EDITORIAL | Fools Rush In

Only fools rush in.

And if there is a better example of this adage in real life, it’s the Vietnamese. These past few days, thousands of angry Vietnamese took to the streets of Binh Duong province—Vietnam’s industrial heartland—to protest China’s latest incursion in the South China Sea. [1] The China National Offshore Oil Corporation has recently installed an oil rig in the disputed waters of the Paracel Islands which is also being claimed by Vietnam. [2]

In these protests, the mobs targeted foreign factories and other business establishments reportedly owned by Chinese companies. Armed with torches and Molotov cocktails, these mobs set fire to any establishment which had Chinese characters in their names or logos. But as it turned out, the mobs also victimized unsuspecting Taiwanese, South Korean, Japanese, and even Singaporean businesses. Singapore also reported that their national flag was burned during the protest.

In the disputed waters of Paracel Islands, Vietnamese and Chinese ships continue their dangerous game of cat and mouse in an attempt by the latter to block the former’s attempt to drill and extract oil in the area. These events coincided with the recent arrest of 11 Chinese poachers in the disputed Hasa-Hasa Shoal close to Palawan Island in the Philippines [3] as well as the release of a Philippine Navy intelligence report of a possible military airstrip being built in Johnson South Reef, known in the Philippines as Mabini Reef. [4]

Observant Filipinos were quick to react to these events through social media, praising the Vietnamese for their sense of “nationalism”. Most netizens wondered when such actions will begin in the Philippines. Some wanted the Philippines to confront Chinese bullying by sending more ships and troops. A number of comments are just downright racist which reminded me of Nazi racial propaganda.

I pity these netizens for wanting to score a verbal hit against a country reported to have the largest military in the world. [5] It’s stupid how they could endorse war as a diplomatic tool without thinking of its expense and consequences. I loathe how they could equate nationalism with racism and racial purity. If only they are aware there is a fine line between these concepts.

We have become a society of cannon heads and war mongers. Just like our movie role models such as Fernando Poe Jr., Bong Revilla, and Lito Lapid, we would want to go into a fight against forces greater than us without so much preparation and forethought. Unfortunately, our conflict with China is not some movie wherein the underdog will win after a long and arduous battle. Let reality bite and remind us that we are indeed an underdog militarily and economically and that by picking a fight against this “enemy” would prove costly for our people and our resources.

Our country has been independent for more than a hundred years and has existed for an even longer time. Our ancestors have fought battles against conquistadors and imperialists both foreign and local. And while we are supposed to be a maturing democracy, bearing the marks of peaceful and effective use of diplomacy, our reaction to recent territorial disputes proves otherwise.

Nevertheless, we cannot let our false sense of nationalism bring out the worst in all of us. We should not allow our society to be dictated by our childishness and the foolishness of our neighbors. What we need are moderate voices to gauge and guide us. But most importantly, what we need to become is a moderate society that listens and considers the consequences of its decisions before it acts.

References:

[1] - Nga Pham (14 May 2014). Vietnam anti-China protest: factories burnt. BBC News. Retrieved on 15 May 2014.

[2] - Kaiman, Jonathan (8 May 2014). China accuses Vietnam of ramming its ships in South China Sea. The Guardian. Retrieved on 15 May 2014.

[3] - Laude, Jaime (8 May, 2014). 11 Chinese poachers arrested. The Philippine Star. Retrieved on 15 May 2014.

[4] - Ramos, Marlon, and Quismundo, Tarra (15 May 2014). China building airstrip on reef in PH waters. The Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved on 15 May 2014. 

[5] - Hackett, James (ed.) (3 February 2010). The Military Balance 2010. International Institute for Strategic Studies; London: Routledge. ISBN 1857435575. 

ACTS OF VALOR

Jose P. Laurel (Photo from Wikipedia)

Valor /ˈvalər/ n. Great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle.

Even in the very definition of valor, there is still a lot of machismo going on. I think it’s preposterous to emphasize that valor always has to be “in battle”. To emphasize this would make youngsters justify violence as gallantry; that great courage can only be found in the tips of guns, swords, and fists.

But to simplify valor as great courage in the face of danger would be to belittle its very meaning. Valor is an action word. Courage not shown through action is not courage at all. But what constitutes “acts of valor?”

As we celebrate “Araw ng Kagitingan” (Day of Valor), I am not reminded of the many nameless American and Filipino soldiers who died in the foxholes and pockets of Bataan and Corregidor. Not that I don’t remember them at all—we’ve given them due credit in countless of commemorations and we still do up to now by incessantly fighting for veteran’s rights.

I am more reminded of valiant people lost in the historical weave because of historians’ machismo and biases. One person I remember the most is former President Jose P. Laurel.

Laurel was branded a traitor and collaborator during the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines by no less than General Douglas MacArthur. He orders Laurel’s incarceration in Sugamo Prison and the indictment of treason charges against him. Other pro-American historians would soon follow in this persecution of Laurel and his comrades Jorge Vargas, Benigno Aquino Sr, and Claro M. Recto, among others.

Little do we know that on December 24, 1941, these gallant men were instructed to stay behind by President Manuel L. Quezon himself “for the purpose of meeting an invading enemy force and with a view to protecting the people and interceding in their behalf.” These men were also advised not to take the oath of allegiance to Japan.

Laurel was personally chosen due to his experience in diplomatic affairs with the Japanese. He has an honorary doctorate from the Tokyo Imperial University and one of his sons studied at the Imperial Military Academy in Japan. He was in the best position to lead the Philippines under Japanese control. During his term as puppet president, he managed to evade taking the oath of allegiance to the Japanese on several occasions.

After the fall of Manila to the Japanese on January 3, 1942, the Japanese High Command ordered the “immediate organization of an Administrative Constitution”. On January 23, the Filipino leaders instructed to stay behind (led by then Manila Mayor Jorge B. Vargas) gave a Letter of Response stating their readiness to obey the orders of the Japanese army for the “maintenance of peace and order and the promotion of the well being of our people”. On the same day, the Philippine Executive Commission was formed with Vargas, Aquino, and Laurel among others as members.

When the Americans and Commonwealth government-in-exile in Corregidor heard about the establishment of the Philippine Executive Commission, President Quezon immediately wrote to General MacArthur in Bataan:

“In reference to the men who have accepted positions in the commission established by the Japanese, every one of them wanted to come to Corregidor, but you told me that there was no room for them here. They are not quislings. The quislings are the men who betray their country to the enemy. These men did what they had been asked to do…”

After the establishment of the Philippine Executive Commission, a new Japanese-sponsored constitution and the Second Philippine Republic would be established with Laurel being elected as president. But more than an unwilling collaborator, President Laurel had greater things in mind.

It is worth noting that while President Laurel gained prominence as a lawyer and senator during the American period, he wasn’t pro-American at all. In fact, he once clashed American governor general Leonard Wood over the latter’s reinstatement of an American official charged with malfeasance. He resigned out of disgust and the rest of the Filipino cabinet would resign as well out of sympathy to his cause. A true patriot, he has always envisioned an independent Philippines with a society that serves its State loyally and passionately—a trait which he saw and admired from Japanese society during his doctorate in Japan.

Now, as president, he would take advantage of the occupation to reform Filipino society from what he perceived as degradation from its patriotic nature during the American occupation. Hence, he supported the creation of the KALIBAPI (Kapisanan ng Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas) to serve the interest of the people by fostering the teaching of the National Language and Filipino history as well as promotion of Filipino culture and arts. While organizations like this are merely propaganda for the Japanese, for Laurel and his cabinet, it is a means of reigniting Filipino passion for freedom and love of nation.

Thus, throughout his presidency, Laurel always spoke of service and loyalty—not to the Japanese—but to an independent Philippines. From Proclamation No. 30 in September 22, 1944 which declared the State of War between the Second Philippine Republic and the United States:

“Face to face with the grim realities of war, I earnestly call upon every Filipino at this momentous hour to show their (sic) unswerving loyalty and to give their support for the government, so that regardless of the trials and tribulations that we are undergoing and those we shall have to suffer in the near future, we may closely and firmly unite to safeguard the free and independent Philippines.”

President Laurel also desperately worked around the tight system of governance the Japanese organized in order to protect more civilians and public servants against the atrocities of the Japanese and their pro-Japanese sympathizers (such as the Makapilis, Palaaks, and Pampars, among others). Some of the few people whose lives he saved include Manuel Roxas, Ferdinand E. Marcos, and his very own assassin at Wack-Wack Golf Club, Feliciano “Little Jo” Lizardo. He also kept a deaf ear and a blind eye to the activities of pro-American guerrillas within his own cabinet.

While Laurel’s patriotic intentions were pure and true, he and his associates were the only ones who saw the purity of their intentions. They underestimated the colonial mentality most Filipinos still had during the time as evidenced by the great number of Filipinos who joined or supported guerrilla movement. No matter how much Laurel distanced his agenda from the hated Japanese, to most Filipinos they were the same. He was a victim of circumstance, a victim of war itself, and if not for the general amnesty given by his successor Manuel Roxas, Laurel would have died a prisoner of war, without the chance of vindicating himself from accusations of treason.

His vindication would come a few years later, when he was swiftly brought back to the political limelight as a returning member of the Philippine Senate in 1951. But his vindication in history books still remains moot and academic.

Nevertheless, President Laurel was a man of valor more than the many nameless soldiers who died in the foxholes and pockets of Bataan and Corregidor. He was courageous enough to put himself in a difficult and dangerous position to intercede on behalf of the millions of Filipinos who suffered during the war. He may have had fears, just like the young Elisha when Elijah vested him prophetic authority before being whisked away to heaven. But he had no hint of indecision, only the firm belief that amid the darkness of war, there should be someone courageous enough to open the light so that people may see their path into the future.

Hence, on this Day of Valor, let us remember the sacrifice, not just of the men and women who died defending our freedom during the war, but also of the people who courageously lived and served under difficult circumstances so that others may live.

References:

Zaide, Sonia and Gregorio. The Philippines: A Unique Nation. Manila. 1993

Laurel, Jose P. War Memoirs of Dr. Jose P. Laurel. Manila. 1962

Recto, Claro M. Three Years of Enemy Occupation: The Issue of Political Collaboration in the Philippines. Manila, 1946

Steinberg, David. Jose P. Laurel: A Collaborator Misunderstood. The Journal of Asian Studies. Vol. 24. No. 4. August 1965. pp. 651-665

EVEN THE BEST FALL DOWN

"Even the best fall down sometimes."

If there is a line from song to describe the entire feeling we have today, this would be it.

I didn't need to see the fourth (and perhaps, last) installment of the Manny Pacquaio - Juan Manuel Marquez fight to feel and understand the disappointment we have today. I'm sorry but I didn't care at all about the bout; I wasn't even planning on watching it and was asleep throughout the entire noon today. When I woke up at around past 3 p.m. only then did I found out and felt no surprise at all.

We were all hoping for some form of redemption from the humiliating defeat Pacquiao suffered against Timothy Bradley back in June. But we weren't the only ones hoping for such redemption. Across the other side of the Pacific, millions of Mexicans were also hoping Marquez can make a successful comeback and finally put a nail on the Mexicutioner's coffin. It was hope against hope and only the man with the better training, focus, and determination can tip the scales in their favor. Clearly, Marquez was that man, knowing he had so much to lose and determined not to be humiliated once more in his boxing career.

Pacquaio has always been a source of pride for us Filipinos, just like the many other Filipino celebrities who made it big in the international scene. For a country always on the recovery from some sort of disaster, whether calamity, poverty, or corruption, it does help our ego a lot to be known throughout the rest of the world. For more than a decade, Pacquaio had been so much of a morale booster that our entire generation's life revolved around him. His face and antics became part of our media: in movies, TV shows, and advertisements. His life story had been published in textbooks, taught in schools, and emulated by young boxers in the provinces. He wasn't just a hero to us; he is the personification of the hero we wanted to see in ourselves. Someone who punched his way to a better life and knocked out the walls of poverty.

Our lives turned around the axis that was Manny Pacquaio for so long that we didn't realize there is so much more to be proud of in our heritage, such as other notable Filipino boxers Nonito Donaire and Brian Viloria. We didn't realize that pride doesn't just stem from individuals doing great feats, but also in a society doing greater acts as manifested in our economy's gains this past quarter or our improved corruption rating. We were blinded by the ills we see so much in our society, we forgot about the good we can do (and were able to do) as a nation.

It's high time for Manny to do himself a favor and retire. He has, after all served his nation well as an athlete and as a symbol. But moreover, this nation should allow him to retire and accept the fact that his time in boxing is already up. More than lessons, this event should bring forth a change in consciousness among us. We should start believing that we, the people, not Manny or any other celebrity, are the source of pride and honor of this great country. We must believe, not in individuals who can be knocked out, but in a group of people who can knock down walls even greater than themselves. TSS

OWNING PANATAG SHOAL

We, the Filipino people, own Panatag Shoal. Or at least, some of us believe.

The rest of this nation of almost 100 million is still divided on this issue. While some of us have joined mass protests today in various Chinese embassies and consulates worldwide, most of us are still weighing the consequences of such actions towards our relationship with our commie neighbour. And as such reservations continue to divide this nation rather than create a sold stand on the issue, the Chinese are continuing its united, armed incursion in Panatag Shoal.

United is the key word here. What makes China ever more confident about taking claim over Panatag Shoal is not just the fact that they have the largest military in the world, but also the fact that majority of Chinese society are behind the Communist Party and the Armed Forces in this endeavour. You can see it in the way they respond in Internet forums or in interviews on Chinese media: how ordinary Chinese netizens, with their substandard English, would bash and threaten Filipinos in forums; or how Chinese hackers have the audacity to attack and maim our websites. Even as their claims lack substantial proof, Chinese society has shown that unique fervour that Panatag Shoal and the rest of the disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea are theirs. They are aware of their strength and capability as a people. Hence, with the people’s mandate, the Chinese government has the guts to draw out the big gun and threaten us in our own waters, and dictate the course of this crisis.

FOR THOSE WHO NEVER LEFT

We live in an old house. From far-flung places in Asia, our forefathers came to build this house with their blood, sweat and tears. For centuries, they’ve lived prosperously in this house. They’ve planted trees around it, the fruits of which we now consume. They painted it with regal color, made sure that it looked good to those who passed by. They even put a fence around it to protect it from those who tried to take over the house. There was a time when another family took over the house and our forefathers were turned into mere tenants. But with their blood, sweat and tears, they rose up against these “invaders” and push them out of their household.

I have plenty of brothers and sisters, some have come and gone and there will be more to come. I have brothers and sisters who witnessed our forefathers’ struggle and fought with them. But there are brothers and sisters who were born after the struggle, who did not experience the hardship and the pain they’ve been through. And as our house aged through time, so they were. Some of them felt that this house is too small and too old for them. They started feeling insecure. They felt that the fences that our forefathers built can no longer protect them. Others felt there wasn’t enough fruit from the trees. They started looking out the window, dreaming they lived in a bigger, much nicer house.

Soon they grew up. These brothers and sister have left the house in search of greener pastures. One of them writes to me. He says he’s now a professor at a prestigious university, in a place called the United States,  that he’s now living a good life, with beautiful wife and charming children. I remember how our forefather toiled to send him to school. He was the first summa cum laude in Electrical Engineering in this house. Another, a sister, is now a famous fashion designer, also in the United States. She designs clothes for famous celebrities in a place called Hollywood. She now has a good husband and child.

Most of the brothers and sisters who stayed in the house were proud of those who left. I am not sure what to feel though. How can I feel proud when they can’t even visit the house, let alone care for its crumbling structure or send some of my brothers and sisters to school?

I don’t want to see this house go. I can’t imagine myself living in another house, with different neighbors, different “brothers and sisters”. My forefathers dreamt of this house to be one of the most beautiful and most prosperous homes in this part of the world. It would be sad to let that dream go. I want that dream to come true, not just for them but for my own children, and their children as well.

And so, even though I live in an old house,  I try as much to make it last, to make it strong, prosperous and beautiful. I take time to water the trees, sweep its “dirty” yard, fortify its fences. I’d repaint the crumbling colors, I’d fix the broken ceilings and floors, I’d wash every nook and cranny of dirt and mold. I will protect this house from the elements, even if it means shedding my own blood, sweat and tears. If no one’s going to do it, who else will? That is why I am here in the first place.

The work will be hard. Even the brothers and sisters who are with me now aren’t always cooperating. Some don’t even want to wash the plates, do the laundry, or sweep the floor. But that won’t weaken my resolve. I have to do what I have to do, even if I had to discipline them with my words, let them be ashamed of what they are doing to our forefather's house. Perhaps that will make them realize that they have a role to play too.

I live in an old house. But for the length of time I’ve been here, for the amount of effort I exerted to maintain this house and for the love I have for my brothers and sisters, this is more than just an old house. This is my home, and I guess you know what it is right now. My home is the Republic of the Philippines.

For those who never left...mabuhay kayo! THE SOCIAL SCIENTIST

The Language of the Redesigned Philippine Currency

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has released the new design of Philippine currency which will be in circulation this December 2010. While it receive a lot of acclaim for its colorful and fresh designs, it also garnered some bit of criticism. These include errors in the geographical location of some of the tourist spots presented and inaccuracies in the portrayal of some of the animals and places featured within.

One of the criticisms I read in the many discussions about it in Facebook came from my best friend who just happens to be a big fan of Filipino discourse and literature. He questioned the inconsistent use of Filipino in the bills. If you will look at the designs of the bills below, you can clearly see the code switching -- Filipino in naming the denomination but English in identifying the various people, places, events and animals presented.