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The other title of this entry should really be "Mga Api sa Mundo." GOVT. WARNING: This blog may be depressing for your health.
I'm talking now about the Filipino, for the last few centuries. During the last few centuries, if you will recall, we have been under foreign dominance and subjugation. First came Magellan and the Spanish Friars. Then, the uninvited, unexpected if treacherous Admiral Dewey and the Treaty of Paris. Then came the Japanese,their kamikazis, kempetais and Yamashita. Followed by the Americans' air raids, Gen. MacArthur, and "carpet bombings" - a prelude to the Republicans' idea of "pre-emptive strikes" and "the surge." Nevermind the Chinese, they have always been with us even before Limahong got stranded in Lingayen Gulf. They have blended well and have not yet shown any imperialistic streak. Except for that brief Boxer rebellion, they have generally behaved themselves as they quietly took over control of the economy and all businesses of any significance in the country.
But watch out, the Koreans are coming! No, wait, they're here already, and they have chosen the best locations, in Baguio, Tagaytay, Angeles, and lately, Subic. Almost overnight, the Sony TV has been replaced by Samsung and LG; so have our refrigerators, microwave ovens, mobile phones, etc. Many of our cars now are Kia, Hyundai, Daewoo (?). Then of course there's the Indians whom we affectionately refer to in trepidation as "BOOMBAAY." While we used to cry out "Nandiyanang Japon, DAPA!" Now, the watchword is "Nandiyanang Boombay, TAGOO!" They have effectively taken control of our underground economy and microfinance. Nevermind our Muslim brothers, they are supposed to be our fellow Filipinos, we need them for our dvds and whatnots. I doubt though that they will side with us American-loving islanders if and when the Arabs get into a full-scale war against the US & Israel. Quien sabe?
So, what is the poor Pinoy to do except to leave this country he can hardly recognize as his own. Since most companies of consequence are now mostly foreign-owned, he reasons, he might as well go abroad where at least he can expect to be paid in the proper currency. And so it has happened. In my lifetime I have seen what can only be described as the 20th century version of the pogrom, a more sophisticated if less painful diaspora. The Filipino is now so scattered all over the globe he can be seen on the Googlemap. There is now such a thing as a Filipino community in any major city of the world. So why should we be surprised to find noticeably Korean communities sprouting all over. Btw, I suggest that this early we should stop calling our sports, recreation and open spaces as "PARKs" lest the Koreans think these are also owned by their rich relatives. After all, as she has admitted herself, Se Ri Pak's name is really "PARK."
As a result, we have become an oppressed people all over the world. We are the servants of the world. All the menial, dirty, lowly and low-paying jobs in the world are reserved for Filipinos. We have become and been stereotyped and typecast as chambermaids, busboys, waiters, cooks, nannies, babysitters, domestic helpers, maids, caregivers, etc. The result is that whenever you see a long snaking line of young people in front of some government office, it will usually be to apply for a police, NBI, health or other so-called "clearance" Incidentally, why do we allow and inconvenience these our so-called modern-day heroes to bake in the sun while the government employees who are supposed to serve them sit around in their air-conditioned cubicles? In the first place, why do we have to require these people to undergo this onerous and oppressive process? There oughta be a law outlawing all forms of "clearances." Everyone enjoys the basic constitutional presumption of innocence. Everyone has legal presumptions in his favor enshrined in the Civil Code. Since we are an already much-abused and oppressed people, how can we allow our own people to be oppressed and abused this way in our own country? Everyone wishing to go abroad to work is a martyr for the motherland and should be accorded VIP treatment before being sent to the salt mines.
We are also the garbage dump of the world. Old cars and car parts, old and obsolete TV sets, computers, banned chemicals and fertilizers, expired or condemned medicines, beef and other food products, aerosol sprays, etc. find their way into our markets and are eagerly scooped up by our bargain-hungry people. Because of what or who we are or have become, we are not only a third world country, we are classified as a "highly impoverished country." When we leave for so-called greener pastures many of us will wind up with the poor, the marginalized, the discriminated, the oppressed sector in any foreign country. Our women get raped, maltreated, abused and sometimes don't even get paid their promised salaries.
But not to fret. It's an ill wind indeed that brings all evil. There must be an upside to this picture, and there is. It's part of the theology of poverty. Because our people are poor, we have no one else to run to or to depend on. And so it is that we have a great tendency to run to God, our greatest ally. We are virtually on our hands and knees in prayer, all the time. Go to any church in Europe, the USA, Hongkong and you're likely to bump into our kababayans. Many parishes abroad now depend on our Filipino priests to continue the ministry, to keep the faith, in a manner of speaking. We have become the new Chosen People. Everyday that we live and survive we thank God for the miracle of living. Thank God, we're still alive! I wonder if the Jews still feel this way. Their relatives were abused by the Pharoahs. Now they own Manhattan.
The rich, the powerful and the successful have no need of a God. They have everything. If and when they will ever need anything, they have servants who will come, running. Most important of all, they have the money. And so what happens. What happens is called "Gawa Limot." Some people think they have no need of God. They seem to forget that there are some things that money cannot buy or solve. Whom the gods wish to destroy, they make rich. Or proud. In the solemn words of Aleksandr Solhenitzyn, referring to Russia and materialistic communism and why these great institutions are bound to fail, "MEN HAVE FORGOTTEN GOD." The rest as they would say is history.
In the meantime, all over the world, our Filipino maids, babysitters and nannies are quietly singing their lullabies to their wards and babies, singing "NOOOEEL, NOOOEEL" around about Christmas time like angels of old and telling them about this "BEEBEE JEESOOS" born in Beetleeheem and who will one day deliver them from all the evil and misery of this world. One day soon, we will be visited by these new "baby boomers" from foreign lands, with their tourist dollars in hand and looking for their old Filipino YAYAs to thank them for a newfound faith. Who was the poet who said "the hand that rocks the cradle ... " Thanks, William Ross Wallace, but no thanks, we hope to God you are wrong. We rue the day when we shall be ruling the world ... and forgetting about our God, the God of Moses, Abraham, Isaac ... and Inday.
I'm talking now about the Filipino, for the last few centuries. During the last few centuries, if you will recall, we have been under foreign dominance and subjugation. First came Magellan and the Spanish Friars. Then, the uninvited, unexpected if treacherous Admiral Dewey and the Treaty of Paris. Then came the Japanese,their kamikazis, kempetais and Yamashita. Followed by the Americans' air raids, Gen. MacArthur, and "carpet bombings" - a prelude to the Republicans' idea of "pre-emptive strikes" and "the surge." Nevermind the Chinese, they have always been with us even before Limahong got stranded in Lingayen Gulf. They have blended well and have not yet shown any imperialistic streak. Except for that brief Boxer rebellion, they have generally behaved themselves as they quietly took over control of the economy and all businesses of any significance in the country.
But watch out, the Koreans are coming! No, wait, they're here already, and they have chosen the best locations, in Baguio, Tagaytay, Angeles, and lately, Subic. Almost overnight, the Sony TV has been replaced by Samsung and LG; so have our refrigerators, microwave ovens, mobile phones, etc. Many of our cars now are Kia, Hyundai, Daewoo (?). Then of course there's the Indians whom we affectionately refer to in trepidation as "BOOMBAAY." While we used to cry out "Nandiyanang Japon, DAPA!" Now, the watchword is "Nandiyanang Boombay, TAGOO!" They have effectively taken control of our underground economy and microfinance. Nevermind our Muslim brothers, they are supposed to be our fellow Filipinos, we need them for our dvds and whatnots. I doubt though that they will side with us American-loving islanders if and when the Arabs get into a full-scale war against the US & Israel. Quien sabe?
So, what is the poor Pinoy to do except to leave this country he can hardly recognize as his own. Since most companies of consequence are now mostly foreign-owned, he reasons, he might as well go abroad where at least he can expect to be paid in the proper currency. And so it has happened. In my lifetime I have seen what can only be described as the 20th century version of the pogrom, a more sophisticated if less painful diaspora. The Filipino is now so scattered all over the globe he can be seen on the Googlemap. There is now such a thing as a Filipino community in any major city of the world. So why should we be surprised to find noticeably Korean communities sprouting all over. Btw, I suggest that this early we should stop calling our sports, recreation and open spaces as "PARKs" lest the Koreans think these are also owned by their rich relatives. After all, as she has admitted herself, Se Ri Pak's name is really "PARK."
As a result, we have become an oppressed people all over the world. We are the servants of the world. All the menial, dirty, lowly and low-paying jobs in the world are reserved for Filipinos. We have become and been stereotyped and typecast as chambermaids, busboys, waiters, cooks, nannies, babysitters, domestic helpers, maids, caregivers, etc. The result is that whenever you see a long snaking line of young people in front of some government office, it will usually be to apply for a police, NBI, health or other so-called "clearance" Incidentally, why do we allow and inconvenience these our so-called modern-day heroes to bake in the sun while the government employees who are supposed to serve them sit around in their air-conditioned cubicles? In the first place, why do we have to require these people to undergo this onerous and oppressive process? There oughta be a law outlawing all forms of "clearances." Everyone enjoys the basic constitutional presumption of innocence. Everyone has legal presumptions in his favor enshrined in the Civil Code. Since we are an already much-abused and oppressed people, how can we allow our own people to be oppressed and abused this way in our own country? Everyone wishing to go abroad to work is a martyr for the motherland and should be accorded VIP treatment before being sent to the salt mines.
We are also the garbage dump of the world. Old cars and car parts, old and obsolete TV sets, computers, banned chemicals and fertilizers, expired or condemned medicines, beef and other food products, aerosol sprays, etc. find their way into our markets and are eagerly scooped up by our bargain-hungry people. Because of what or who we are or have become, we are not only a third world country, we are classified as a "highly impoverished country." When we leave for so-called greener pastures many of us will wind up with the poor, the marginalized, the discriminated, the oppressed sector in any foreign country. Our women get raped, maltreated, abused and sometimes don't even get paid their promised salaries.
But not to fret. It's an ill wind indeed that brings all evil. There must be an upside to this picture, and there is. It's part of the theology of poverty. Because our people are poor, we have no one else to run to or to depend on. And so it is that we have a great tendency to run to God, our greatest ally. We are virtually on our hands and knees in prayer, all the time. Go to any church in Europe, the USA, Hongkong and you're likely to bump into our kababayans. Many parishes abroad now depend on our Filipino priests to continue the ministry, to keep the faith, in a manner of speaking. We have become the new Chosen People. Everyday that we live and survive we thank God for the miracle of living. Thank God, we're still alive! I wonder if the Jews still feel this way. Their relatives were abused by the Pharoahs. Now they own Manhattan.
The rich, the powerful and the successful have no need of a God. They have everything. If and when they will ever need anything, they have servants who will come, running. Most important of all, they have the money. And so what happens. What happens is called "Gawa Limot." Some people think they have no need of God. They seem to forget that there are some things that money cannot buy or solve. Whom the gods wish to destroy, they make rich. Or proud. In the solemn words of Aleksandr Solhenitzyn, referring to Russia and materialistic communism and why these great institutions are bound to fail, "MEN HAVE FORGOTTEN GOD." The rest as they would say is history.
In the meantime, all over the world, our Filipino maids, babysitters and nannies are quietly singing their lullabies to their wards and babies, singing "NOOOEEL, NOOOEEL" around about Christmas time like angels of old and telling them about this "BEEBEE JEESOOS" born in Beetleeheem and who will one day deliver them from all the evil and misery of this world. One day soon, we will be visited by these new "baby boomers" from foreign lands, with their tourist dollars in hand and looking for their old Filipino YAYAs to thank them for a newfound faith. Who was the poet who said "the hand that rocks the cradle ... " Thanks, William Ross Wallace, but no thanks, we hope to God you are wrong. We rue the day when we shall be ruling the world ... and forgetting about our God, the God of Moses, Abraham, Isaac ... and Inday.
EXACTLY, Kuya, that's what I was trying to drive at. I dread the day the Pinoy will be ruling the world. Look what a mess we're having just trying to rule this country. What's infinitely worse, with worldly success comes the inevitable collapse, the fall, like in Eden or the Great Roman Empire. With material success, men invariably tend to forget God.
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