One might ask, “Bakit ganito ang Pilipinas?”

Corruption. Crime. Poverty, Injustice. Unemployment. Lack of Education. Overpopulation. Pollution.

These are one of the many things that the Filipinos grumble about everyday and the media feasts on the various problems that the country faces. However, in the mix of all the murder, crime and bad governance the Filipino people are branded as the third happiest country in the world ^[1]. Are we really a resilient nation that we think ourselves to be or are we numbed by the reality that our country is festered by the various issues plaguing our society.

The thing is, we are part of the problem. We are fragmented by a myriad of issues such as religion, political affiliation, organization membership, social status, educational attainment, geographical relation and many other more. Such fragmentation of the people may be completely eradicated for one is entitled to his own decision, preference and belief and are free to stick to such values. One might even say that these divisions naturally occurs and gives rises to the equity. It is unfortunate, however, that the greatest factor that divided one from another mainly stems from the Filipino people.

We are divided by our self-interest and the desire to answer to these interests above anyone else’s even above the interest of this country. Philippine politics for example, embodies the importance of the interest of Filipino politicians. Every election we are bombarded by politicians swearing that they are not running not for their own good but for the betterment of the people that they represent. Unless I am living a life of seclusion and ignorance, it is apparent that these promises end up as what we call as “napapako”. Thus, after the election period, the promised farm to market road are constructed (after some time and too much money), unsurprisingly, near the subdivisions, farms, resorts, hotels, or any business interests of our elected public “servants”. Removing the term limit for elected officials, is another example of a self-serving proposition. Lastly are the political parties in the Philippines, that are, contrary to its original purpose, seemingly formed for the sake of elections and are barely held together not by principles but of political affiliation and trends. AS such, whenever the presidency is handed to a new president, the shifting in alliances also follows, thus resulting to political butterflies. Such practice would even lead to a rubberstamp Congress led by the party-run majority. Rare it is to see a politician who stands by his nationalistic principles and stands firm against political pressure, perhaps the species has long gone extinct.

However, politicians are not alone in their self-enriching acts, in fact, this trait may be observed widely. It may be true that, in fact, our greatest enemies are ourselves. Largely from the fact that many of our institutions including education, governance and religion are from the colonizers, we may have lost our sense of identity and nationalism. It may also be that the events that devastated our country coupled with consumerism and commercialism caused people to see accumulation of assets and gains as paramount and equates to the ‘ideal and good’ life. Regardless, we must always ask ourselves if we have served enough for our country so that the country may serve us as well.

Do we…

-vote wisely?

-pay our taxes?

-comply by the laws?

-help our fellow countrymen?

-hear the opinions and concerns of our countrymen?

-fight for our rights?

-keep yourself informed about the issues of this country?

-dedicate our abilities and skills that, in any way, help in the betterment of this nation?

Responding to the first question, I would ask, “Bakit ganito ang Pilipino?”

Why do we keep looking outward and above? Why do we refuse to acknowledge our own lapses?

For so long, Filipinos have been divided for a number of reasons and factors. These factors will not cease and may even be essential to maintain the discourse and exchange of opinions of every stakeholder, that is, the Filipino people. However, it is time that we realize that the solution to our problems is not fragmentation or conflict but a unified goal of developing the nation.

As a parting reminder, our national hero, Jose Rizal posits that a government that is just may not spring from an unjust populace

[1] Placido, D. (2018). PH third happiest country in the world – Gallup survey. ABS-CBN News. Retrieved from https://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/01/02/18/ph-third-happiest-country-in-the-world-gallup-survey.