.html

In the middle of all the cause celebre surrounding the PMA and its supposed integral role to play in the Philippines' affairs, beyond all the prestige accorded its cadets and its alumni as being stellar members of society--the Academy seems to have neglected its duties with regards to laying the groundwork for the foundation of even a functional homeland defense.

That the Philippines' defense systems are totally incapable of protecting the country against a slew of external threats, that each and every military official--from the highest-ranking general to the lower-level lieutenant--directly responsible for implementing these selfsame defense systems all come from the PMA, says a lot about the Academy itself. A regrettable, unadmirable, and dismal lot.

Perhaps its about time that the present generation of PMA cadets, and hopefully those to come, start thinking less about what will personally benefit them after graduation, and start getting serious about addressing the alarming state of their country's defenses.

Is there any contingency plan prepared in the Philippines' favor against the imminent nuclear capabilities of nearby North Korea? Should China all of a sudden emerge from its doldrums and present itself as a veritable adversary over territories claimed by the Philippines, is our military prepared to defend the country's interests? Surely, the onus of responsibility is on the Philippine military to be able to address these challenges anytime it would be necessary to do so. Military officers have always been the very people who should initiate, formulate, and implement the most prudent strategies for defense.

Therefore, the Philippine Military Academy ought to step up and do its job accordingly--which is, again, to prepare a cadre of officers fully capable of putting together an effective homeland defense.

All is not too late for reform. It should start with the people behind the institution. It could even start with people like my cousin. I wish him all the luck in his attempt at becoming a PMA cadet. I wish him all the best in being what a military officer should be when the time comes.

Prove yourself a worthy cadet, cousin. Prove yourself a real soldier of our country.

Photo Taken From:

http://visitpinas.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/seal-of-pma-baguio-city.jpg

Sojourn In The North: Vigan

( In a series of blogs this Commuter will be elaborating on the impressions left by his experiences in exploring some select areas of the Ilocos Region, impressions which he hopes will provoke constructive thought among all readers. What follows is the second of these blogs. )

Map taken from

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Ph_locator_ilocos_sur_vigan.png

Tourists go to Vigan to travel back in time.  It is one of those places where the visitor is harkened to a far distant period of history when the Philippines was still a mere colony of the mighty Spanish Empire,  just another one among a collection of other formerly subjugated territories like Cuba and Mexico.  

From the vantage point of the present, that bygone era seems so faded in memory and recollection that any mention of it might well be as boring as an interminable history lesson from any sour-faced college professor with an irascible temper--or as dull as a visit to any musty old museum.  Places like Vigan bring the old textbooks and antique artifacts back to a reality anyone can easily touch and feel and smell and see.  

Photo Taken From:

http://old.vigancity.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=8&Itemid=63

The heart of tourism in Vigan is the Heritage Park, a large tract of land comprising rows upon rows of so-called "ancestral houses" neatly divided by cobblestone streets. Visitors to the park are fully immersed in the old epoch--that is, if anyone could easily understand how a backpacker traipsing along the Great Wall would almost be able to relive the tension of Mongol hordes invading the Chinese mainland, it would be as easy to see how a casual walk through the Heritage Park evokes the same austere pulse of life anybody would have experienced had he or she existed 200 years ago.  

The Heritage Park area has enough bustling shops, commercial kiosks, and tourist activity lining the streets to make for an almost festive ambience, yes, but the patrician architecture of the houses tends to impose a certain somnolence upon the mind and the senses.  An unmistakeable stoic nobility permeates everything here.   It is said that the houses in the Park were a big part of what distinguished Vigan as a prominent city during the Spanish occupation.      

Photo Taken From:

http://old.vigancity.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5&Itemid=8

They were by no means the run-of-the-mill dwellings of the ordinary Pinoy--on the contrary, they were the strongholds of the rich and powerful, those at the crest of society.  And they were designed and built inside and out to magnificently portray this majesty.  It can be argued that while the present day state of California in the US has its Beverly Hills, the province of Ilocos Sur had its own array of expensive homes in Vigan City during the height of  the Empre of Spain.  The equivalent of Ferraris crisscrossing wide and paved streets leading to ostentanious garages would back then have been resplendent horse-drawn carriages clattering on cobblestone surfaces sweeping into puertita's ( or "main door"--large enough to accommodate the carriages ) and caballoreza's ( a sort of horse stable ).  

Photo Taken From:

http://www.filipinasoul.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/vigan-ilocos-sur-flickr-jayedawa-thumb.jpg

The passage of time has seen these ancestral houses having lost a considerable degree of the lustre and prestige they may perhaps have once enjoyed. Still, it wouldn't be hard to picture any pathetic roughneck Pinoy during those times straying into those streets and feeling the full weight of bourgeoisie antipathy beating his sensibilities down to submission.

Each society would have its enduring monuments to the high and mighty segment of its population, from the old eras to the present.  The Great Wall of China can be cited once again as a popular example.  

                  

Photo Taken From:

http://beijingchina.wordpress.com/2008/08/22/great-wall-of-china-wooing-tourists/

It cannot be denied that the Great Wall was conceived out of pure genius.  Its seemingly intractable permanence, its overwhelming sweep and grandiosity cannot but greatly impress anyone who cares to visit.  However, the significance of the Great Wall lies not just in the pomposity of its physical beauty and dimensions.  Equally as important and as permanent is the memory of the millions of slaveworkers who suffered in almost unfathomable torment during its construction.  Simply put, the Wall is as much a testament to an ancient Empire's resounding achievements as well as its society's outrageous forms of depravity.

In the same way, the historic ancestral houses of Vigan may be viewed, in one perspective, as a gloriously successful attempt to transplant the Spanish imperial-era aesthetic in architecture from Europe--all the way across the Pacific into Philippine soil.  That in itself makes worthwhile all the effort invested into the continuing nurture and upkeep of the Heritage Park's historical treasures.  Indeed, even the United Nations has already recognized Vigan City as a World Heritage Site, a distinction which serves to greatly bolster the point.

Photo Taken From:
http://www.clickthecity.com/img2/articles/CTC-4301-image4.jpg

And yet...there equally is great merit in pointing out that the Heritage Park's lasting legacy should not simply end with mere visual appreciation or the obligatory video or photo opportunities.  Just like the Great Wall of China, whatever beauty can be seen is only one perspective, and ought not blight out numerous other, less appealing memories--no matter how decidedly reprehensible they might turn out to be.

Because if the Great Wall of China has many deplorable aspects to its history, the Heritage Park, too, would reflect its own share of sad stories from its own past. 

The rule of the Spanish is bar none the worst period in Philippine history, even when taking into account the atrocities inflicted by the Japanese during World War II.  For nearly 3 centuries, or a span of about 8 generations, the Spanish authorities instituted so tight a stranglehold of repression among nearly every Pinoy alive that a whole nation of millions became maltreated slaves.  

Photo Taken From:

http://latinamericanmusings.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/brazil-slavery.jpg

This doesn't necessarily come as any great surprise, since the Spaniards' policy of brutal subjugation had been enforced over all of their colonies, whether in Asia or in the Americas.  Whole races and populations were thus mercilessly and systematically reduced to impoverished servilitude, an existence defined by lack of proper education, the absence of any form of empowerment, widespread dehumanization, and perhaps most damning of all--the malicious and deliberate curruption of otherwise functional civilizations into underpriviligeded masses.  Widespread hunger, forced labor, unjust taxation, government-sanctioned acquisition of personal property--all of these violations to human dignity were performed relentlessly and on a day-to-day basis.  And they are just the tip of the iceberg.

The Heritage Park once was the enclave of the minute few among the populace who enjoyed immunity from the harsh conditions of the majority around them.  It was the haven of the nobility which arose out of the nefarious practices designed by the Spanish colonizers that sought to siphon monetary gain into the hands of their small band of cohorts.  Every homeowner here had to kowtow to all the policies of the ruling colonizers and heartily enforce the very mechanisms through which even more native Pinoys could be roped in and harnessed like any domesticated work animal.  

Inside their homes, the occupants could wallow in their own self-enriching pursuits and caprices, parlor games and ballroom soirees, all the while perfectly insulated from the hue and cry of squalor and suffering outside.    The sturdy walls, luxurious windows, palatial courtyards, and immaculately manicured lawns all served to segregate the elite ruling class from the lowly servant.  While countless Pinoys starved and toiled and sweated, the ruling class in their small numbers could retreat into their cozy parlors and wake up in the mornings well-rested and well-fed, the only concern uppermost in their minds that of making their own house better-looking than their next-door neighbor's.

Photo Taken From:

http://biyahilo.privateshelter.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/crisologomuseum.jpg

Today, it has been over 100 years since the Spanish Empire fell in disgrace.  The Philippines has managed to become its own sovereign nation after overcoming numerous obstacles, including its own internal strife and wars with other countries. And what were once the stately dwelling-places of the powerful in Vigan are now tourist attractions. 

Should it be considered that the ancestral houses of the Heritage Park are simply the mere remnants of an unconscionable era that has long been eradicated with the departure of the colonizers, then contemporary Pinoy society, by all means, should finally heave its collective sigh of relief.  However, the shameful fact is that slavery and oppression continues on unabated until today, long after the derelict physical traces of the Spanish era began eroding.

The province of Ilocos Sur--of which Vigan City is the capital--is one place where the pernicious demarcation line between the powerful few and the powerless majority stays perpetually unmoved.  The harsh realities which the typical Ilocano had to endure under Spanish rule remain unabated until now.  Desperate poverty, lack of education, slave-like labor conditions, improper and unjust administration of law and order, the severe lack of opportunities to lift oneself up from the crushing status quo--these are only some examples which illustrate how the present seems so similar to the past.  

The only people who apparently enjoy lives steeped in riches and power in the province are the so-called "prominent families"--a relatively small group composed of the elite landlord class.  This restrictive circle of families, most of whom inherited their largesse from the fortunes of their ancestors dating back from the Spanish era, own and monopolize just about every controlling interest in agriculture, education, commerce, tourism, and even government services.  Their stature and the very means by which they protect it bears so much resemblance to how the Spanish royalty used to impose their will over "conquered territories" that the differences between the old and new societies might as well be considered negligible.  

Like the time of old, these "prominent families" function as the ruling class of the inveterately underpriviliged population in their jurisdiction.  Like the time of old, the gap between the two social segments--the haves and the have-nots--is so wide that the disparity can be judged not only detestable, it is an outright tragedy of the most calamitous proportions.  

As recently as the time of this writing, statistical reports even bear out the fact that deprivation and poverty pervade the living conditions in Ilocos Sur:

Clip Taken From:

http://feudart.com/2009/05/08/funds-for-ilocos-sur-farmers-said-to-have-no-effect/

Meanwhile, the ruling class in the province remain secure and insulated within their strongholds, with all their efforts targetted only at sustaining their own high stations, indifferent to the plight of millions at their doorsteps.  It would not be too hard to imagine an analogous scenario where the former occupants of the Heritage Park's ancestral houses would have perhaps been engaged in ballroom dances inside their spacious function halls while slaves put in countless hours constructing the very cobblestone streets which their taskmasters will solely have the benefit to utilize.

It is no wonder then that the underprivileged class sees no respite despite the passage of many generations.

Clip Taken From:

http://feudart.com/2009/05/08/funds-for-ilocos-sur-farmers-said-to-have-no-effect/

Regrettably, this ongoing polarization of society which puts the greater population into a horrendous disadvantage is not only true in Ilocos Sur, but is also concurrently apparent all throughout the Philippines.  This experience is also mirrored in many other countries which were once under colonial Spain.

Photo Taken From:

http://www.zastavki.com/pictures/1600x1200/2008/World_Asia_Mestizo_District___Vigan___Luzon___Philippines_008962_.jpg

There is no mistaking that the attractiveness of Vigan's inheritance of a beautiful district which maps out the past in such visual splendour will entice visitors from all over for years and years to come.  The efforts of to preserve these "Hispanic" ancestral houses can never be praised enough.  The legacy they bequeath can never be underestimated, and the people of Vigan are rightly proud of the Heritage Park--a sentiment which they tend to demonstrate with effusive fervor. 

Much needs to be stated, too, about the ominous irony which can enrich one's experience when coming over as a tourist.  Because while the elements and the ravages of time can eventually threaten priceless houses of the Heritage Park, the spirit behind what these houses stood for has remained sturdier and more resilient.

Truly, there are things better dismantled than preserved.

Sojourn In The North: Two Kids

( In a series of blogs this Commuter will be elaborating on the impressions left by his experiences in exploring some select areas of the Ilocos Region, impressions which he hopes will provoke constructive thought among all readers. What follows is the first of these blogs. )

Picture taken from
http://www.filipinasoul.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/vigan-heritagevillage-02-flickr-jayedawa.jpg

It took quite a long while before this commuter was able to travel again; but never in my wildest dreams had I imagined the circumstances under which I would be afforded the chance this time around.

Having worked in the film and broadcast industry for the better part of 12 or so years, this commuter was deemed qualified enough to give lectures to a small group of professionals operating a local television channel in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, for the purpose of improving their technical knowledge. When the invitation was sent to me, I was informed that the local Vigan channel had already been operating for better part of three years, and yet the channel's founder was apparently not satisfied with what his employees were doing so far. He wanted his crew to produce output that could hopefully rival the work of major broadcast companies in Metro Manila. It thus fell incumbent upon me and a fellow colleague to do our part, however small, to whip them up to a more formidable set of broadcasters.

This commuter is no stranger to conducting lectures and seminars to for the broadcasting community, but this invitation was a bit off-tangent compared to the usual. The trip alone meant that I had to travel for around 7 to 8 hours by bus from Metro Manila to Vigan, traversing a path that practically spanned almost half the length of the largest island of the Philippine archipelago--the farthest point up north I would have to reach by land-based transport my whole life. Too, I would be staying at Vigan for around 7 or 10 nights straight according to the estimates of me and my colleague's hosts...something not usually required for even veteran workshop panelists of my ilk.

The whole activity sounded too tedious and burdensome at first glance. And yet, I was assured that my "7 to 10 days" would not be a rigid and formal affair, but would instead be more likely a hearty getaway vacation sprinkled here and there with a few moments when I would have to impart some tips, techniques, or tidbits of knowledge in a manner which would remain relaxed and laid back. I imagined lecture sessions that resembled tete-a-tete's under the canopies of a noveau-Venetian-style coffee shop. 

After having been reassured of the conduct of the trip, I eagerly agreed.  Who was I, after all, to refuse? It was going to be a welcome hiatus from Metro Manila, it was to be a refreshingly long road trip through miles of tropical hinterland, and at the end of it all was the possibility of an invigorating 10-day junket. And so on the night of March 18, 2009, I was bundled up in a bus embarking on my furthest ever sojourn to the north, in the company of fellow Pinoys seeking their own respective diversions.

Which, it turned out, didn't disappoint me, after all.

Map taken from

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Ph_locator_ilocos_sur_vigan.png

Vigan is a city that straddles a small portion of the northwestern coast of Ilocos Sur province. The city has long been known as a tourist spot, where visitors can marvel at preserved Spanish-era dwellings covering a huge tract of land. This cluster of houses has been conferred by the United Nations with the prestigious title of an international heritage site, and so the name given to it by the government is, aptly enough, the Heritage Park.

Photo courtesy of

http://www.wowparadisephilippines.com/files/CalleCrisologo-Vigan.jpg

This commuter's stay at Vigan proved to be a junket in every way--the room I was billeted in was just above the main offices and production facilities of the television station itself, and the accommodations were far from spartan as it was fairly spacious, and came complete with airconditioning, hot shower, cable tv--and even wi-fi access to boot. Food was also generously provided all day. I had it better than most of the visitors who pay top dollar just to visit Vigan...and I wasn't even strictly a tourist.

Of course I had to fulfill my end of the bargain, and so at certain intervals I had to gather up the television crew and proceed with the workshop sessions they expected of me. However, I have to qualify that these sessions were fairly short and not as comprehensive as the training I would normally provide. What's more, the organizers of the workshop appeared to be more eager to tour me around rather than "waste" unnecessarily longer hours listening to my lessons. It seemed atypical that business could be mixed with such an inordinate volume of pleasure in this way, so to speak, but this was not for me to debate. And so during most of the time I stayed in Vigan, this commuter and my hosts were assiduously hopping from one visitor-friendly place to another as easily as if we were playing hopscotch, and were finding time to coach the television crew in between our forays. Looking back on it now, I sure do hope that the Vigan broadcasters learned a lot from me, because I sure did learn a lot about their hometown. It would certainly be discomfitting to think that I took more than I gave.

Suffice to say that this first Vigan trip holds plenty of memories for me, most of which I will expand upon at a later opportunity. However, for the present, this commuter would like to dwell on some particular events that transpired near the last days of my stay in the Ilocos region...and two local inhabitants who have never left my mind long after I left for home.

My journeys often end with a climactic punchline, and so even though it was a surprise that my hosts offered me a chance to visit the famed Pagudpud beaches still further north of Vigan--seemingly out of the blue--the prospect became simply just another one of those fitting conclusions which Fate or Life bestows on any one of my commutes.

My hosts were operating a fully-functional television station in Vigan, and even though the operations were lilliputian compared to the networks I previously worked for back in Metro Manila, the Vigan television crew were no less serious in expanding their reach throughout the Ilocos province. And so they decided to send a small contingent to Pagudpud with the purpose of filming two beach resorts for a travelogue special on their channel. All the other television networks have their own travel specials, and so why not them, too? The television crew would be filming for a total of three days and two nights, and the emphasis of the filming would be on what luxuries and amenities the two aforementioned beach resorts were capable of offering to both local and foreign tourists. Sure, there was work involved, but for a visitor like me, it promised to be another junket--business mixed with pleasure...a lot of it.

On the afternoon of March 26, a camera crew piled into a van complete with all the necessary equipment--and this commuter was along for the ride. Everyone among us knew that Pagudpud had been recently receiving buzz over the internet as the newest world-class beach resort town "discovery" in the Philippines, and we were very eager to film whatever attractions the town and its beaches were so proud to offer its visitors. Once the whole crew was assembled at the rendezvous, we cranked up the van's engine and cruised out of Vigan with eyes twinkling at all the prospects of hitting the beach.

Map taken from

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Ph_locator_ilocos_norte_pagudpud.png

Vigan might be far from Metro Manila, but Pagudpud seemed just as far from Vigan. We started out from Ilocos Sur, but had to cross over to Ilocos Norte, and then had to end up on its northernmost tip ( Sur means South while Norte means North--two provinces with the same first name ). Along the way, I caught even more glimpses of long stretches of green flatlands and plantations outside the windshields, punctuated here and there by settlements and farmhands baking under the simmering tropical temperatures. Every now and then my hosts would point out some significant landmarks for the novice traveller to Ilocos, such as the occasional historic church, a particularly ancient lighthouse, as well as the more modern fixture in Ilocos Norte--the wind-powered electrical supply facility operated by Europeans in front of a sweep of coastline facing the South China Sea.

Photo taken from

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XLXcY485Dxc/SFHo4uaEdQI/AAAAAAAAAP0/m-vN-7Au118/s400/majestic-view-of-the-wind-farm.jpg

Soon, green farmlands gave way to lofty mountains and cliffsides facing yet another vista of azure sky and blue sea, the glitter of water seamlessly blending with the horizon to evoke a vision of clear infinity.  We were finally in the town of Pagudpud.

Photo Taken From

http://ourparadisephilippines.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/pagudpod_paradisephilippines.jpg

The long and winding road that cruised under the proud archway designating the town took us past small pockets of settlement,  business establishments, as well as the Town Hall.  We had to soak up a few more kilometers past them all to arrive at the beaches.  The sea might have again taken cover behind the mountainsides, but even the drone of the van's engine could not hide the anticipation felt by the whole crew.  And then, almost unexpectedly, we turned off the main highway onto a dirt path, felt our vehicle laboriously negotiate the grit and gravel under its wheels for a few more meters, and then the ocean peeked out once more beyond a small hilly rise.  Once we descended the rise, the scent of brine and saltwater could no better prepare us than a roll of drums, trumpets, and the parting of curtains for our grandest glimpse of paradise.   

Photo Taken From

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/164/342010348_6e904b8efa.jpg

It is often said that the best Philippine beaches are found in Boracay, Puerto Galera, Bohol, and the Palawan Islands.  One look at Pagudpud's white-sand coastline and inviting waters, relatively not as well known as those thus far mentioned, gives credence to the idea that no one should close the book on other beaches which may be out there.  And the Vigan crew was out to prove that, for Pagudpud at least, all the hype surrounding it was well-deserved.  

There were simply a dearth of experiences in the Pagudpud beach resorts to enjoy...and to film, in our case, of course.  The mostly temperate climate of the Ilocos region allowed for plenty of opportunities for daytime or nighttime scuba diving, kayaking, recreational boat-riding, snorkelling, even occasional surfboarding ( when the tides act appropriately ).  Not to forget, by the way, swimming in the ornate clear-blue waters, acquiring those provocative suntans, indulging in the ever enjoyable game of beach volleyball, and snapping up digicam pictures of every fancy.  This commuter chilled out with a few bottles of beer while watching the sun go down, an experience which was particularly divine.  Along the Pagudpud coastline, everyone is smiling, from the fish vendors hawking fresh catch, to the kids playing in the sand, to the resort-hogging tourists and backpackers.  It was a grand time, even for the Vigan television crew towing their cameras, savoring all of what they documented.

Photo Taken From:

http://www.femalenetwork.com/images/articles/articleImage/Culture/tisha_pagudpud.jpg

   

Photo Taken From:

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/9514/54676020da1.jpg

It was an expedition into pure revelry for this commuter, having been treated to such an endearing amount of hospitality from my hosts, starting with an unforgettable stay in Vigan all the way through to three days and two nights in enchanting Pagudpud.  During most of that time,  one experience to the next lifted me up from one frontier of delight to yet another one higher,  until the days and nights seemed immersed in a misty and cloudy neverland of stratospheric adventure...

Until my encounter with two kids in Pagudpud brought me back down to earth.  At least.

I will never be able to furnish pictures of those two kids, but they remain ferociously persistent in my memory.  They will perhaps be no less indelible than the recollection of a deeper layer of bread under the icing of the cake of anyone's typical first birthday.  It stays as a reminder that underneath all the frivolous and festive pictures lie truths which we can never deny as being part of our everyday reality, too.

The first of these two kids was actually a member of the Vigan television crew.  She was a bright-eyed, olive-skinned Ilocano native of sixteen, brought along as a "stand-up model" for the Pagudpud filming.  Her role was akin to that of those attractive girls utilized as props when photographing sports cars--a sort of attention-getting foreground in relation to the scenic background, with the intention of accentuating the beach scenes with the presence of a shapely female in beach attire.  Everybody in the television crew was provided free meals by the resorts they filmed, which was a standard practice in such transactions.  I noticed, however, that our stand-up model was consuming more than the usual proportion of the food, something which might be judged almost glutinous, although certainly not glutinous to a profane degree.  It was simply that this commuter adjudged the model to consume a bit more than the usual share. 

I was insensitive enough as to tease her about it during our customary meals.

Later on I realized how much of an insouciant buffoon I had acted.  Upon chatting in more friendly terms with our "standup model", I learned that she wasn't exactly as well-to-do as any typical "model"( most of which, in the circles where I worked at least, came from upper-tier society).  She in fact came home everyday to a family who could barely make ends meet. Her father had abandoned her family and her mother was working as a domestic helper ( or, more tritely, a maid ) in Singapore.  In her household she had to live with five other siblings, as well as a slew of other relatives relying on a measly stipend from her mother in Singapore. Which meant that food was scarce almost all the time.  In short, hers was a fundamentally hungry family, perhaps always making do with whatever small amounts of food could be funnelled to each member by ratio.  Far from my own experience.  

As a regular worker in the media industry, I would hardly be characterized as a person lacking good nutrition at home.  I certainly did not crave for gourmet food as much as, well, people with less means do.  It takes a certain magnanimous insight to realize that as a more fortunate Pinoy, I would be in some respects very distant from millions of other Pinoys--and yes, including most of the native Ilocanos--who would be incapable of enjoying the same latitude in choosing their preferred food at home.  No, that luxury is more often associated with people who can afford to live in Metro Manila, like me.  

For most of those living in Ilocos, being able to eat the food of your own personal, and perhaps, luxurious taste, would occur only once in a while.  Such as in a junket where you find yourself lucky enough to be involved in, perhaps exactly like the case with our standup model and this particular trip to Pagudpud.   Those who cannot eat the proper food everyday at home, after all, would take advantage of any free and unencumbered opportunity to do so with gusto.  And so I thus had to reprimand myself severely for imposing my own disproportionate criticism, however lightly intended as parody, upon another member of our party.  

Photo Taken From:

 http://docgelo.blog.friendster.com/files/2321545061_17cd78f187.jpg

During another lazy afternoon in the middle of filming, after I had just emerged from the beachwaters and flopped down like a tired amphibian on the golden sand--intending to enjoy a little time alone to myself under the breeze, which I reckoned would dry me off in a short while--a diminutive boy of about 12 or 13 years old approached and tried to sell me some souvenir merchandise he held in two baskets.  The first basket contained corals shaped into cigarette ashtrays with tiny pennants having the word "Pagudpud Beach" emblazoned on them.  The other basket held a bounty of assorted beads fashioned into wrist bracelets, necklaces, anklets, just about anything typically worn by any fashionable beach junkie.

    

Phot Taken From:

http://craftsuppliesforless.com/images/pearlized%20pony%20beads.jpg

      

On any stretch of resort beach, there would always be found these children among many others peddling their wares to tourists.  This particular kid caught my eye because he held a third item aside from his two baskets--a notebook folded open to show kiddie drawings and scribblings.  I wasn't particularly interested to buy anything to take home with me--I absolutely find no appeal in taking anything back home from any of my commutes except pictures--but I found it extremely interesting to find out what kind of drawings this kid made.  I made it clear to the fellow that I wasn't going to buy anything from him, but asked permission from him to browse through his notebook.  

It turned out that the kid was quite proud of his drawings and seemed all-too-willing to show them to anyone who would ask.  He readily sat down beside me and pointed out to me drawings depicting his family, his house, his pets, and a few other landscapes he especially found worthwhile committing to paper.  He also showed me some pages on which he wrote down a few passages which he copied from some books he read or even some street signs he encountered.  I prodded him to tell me more about himself, and the kid smilingly obliged with the confidence of a natural storyteller.  

He told me that he was in the middle of his high school studies when he had to quit school owing to the necessity of having to help his parents earn a living for the whole family.  He had six other brothers and sisters, all of them younger than him, and his mother and father were in too desperate straits that his own efforts were more than welcome if it meant more income for the household.  They lived in a ramshackle house by the beach side, set off from the sandy shore by a row of thick foilage.  Every day, while his younger siblings trooped down to the beach to play under the sun while waiting for food to come by at the table, he would gather up his merchandise from a certain dealer ( which he never did come round to describe in any specific way ) and troll the resorts to find buyers.  Every once in a while he would strike lucky with troops of tourists who patronize his wares by the dozen or so, but these fortunate instances were few and far between, perhaps as distant from each other as the occasional boats stranded on the sand.  His family of eight would normally eat the cheapest canned goods, he told me, still smiling.  They couldn't usually eat three times a day.  I regarded him with a squint under the almost blinding sunlight, and he seemed to be telling the truth, as I gathered from the sticklike proportions of his build.

I asked him if his parents ever reprimanded him if he didn't make any sale for one day.  Continuing in that matter-of-fact tone of his, the kid said yes.  But he wasn't physically punished, he continued.  I asked him if the family had already eaten anything that day, since by then it was already late into the afternoon.  The kid smiled and told me that no, they haven't had anything, and so would I be kind enough to buy some souvenirs so later on he could at least have enough to buy a can of sardines?

Dreadful enough as it was that I refused, another member of the Vigan crew came by and redeemed the situation by purchasing two items from the kid's baskets, without having had heard of the kid's stories.  This commuter does not believe in any kind and benevolent God; however, in short flashes of serendipity like the one that just happened, I do believe that Fate or Life sometimes has the propensity to alleviate burdens for those who have faith in them.  

After my colleague from Vigan was able to furnish this kid his resources for buying his family's possible next meal, we continued chatting.  I directed his attention to a boat of fishermen apparently setting out across the water for a night's work and asked him if he ever considered becoming a fisherman some time, if only to engage in a form of work which could more directly address their need for food.  The kid told me that he would probably try some time in the future, if circumstances didn't permit him to go back to school.  I told him that back where my hometown was, in Bohol province, the residents could at their leisure climb any coconut tree and pick off coconuts to eat if they desperately needed food.  I pointed out to the kid the rows of coconut trees fringing the shore.  The kid told me that he wasn't sure if those coconut trees could be harvested for their fruits since someone probably owned all of them.  I told him that, for tonight at least, he would be able to go home with proceeds from the sale he conducted with my Vigan colleague.  It was certainly better than nothing.  Again, this kid smiled in approval.  It is said that Pinoys generally display an uncanny resilience against the most desperate adversity in life because they can smile so swiftly in the face of crushing realities.  I've seen the same kind of smile from all sorts of poor kids everywhere I travelled in the Philippines.  Still, whenever I catch a glimpse of it, the experience always feels new each time. 

At that particular moment, the kid's smile felt as if it was the most significant delight the beach could offer to this commuter.

 

Photo Taken From:

http://stariray.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/pagudpud.jpg

It is a supreme irony that a commuter like me, visiting Ilocos from some distant town far to the south, could enjoy more of the bounty and abundance found in its local cuisine and famed beaches compared to those two kids I met.  Certainly their stories are not isolated experiences; more likely their circumstances are common to a majority of the Ilocos populace.  Hunger and deprivation in the midst of a locale which could otherwise abundantly provide  all sorts of gastronomic delights; limited opportunities for self-determination in an otherwise vibrant resort town that tourists of every sort might one day scramble helter-skelter to be able to visit--these are ironies which I usually encounter every time.  I had partaken of a junket that for the most part I intended to keep me away from the sobering realities of my Pinoy existence.  These realities will always catch up with my commutes, however, since it takes almost no effort at all for the underlying paradoxes to reveal themselves to even the most casual observer.  

In any case, my junket was about to come to an end, since the Pagudpud visit was my last stop before taking the trip back to Metro Manila.  My encounter with the two kids did not in any way lend a downbeat color to my celebratory mood in Ilocos; on the contrary, it only strengthened my resolve that all of the times I indulged in some, let's say, hedonistic pursuits were just my own way of recharging my energies in order to gather momentum so I can plunge yet again into the more pressing reason for keeping on commuting--to tip the balance from darkness toward the light.  I still believe in Fate and Life, as I always keep telling myself.  Somehow all my efforts will yield fruit.  One day, I resolve to return to Ilocos...hopefully, with resources to somehow contribute towards making everybody I encounter there realize the wealth and abundance that I myself have partaken of in their own home.

Photo Taken From:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/74/171935368_b9a8a4c088.jpg   

Why Rich Pinoys Might Not Be Very Admirable

I declare with absolute certainty that Pinoys can be among the best in the world.

It is a fact that certain watchdog groups have already ranked the Philippines as one of the "Top 10" most corrupt nations on Earth ( haha ), thereby according it a place on that peculiar pedestal reserved only for such an "elite" group--however, despite the rounds of laughter this would provoke from the average Pinoy concerning such an honor, it is a conferment I'm sure most of us would rather hide under whatever cover in wholehearted shame.

We can still be among the Top, but of course we seek some demonstration of this which would elevate the Pinoy toward a different league, some achievement or status that commands unabashed pride, congratulations, acclaim, and perhaps even emulation.

Fortunately, all of us can take heart that a true blue Pinoy, Efren Reyes, is one such demonstration in the world of contemporary professional billiards. A Wikipedia entry declares:

It's further gratifying to know that Efren Reyes is not alone in the world of sports as both a Pinoy and a paragon of excellence which millions would envy. Who could ever ignore the equally formidable presence of Manny "the Pacman" Pacquiao in boxing? The Ring Magazine ostentaniously displays this:

By now it is widely known that part of the mystique surrounding both of these undisputed kings of their disciplines is that both of them started out as piss-poor, having been born into lives so deprived that it still borders on the remotest of probabilities that others like them could rise from the shackles of ghetto existences and emerge into sparkling prominence today. Since the resources and tools from which the motivation for pursuing excellence normally should spring has been absent from the circumstances surrounding Reyes and Pacquiao, the irony only makes their achievements all the more profoundly spectacular.

After all, isn't the drive to be the best more enabled in lives which have greater access to many factors which ought to encourage it? The experience of well-rounded education, freedom from desperate need for material goods, a wider variety of options and avenues for self-improvement--aren't these found more prevalent among those Pinoys who belong to the upper crust of our country's society? Perhaps it wouldn't be too farfetched to conceive that more figures such as Pacquiao and Reyes--Pinoys who bested everybody in the world at what they do--ought to emerge from privilege and not from the lack of it? To put it bluntly, shouldn't richer Pinoys also be the best in the world at what they do?

Granted, most of the "elite class" of Pinoys would most probably be engaged in enterprises other than being sportsmen. It is without a doubt that rich Pinoys are among the backbones of the nation's economy, the harbingers of wealth. Elite Pinoy families influence most of the country's interests in business and commerce. Their stock and trade is in capitalism and in the corporate arena, where the outpouring of their skills make possible the generation of jobs and wages for millions and millions of other Pinoy families, therefore sustaining the lives of the same.

In fact, as proof and document of these same efforts rich Pinoys exert in business and commerce ( again, their most preferred arena of expertise ), lists are often made detailing the exceptional achievements of this elite group. Posted below is one such example:

These companies being mostly owned and controlled by rich Pinoys, the list affirms in definitive fashion that they are not hesitant to make use of their resources and talents to make more wealth available not only to themselves but to those legions of Pinoys they employ ( and therefore, sustain ).

However, the question remains--in their fields of expertise, is it demonstrable that rich Pinoys are, much like Reyes and Pacquiao, also in the league of the best of the best in the world? Such lists like the one above reflects an heirarchy found in the Philippines, but are there other lists where--if the convention of boxing rankings become the model somehow, for the sake of argument--the "top pound-for-pound" rich people of all nations, so to speak, are converged and ranked? Would rich Pinoy familes who control major Pinoy corporations also figure prominently in such rankings?

Yes, such lists do exist, and Forbes Magazine, for one, would assiduously provide rankings among the world's elite all the time. Their latest roster of top performing companies ( again, owned by the richest people in the world ) run something like the one below:

Apparently, rich Pinoy companies, ergo rich Pinoys, aren't on the list.

Pinoy boxers and cuemasters like Pacquiao and Reyes are plucked from lives of poverty and deprivation, then rise to become honored as among the best and greatest in world rankings in their chosen fields.

Why can't rich Pinoys, who are supposed to have had the undoubtedly better chances at becoming the best in the world in their own specialties, do the same? Again, privilege and wealth ought to engender much wider opportunities for pursuing and reaching levels of achievement which should downright be more spectacular than what two once-dirt-poor Pinoy athletes have shown. Why have no rich Pinoys cemented their own glories, then, in the Forbes list above?

Now, we Pinoys certainly know who the truly wealthy and rich among us are. Whole streets and business estates are named after them. They own the spritziest and possibly biggest malls in Southeast Asia. They own beer companies. They own hectares and hectares of sugar farms. They own television stations and the Philippines' power companies.  One family even owns an airline, two banks, and the most profitable venture yet--a company manufacturing different brands of cigarettes.  They own...surely a lot more than a blog would cover. And we know that this elite group is mostly composed of families. In short, the richest of the rich Pinoys are at their core a short list of people with the same last names.

Other countries and peoples have their own rich families. Would they be a part of the world's elite?

Why, of course. Toyota Motors Company, by now the largest and wealthiest automobile company in the world and one of those listed in the Forbes 500, was originally spawned by the great Toyoda clan of Japan ( the Toyodas chose the title "Toyota" instead of "Toyoda" to name their products because the former name was considered "much luckier" ), one of the elite Japanese families that sprung to prominence sometime before World War II. Toyota Motors is acknowledged as a family-run company, and you can note those selfsame words below in another clipping:

The same webpage ( http://www.answers.com/topic/eiji-toyoda ) helpfully informs us that the Toyodas, right from the creation of their first automobiles, were determined to compete with the best in the world at making cars. With focus, persistence, resourcefulness, unshakable resolve, and of course, some help from their own reserves of wealth ( since they were a rich Japanese family ), they eventually achieved their goals. Today the Toyodas are credited as having revolutionized the world's car industry much in the same way that the American industrialist Henry Ford once did.

Rich and elite Japanese families like the Toyoda clan were once loosely classified together under the term zaibatsu. As Wikipedia says:

Although today the same word has evolved into the more modern ( and allegedly more accurate ) interpretation keiratsu, the essence of its denotation remains to be the same--a group of the richest Japanese families engaging in business and commercial pursuits which performed so exceptionally well that their enterprises catapulted the whole country of Japan into its present place as the second richest country in the world. Proof of this can be seen in the same Forbes list above. Almost all the Japanese companies listed can trace their roots to the pioneering efforts of different rich Japanese families ( thus, companies which are named after their founding families like Sumitomo, Mitsui, etc. ).

Would other countries have families that are analogous to the zaibatsu/keiratsu of Japan?  Again, yes of course.

The South Koreans call their illustrious rich and elite the chaebols.  As Wikipedia also says:

It turns out that Samsung and Hyundai are family names, after all.  And most of us Pinoys would surely be aware of the how undeniably great these names have become.  

It is apparent right away that these rich South Koreans are determined to reach a level and stature that would be to wealth what Reyes and Pacquiao have reached in sports!  

Could rich Pinoys do the same?

Surely, the opportunities would be within their reach.  If others have already done it, then why can't they?  Again, if two formerly piss-poor Pinoys could trailblaze paths that resound a large clang proclaiming their presence in the map of world achievement, albeit in sports, couldn't rich Pinoys likewise do so in their chosen fields of wealth generation, given that their present circumstances could afford them vastly more infinite opportunities than simple ghetto folk to do so?  The fruits of such an effort, should it be reached, would be of almost incalculable worth to millions of Pinoys.  As the experience of Japan and South Korea had shown, it would in all likelihood be tantamount to establishing a Pinoy country at par with the First World!  

And so, wouldn't rich Pinoys prefer to find themselves in the same elite company as those in the top tiers of so prestigious a list as the Forbes 500?  

Frankly, I have to admit that this commuter, in all earnestness, would certainly hope so. 

If not, then it would be...let's just say, one reason to regard these rich Pinoys as not very admirable.  Hmmmmm.   

A Purpose-Driven...Nation?

It was a mammoth bestseller. It seemed to appear out of nowhere and then the next second all the bookshelves were overflowing with stacks of copies. All of a sudden, one single book gave rest to the question everybody, Pinoys included, seemed to have kept buried deep inside themselves and which yearned desperately, clawingly, for a definitive resolution: What are we alive for?

The Christian author Rick Warren has calmly written down in plain, simple, perhaps even insightful language that one need not look far for the answer. God is our purpose in life, he declares, and he elaborates on this concept in such a smooth and comforting manner that the readers don't mind at all that it takes the time and effort to read a whole book just to fully grasp the implications of this message--even if that message has been the same old song being played since the Middle Ages. No matter that the theme behind the book might not be a landmark; the book's impact surely is--as seen in how copies still fly off the bookshelves in truckloads like popcorn.

Many readers of the book comment that Warren's writings helped them contextualize their acts in the proper perspective. This perspective puts lifelong goals in sensible order and imbues every activity with selfless and noble motives, and this actually translates to achieving the purpose for which we live. A pursuit such as this is unarguably beneficial and should be encouraged all the time!--whether you've read the book or not.

If such a guiding principle could empower individual people into realizing their potentials, shouldn't whole countries tread the same route? If a nation were driven by a correct purpose...then wouldn't that nation reach the success it was meant to reach?

But then again, do whole nations abide by a purpose? Why, of course they do! And they do bother to spell it out.

High school education among Pinoys would have taught us that one need not look for any bestselling book or esoteric sources to find the purpose of--for example--our own nation, the Republic of the Philippines. It's right there in the constitution, in the preamble.

Now, we Pinoys know that we don't care a whit about what those words mean. For all its formidable rhetoric, it might as well be saying that we are supposed to be ruled by heavenly spirits and not by humans. However, that does not necessarily mean that we do not have a gut instinct about what the real purpose of the Republic is, which is, of course, to generally provide Pinoys a good life--that is the purpose it's supposed to serve.

And how do Pinoys know what a good life is? Well, judging by the overwhelming sentiment that millions of Pinoys would rather stay in the United States than the Philippines, it could be taken to mean that a good life for a Pinoy is what the Americans enjoy in the United States.

By the way, if one would bother to read the purpose of the U.S., as embodied in the preamble to their consitution, one would find this.


It would appear quite readily that the purpose of the US could be contained in fewer words than the purpose of our own country! Which could probably explain why, should you ask any Pinoy to name in any specific terms why the Philippines exists, chances are that the Pinoy wouldn't come up with the answers--because memorizing the preamble to our own constitution is just too damn tedious.

Granted, the Americans themselves most probably don't bother to remember by heart their own preamble verbatim. And yet, Americans certainly know what the US is for.

The United States has always been the "greatest", that unsurpassable yardstick for measuring the best of human endeavour--the richest country, the best in weaponry and systems of war, the most cutting-edge in the fields of science, medicine, agriculture, manufacturing, space technology, electronics, education...you name it. They also enjoy the highest standard of living among all the First World nations. The Americans know that they must maintain this standing in the world community. Even their present President Barack Obama always says this in all his speeches. If you want to be number one in the whole world, they say, you ought to make it big in their country. To cite an example, Pacquiao became ranked the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the whole world not by fighting in his homeland, but in slugging it out in the fabled US of A! In that veritable heartland of boxing, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Japanese also seem to be certain about what their nation is about. It has always been all about overtaking what the United States has done throughout its existence. In short, the Japanese clearly want to take the place of the US as the leader of the world. They tried doing it during World War II by engaging in war with the United States ( interestingly enough, the war era Japanese constitution outlines an objective to become the Ruler of the World, with the finality of installing their Emperor, the living personification of the Sun God, as supreme leader ), they are still doing so now by perpetually trying to outdo the US in commerce and trade--evidence of this in their country being the second richest in the world.

Yes, my fellow Pinoys, some nations do know what their existence is for, even if it's not readily extruded from the obstruse semantics of their constitutions--even if the Americans themselves or the Japanese never bothered to read their own preambles. Ditto for the Russians, the Chinese, the Germans, and many more. Of special mention, among others, would be South Korea, a nation of determined citizens who struggled for over 60 years after World War II to become a First World nation after decades of deprivation--and is still putting its darndest efforts into reuniting with North Korea. Taiwan is currently fighting to remain independent from what they perceive as an "imperialist" China. Israel is struggling to defend its "Promised Land" from the influence of its Islamic neighbors.

You don't have to think too hard to understand that many nations are already driven by what each would perceive to be its purpose!

Which brings us back to the question: What is the Philippines supposed to be, then? If we Pinoys don't have a solid answer to that, then we are all doomed. If we believe that individual lives without a purpose--whether it be God or any other objective worthy of pursuing--is meaningless, how much more meaningless is the existence of a whole nation without a sense of what it is supposed to reach for? What then is there reason to continue living as a nation, and not simply dissolve into a nonentity?

There's this absurd fact that our preamble has dozens more words than the US's ( their preamble doesn't even have the words "Almighty God" in it ). It must mean, then, that we seek to do more than what the US has sought. Which could be taken to mean that, should the Republic of the Philippines achieve what its true purpose is ( well, whatever that may be ), we would in all probability be infinitely greater than the greatest nation on earth at this time! Now isn't that a thought!

Then again, we can't deny that Pinoys generally love what the US has! Talk to the average Pinoy on the street, and chances are he or she will readily exchange their soul to be able to live in the US. It's no surprise. It can be thought of as the same situation one encounters in any simple class of students. If the world community could be reduced to the population of a class of students, each country representing one student, the US would most certainly garner the most envy. Mr. Uncle Sam would be the undisputed leader of the student body, garnering all the academic awards and scholarships. In second place would be Mr. Nippon. In third place would be a tie up between Mr. Germany, Mr. China, and Mr. England, perhaps.

Now, Pinoys don't generally like haphazardly performing students, even those in their families. Pinoys prefer to like students who excel. And yet, in this master class of the world's countries, the Philippines would not be an excellent student. In fact, Mr. Philippines might be one of those brooding, introverted urchins who rarely participates in class discussions. In other words, whatever we are, Mr. Philippines would be an inconsequential member of the student body.

Would we ever be passionate enough to transform from unremarkable performer to the stellar? Our fellow "students" certainly are trying to do so. The US is certainly the top dog in this "master class", but who's stopping the others from trying to occupy its place?

Don't we Pinoys like to be like the US? Then, perhaps inside all of those abstruse terms in our preamble, there lies the core and meaning of aspiring to be the best democracy in the world. The US has been able to do this with less words.

If our purpose as a nation is not to be the top dog...then what is? Could a statement of purpose saying that "The Philippines' purpose is to become the best democracy in the world" be as broad and infinite in scope as saying "The Purpose of our lives is God"? Then maybe someone should write a book about it.

Or write a different kind of book, something that spells our real purpose as a Pinoy nation for what it must really be. Otherwise, we could be just fooling ourselves into thinking that a Pinoy nation exists, after all.

ano ba ang dapat ginagawa mo sa abroad?

( An old blog which I think may still be relevant... )

kaibigan, magandang balita. natanggap ka daw sa abroad.

wow, ito na siguro ang pinakamasayang nangyari sa buong buhay mo, dahil natupad na ang pangarap mo! sa wakas ay makakaalis ka na sa pilipinas! at mamumuhay nang matiwasay sa lupaing malamig, sa lupaing mas madaling makahanap ng pagkakakitaan, sa lupaing walang korapsyon, sa lupaing parang isang pitik lang ng mga daliri ay may kotse at bahay ka na.

lagi nga namang binabanggit ng mga pilipino na gusto nilang pumunta sa ibang bansa at doon na mamuhay. pinakamaganda talaga dapat sa U.S.! o di kaya, maswerte na sa canada. or sa england! pwede din sa australia!

parang iniisip tuloy natin na mga Pilipino lang yata ang mga taong gustong makaalis sa sarili nilang bansa upang mabuhay sa ibang lugar. kasi lagi nating sinasabi sa atin-atin na, bakit ang mga amerikano, gusto ba nilang umalis ng U.S.? o di kaya ang ibang mga lahi, mahilig ba silang maging overseas worker?

meron kayang isang lahi na gustong mag migrate sa pilipinas? as in, mag migrate sila nang maramihan, tulad ng ginagawa ng mga pilipino sa U.S.?

siguro, iisipin mo, puta, wala siguro. kung amerikano ka ba, dadalhin mo ang buong pamilya mo sa pilipinas? naku, kahit siguro bayaran ka pa hindi mo gagawin yun, di ba? ano ka, isang taong katumbas ng isang libo’t isang gago?

pero, magugulat ka, may lahi na mahilig mag migrate sa pilipinas. maaaring hindi ngayong kasalukuyang panahon mo napapansin, pero nung panahon ng espanyol merong lahi ng mga dayuhan na nag desisyong mag migrate sa pilipinas. at katakut takot sila nung nagsi datingan dito. gulat ka, ano? oo, meron, kaibigan. sasabihin ko na? mga intsik.

hindi siguro ninyo naaalala yung mga tinuro sa inyong philippine history nung elementary at high school kayo, ano? di ba, nung panahon ni magellan, pag dating pa nga lang niya dito, marami nang intsik sa pilipinas? at di ba, pagkatapos ng mga 300 years, pagdating ng mga amerikano, marami pa ring intsik? so, maipagmamayabang din natin na, uy, hindi lang tayo ang lahi na karamihan gustong mag migrate sa ibang bansa. mga intsik din. at mas matindi pa doon, sa pilipinas sila nag migrate. parang mga Overseas Workers din sila noon. kung mag re review ka lang ng mga babasahin sa philippine history nung elementary ka pa, mababasa mo doon na mga intsik ang kadalasang migrante dito sa pilipinas.

o, tumaas ang kilay mo? aba, oo siyempre! kasi hindi mo ba napansin, sa pilipinas ngayon, puro intsik ang mga mayayaman? di ba parang naiisip mo na rin ang sasabihin ko? bakit ang mga intsik, na umalis sa bansang sinilangan nila at namuhay sa pilipinas, mayayaman na ngayon at kung tutuusin, kontrolado na ang ekonomiya ng pilipinas? sige, kaibigan, magkamot ka ng ulo. teka, di ba, ilang dekada na rin tayong mga pilipino laging nagpupunta at nag ma migrate sa amerika? eh, kung gayahin lang natin siguro ang ginawa ng mga intsik sa pilipinas nung nagsidayo sila dito, baka tayo na ang may hawak ng ekonomiya ng U.S.! e sa milyun milyong pilipino na doon, e!

bakit nga ba hindi ganoon ang nangyari? e, di ba, simula pa ng world war II, naipon at naipon na lang ang mga pamilyang pilipino sa U.S.? di ba sabi nga doon, nagkakaroon na ng mga komunidad ng pilipino na sa dami e parang nasa pilipinas ka na din pag pinasok mo sila?

at papaano pa ang dami ng pilipino sa australia? sa canada? sa…ewan, siguro kahit saan sa mundo may pilipino, e.

e sa isang katerbang mga bansa na iyon, wala bang ni isa na ang lahi natin ay namayagpag tulad ng kalagayan ng mga intsik dito sa pilipinas? ibig sabihin, mga pilipino ang mga mayayaman?

bakit nga ba kasi nagsilipana ang mga intsik sa pilipinas? o sige, review ulit tayo ng history. noong panahon kasi ni magellan, mga 1521, mahirap rin kasi ang buhay sa China. oo, meron na silang gobyerno noon ( di tulad sa pilipinas, na noong panahon na iyon e hindi pa tayo naging bansa ), pero mukhang mapang api ang mga namumuno doon e. kasi nga marami sa kanilang gutom, mga squatter siguro, mga walang trabaho, mga walang pagkakakitaan. e, sa dami ba naman ng intsik e…( no offense sa mga intsik, ah, pero totoo namang marami na ang intsik noon pa man )

yung mga naghihirap sa China noon, siyempre, alangan namang umiyak na lang sila at humilata sa isang tabi habang umiiyak sa gutom ang mga anak? siyempre, maghahanap rin ng paraan iyan para maibsan ang kahirapan nila. so, naghanap din sila ng mapaglilipatan ng lugar. maniwala ka man o sa hindi, isa sa mga lugar na inisip nilang puntahan e ang pilipinas.

teka, brother, huwag ka magulat. ikaw, naghihirap ka rin dito sa pinas ngayon. di ba, kahit kazakhstan papatulan mong puntahan para lang makahanap ng trabaho? kahit pa iraq? para lang mabigyan mo ng matinong buhay ang mga anak mo. so, dapat maintindihan mo ang kalagayan ng mga intsik noong panahon naman nila ng kahirapan. baka may magandang job offer noon sa pilipinas. o di kaya talagang gusto lang talaga nilang pumunta sa ibang lugar. e, paano ba iyan, pilipinas ang pinakamalapit? tapos may tsismis pa na maraming trabaho sa pilipinas, kahit kargador lang. tapos ang nagpapa sweldo sa iyo, espanyol pa. pera din yun a! hindi ka makakahanap ng ganung trabaho kung manatili ka lang sa China! so, punta naman sila dito. marami silang nagpunta dito! nag tiyaga sila kahit sa barko lang sila nag biyahe. nag tiyaga sila kahit pa mababa ang tingin sa kanila ng mga pilipino at espanyol. oops, kaibigan, mangyari ay basahin mo ulit ang history books mo. dati, ang mayayabang, mga pilipino. oo! dati, pag nakakita ka ng intsik, ng singkit, iniisip mo: hayup ito a, mukhang katulong.

nung panahon ni magellan iyon.

ngayon, makakita ka ng intsik, malamang nakasakay ng kotse iyon. ikaw, wala. ha ha ha! tapos, baka ikaw pa ang inuutusan ng intsik. pero, biruin mo, dati, parang mga OFW ang mga iyan…hindi sa U.S., ha, or sa Japan. Sa pilipinas!

ang nakakagulat isipin, hindi lang sa Pilipinas ginawa ng mga intsik iyan. ngayon, maraming mayayamang intsik sa australia, sa canada, sa U.S…..ay naku, grabe. kung tutuusin, ang mga intsik ang pinakaunang mga pinakasabik mag Overseas Worker. talo nila tayong mga pinoy.

kala mo tuloy nauna tayo, ano? hindeee! mas nauna ang mga intsik sa atin!

pero, bakit, pagkatapos siguro ng 30 years na ilang milyong pilipino ang kumalat na sa buong mundo, bakit karamihan mahihirap pa rin? oo, nasa canada ka na nga, sige, may kotse at bahay ka. pero, hindi ka naman may-ari ng restawran. or, hindi ka naman may-ari ng sarili mong kumpanya. siguro, hanggang ngayon, wala ka naman talagang ipagmamayabang pag kinumpara ang buhay mo doon sa kapitbahay mong intsik sa australia. haaay….

teka, alis muna tayo sa mga intsik. punta naman tayo sa iba pang mga lahi na nag isip na mag Overseas Worker din noong naghihirap ang mga bansa nila. tingnan natin ang Ireland. hanapin mo sa mapa iyon, kaibigan. may panahon sa history na naghihirap ang Ireland noon. siguro mga 1600, sabihin na natin. parang pilipinas din sila noon, maraming pamilya ang walang makain. so, inisip din ng mga Irish na mangibang bansa. maging Overseas Worker, kumbaga. saan sila nagpunta? sa U. S. oo! sa Amerika sila nagsipuntahan. ngayon, ang mga Irish ang isa sa mga lahing kontrolado ang Amerika. mga mayayaman na ang mga Irish doon! hindi man lahat, pero maraming kumpanya sa U.S. na lahing Irish ang may ari. kumbaga, ginawa nila yung ginawa ng mga intsik sa pilipinas.

bakit nila nagagawa yon?

okey, sige, tingnan natin ang sitwasyon ng mga Pilipino sa U.S. ngayon. ilang milyon na sigurong pilipino ang nakatira sa U.S.! nangyari ito nung mga panahon siguro ni Marcos, siguro mga 1960’s or pataas. nagsimulang dumagsa ang mga Pilipino sa U.S.

paki halintulad mo naman sana iyon sa nangyari sa Pilipinas noong panahon ni Magellan, na marami ring Intsik ang nagsidumog sa Pilipinas.

sige, isipin mo na lang kaibigan. Cojuangco. Lucio Tan. Henry Sy. lahat ng mga iyan, mga migrante yan galing China sa Pilipinas. mga Gokongwei. mga Ti Ong Son ( ngayon Tiongson na sila ).

ayaw mo man aminin, pero kontrolado nila ang ekonomiya ng pilipinas ngayon.

okey, mga pilipino sa U. S.

sino ba sa kanila ang may business na katulad ng SM doon? teka…wala yata e.

baka may ginagawa tayong mali.

so…alam mo na, bilang Pilipino, kung ano ang dapat mong ginagawa sa abroad?

kaibigan, isipin mo, ha.