In the last 25 years, I have been very optimistic of the Philippines plight to move to the first world status. Lately, my evaluation of the country and its people have made me conclude that for as long as we live, this country would remain third world.
The main reason is the attitude of the people. Majority of the Filipinos does not like their friends or neighbors to move up ahead of them. They tend to claw them down. Consider Tony Meloto the founder of Gawad Kalinga who in his own right is giving away houses to the homeless Filipinos. Then all of a sudden some of the people who have joined them especially from the Couples for Christ were against his own mission. Why? Jealousy?
I spearheaded a project to provide modern laboratory facility to our alma mater. What happened? Some opposed them and did not like the idea. They wanted our fund to go directly to the association. Some few withdrew their support after they have been influenced by one of the members of the association. The facility was completed and inaugurated for the benefits of the students, but I was discouraged to do another project due to the attitude of some of our people.
I have thought of ideas to make the celebration of our class'57 an event to remember for a life time. They trashed the idea. Reunions are celebrated to see old time friends or former classmates whom we have not seen since 1957. I have thought of recreating the year 1957 by providing Kiosks with 1957 prices. Tokens would be the currencies circulating in 1957. I have thought of hiring 5 calesas to adorn the occasion( I was also thinking of promoting to bring back the calesa idea as a main transportation medium to a city that is polluted with carcinogens emitted from the tricycles). I thought of hiring professional entertainers such as the Madrigal singers, or the Bayanihan dance troupe to grace the occasion instead of watching a group of 65 year old classmates dancing the tinikling with little or no preparation. I have made the governor of the province commit to shoulder the expenses of the balik-tipon celebration at the Palayan convention center with a world class facility.
What happened?
The balik-tipon was held at the hot and humid gym of the NEHS where people find it uncomfortable to socialize, and have lunch. They say that the celebration was a great success but only to their eyes. People who have lived in North America or European countries for 3 decades or more see things differently. We are very organized,creative, and open minded expatriates, traits that we have adopted living in the first world country. Filipinos are smart people but their smarts are only use in the classrooms. We have to share our talent in order to make a difference but they dont. We are selfish in sharing our own ideas to other people thinking that the ideas we are sharing are inventions and could make them wealthy even without doing anything.
People in Canada or U.S. share their inventions, discoveries, recipes, chemical formulas, or music, cures for sickness, tricks to speed up work, engineering or medical technologies. People here believe that when we share, we get 10 times more of what we share.
There are no solutions to the endemic problems of the Philippines. Our culture and traits will forever be with us and this culture and traits are the ones that inhibit the progress of our country. Our crab mentality is ubiquitous and it keeps multiplying to put us all down.
God save our country!!!!
