The March 2012 Priority Dates

Dear Rod,

I’ve been browsing all day on our beautiful country on the internet, finally, I found your long article on being assigned abroad, to nearby Singapore. I left our country twenty-seven years ago. Not in my wildest dream did I t hink I would be living in Spain. Along with my British husband, we decided to live in Southern Spain because of its weather. Besides, Marbella was fast becoming a British colony, thanks to those who have come and bought second or permanent homes here. As you know, Spain was rather poor: we only had one supermarket, a few “sari-sari” stores located on the ground floor of apartment blocks, as well as very few cars. In fact, I was one of three in 1987 to own a microwave. Of course today, things are totally different in Spain. This country is so rich, so settled, so healthy. to cut the story short, when Spain was a Third World country up to the late seventies, it didn’t even have the road infrastructure/network it has now. A couple of years ago,, it overtook Italy in terms of the economies of scale, what an achievement for a country which was ruled by Fascist Franco until his death in the seventies.

Still, this country has moved forward and now it ranks as one of the wealthiest on earth, thanks to EU membership, they invested heavily on the road network, which this country really lacked. One needed guts and skill–lots of skill–to overcome those mountainous and dangerous roads.

Of course as a kapwa-Pinay, I do feel lonely and homesick, but with e-mail, mobile phone, webcam, we can still be in touch and communicate with our loved ones, right? But I don’t think this is your point of contention. Ok, so we all would feel better if we see the Philippines rise to the level of Singapore. But, please remember, that when it was developing, the unelected politicians did not have to answer to anyone–i.e., congress, senate, pressure groups. Like China today, they do not have to answer to anyone to be able to develop at breakneck speed. Again, because of that thing called “democracy”–or the lack of it, Have we beein under them, it would have made a lot of difference in today’s development. But, we have the congress, the Catholic Church, the Senate, the barangay captains, who have every right to disapprove, disengage, say no, say yes, say hehehe, say “go to hell” etc, Singapore and China are two outstanding countries because of this lack of democracy. So, which do you prefer? Frankly, if I had my way, Singapore way would be ideal and why not? The European coutries envy this small city-state. They lvoe being tourists there and you know the reason(s) why.

Our country is full of elected politcians who are highly educated, belong to a strong middle class, but somehow they believe in one thing; argue, discuss, and boy how they discuss loads of things over a cup of coffee in posh premises…Hmm one day wasted. As for bickering,m jealousy, intrigue, backbiting, dilly-dallying, they are tops, too. How they love to sit around for hours and talk business or the lack of it. But there again, the Philippines is a country of talkers–a few doers, hence, our inability to meet deadlines, push for new development, infrastructure, etc. But we again are forgetting something. We look around our neighbouring countries’s achievements. How come these countries were able to catch up when they were mired in undervelopment in the past? Singapore was one big shanty town save for that Raffles Hotel built by the Brits. It didn’t have institutions in place, no university to speak of, no fine arts or culture to boast about. All these came about when it developed into a first class environment. Clever unelected politicians, aren’t they?

What do we really want from our beautiful country? Many things and virtually nothing. It is up to us to think positively and promote the best we can as Pinoys abroad. It is our behaviour, our innate talent, our kindness, our caring attitude our sincerity that should help us overcome some of the “madness” that’s happening there. All countries have individual faults, some more than others. Today;s Britain, the young ones are less educated, around 15 million are semi-literate, many could hardly read or write, they are into binge-drinking, sex on streets as young as thirteen, they carry knives and stab each other, they are violent, disrespectful, annoying, and the female iquivalent talk and swear like men. Above all, they don’tgive a damn what others think of them. Shoudl we try to adopt that attitude or look away, compare us to these new breed of people from the West? Indeed, the problems in the west is this: impoverished spirits. Sure, they may have infrastructure, but believe me, Pinoys are still one of the most reserved, well-behaved people on earth. It is a myth to say British people are reserved because they are not. They are the loudest people you can ever find especially when they are in groups, they boast and drink to death, destroy property abroad, i.e., Greece, Spain, Portugal, you name it, they’ve been arrested for drunkenness and disorderliness. I give the Brits as example because I am in close contact with them in coffee shops, restaurants,e tc. They are the biggest travellers in Europe, so you find them everywhere. There are many good things to say about them too but at this moment, the good things escape me because I have seen a total change in the new generation of British people.

We Pinoys feel deprived, but are we really? Try to look at our country in black and white, and you’ll see how developed it is in many ways. What i urgent really is rehousing informal settlers. Look at the media there, how First World indeed, our technology is no different from Europe, in fact, tech-wise, many ideas in the Philippines are far advanced. My cousin was here recently and she complained about the “backwardness” in Italy when she was there. When I was in Prague two years ago, I tried to buy a card, they wouldn’t let me because they had no agreement with Spain’s Vodafone! So I was left reeling not being able to text my loved ones.

Rod, you are lucky to hold such an important job in Singapore, but let’s not be too sentimental about so being far far away. This is our weakness,always feeling sad, or lonely or sentimental—if we break away just for once, from being too sentimental, we can face the world clearly and proudly. We have nothing to be ashamed of as a people, as a culture, as a country. There are too many African countries which are really really poor and troubled, and just look at Bangladesh, Sri Langka, Pakistan, even India, despite its boast that its economy is fantastic, there are still 700 million people living in abject poverty–it will take another thirty years for India to catch up on China—China is a different kettle of fish—As for our country, hey, it is modern, our schools, colleges and universities are good, our shopping malls are world-class, our thoughts are modern, our infrastructure isn;t that bad if you compare it with India, Pakistan, Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Sri Langka, even Vietnam. Vietnam may have caught up, but there again, the unelected politicians or regime do not answer to anyone, so they can do their own thing without impediment.

Perhaps, we should get rid of democracy, put someone like those leaders in Singapore or China, then we’d see the Philippines squeaky swanky, spanky. Because this is the way to fast development.

What we need is for us to change our inner thoughts, our usual idealism, our sentimental ways, our negative attitude towards our politicians. If we just look once again who the people are doing corruption or fgraft, it is actually those UNELECTED officials, and not the elected ones! So, we need to change the bottom before we do blanket condemnation on our elected politicians. Pinoys, in general, have also contributed unwittingly, to its culture of corruption. One example would be when they are impatient to get to their destination on time and the traffic police stop them, The first thing the driver and his passenger(s) do is to offer a fe loose change to quicken the process. Why? Why are they doing this thing/ Why are they encouraging this petty coruption? This is going on daily, but Pinoys do not realise that they are contributing to this anomaly.It is petty corruption that should be stopped by Filipinos.

The Philippines, our beloved country does not need saving. We do, as a people who have lost all confidence in the system. We are part of the system. Without it, mob rule beckons. We have sets of rules, laws, regulations, Republic Acts numbers one to one million. How many of us respect them? How many of Filipinos cross the road using the zebra crossing? How many of us disrespect road signs? How many of us appreciate the beauty of Roxas Boulevard, Rizal Park, the nooks and crannies of our cities, towns, villages? Many don’t. Why? You see them invading the middle of streets to prop up their rundown or makeshift tinda-tinda/ Why on earth do they want to use a public way, a street, a sidewalk when that is public property where it s hould be used ccorrectly, properly? Why should they spit, throw their rubbish everywhere when there are designated containers? Why do they overload tricycles,jeepneys, with their legs body parts dangling on either side? Why are we so lacking in discipline when we can do better than that?

In short, why are we so disrespectful of authority? Why does it have to be “our way” all the time, when there are rules, laws, regulations to follow?

These are the basic things that need settling. Pinoys are innately intelligent, but with a lethal combination of stubbornness and non-chalance.

Our country is great, but we make it weak with our own lack of concern,lack of love, lack of awareness, lack of discipline.

It is us, Pinoys, Pinays, who have helped and destroyed that country. We love that country so much we feel like destroying it. Our attitude has a lot to do with it. If we change, and stop this nonsense of self-pity, then we can rise–in fact- we have risen, but we love falling time and again.

Can’t win with you folks. Still, God bless us all!!!