The booming voice of the silent majority
June 20, 2005 | 12:00am
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire." A conflagration threatens to overwhelm our nation. Whatever the outcome of this latest round of accusations against the embattled President, it could only make matters worse for us, law-abiding citizens. We need the tempest that surrounds the Presidency now like we need a hole in the head.
For the Filipinos who live outside the National Capital Region, the events unfolding on EDSA and Malacañang may seem like a TV reality show that makes for good viewing, as gripping as previous episodes of pretty much the same thing – the Erap and Jose Velarde investigations, the Arroyo and Jose Pidal expose, etc. A world of intrigues, espionage, covert operations and big-time wheelin’ and dealin’ sounds like a James Bond or a Jackie Chan movie. But in this case, it’s all too real.
Filipinos have been through quite a lot these last 30 years. Five Presidents, two people power uprisings, a handful of coup attempts, dot com and real estate crash, power blackout crisis, war and terrorism in the south – these can only begin to sum up the vicissitudes of Filipino life.
We manage, through creativity and improvisation, to make do (and sometimes prosper) with what fate may have dished out to us. Give us freedom of expression, we’ll turn it into a case of sedition. Give us entrenched corruption, we’ll turn it into a way of life. Give us calamities, plague and pestilence, we’ll turn it into TV soap, or you bet, even a comedy show.
Like the proverbial bamboo, we are a resilient lot, able to bend with the gale force winds of politics, bend over backwards to accommodate social expectations and spring back to a proud and stately tree (or plant) after weathering it all, none the worse for wear.
Throughout all these, we’ve managed to make heroes of those who opted to make a living in greener pastures abroad, demoted doctors so that they would aspire to become nurses, glorified the plight of those who were caught in the crossfire of a war not our own but foolishly got involved in, sent Filipino workers scurrying out of the woodworks in Malaysia and Indonesia after tacitly allowing them to get there in the first place.
Understandably, we laud our friends and compatriots who have chosen to seek a salve to a hard life by working abroad. We call them our unsung heroes because, while they individually bring the figuratively well-leavened (and imported) bread to their family’s dinner tables, they, collectively, also bring a much-needed (and significant) supplement to the national coffers.
The procession of Filipinos going abroad for employment is a cross-section of our national community: Teachers who will be working as housemaids in Singapore, doctors who will fill positions as hospital aides and orderlies in Canada, senior engineers who will be field technicians in Saudi, pretty barmaids who will try to pass off their three-week training in dancing as professional entertainers in Japan, unskilled laborers who get a posting for that dangerous truck run to Iraq and elitist colegialas who will work as chambermaids and valets in hotels in Italy and Switzerland.
These are the people who pretty much hocked all their earthly possessions, and, indeed their very souls, just to put together enough money to pay for the requisite pre-departure training and the necessary papers to earn that precious job placement abroad, together with a round-trip ticket to that land of dreams, dollar wages and disappointment.
There are the silent majority, however, who have opted not to seek relief nor a solution abroad. They are the sober and determined who have chosen to stay put, muster great effort to make a go at making a living. In the process, consciously or not, they do their share in nation-building, while sharing in the aches, pains and tribulations that a dutiful citizen is wont to experience in his homeland.
These are the faceless plurality of a people who populate our country, plod on day in and out, intent at making the best out of the situation, performing their jobs, duties and responsibilities the best way they can, and providing for their family’s needs in the best manner possible with whatever amount of money they earn. Many of them would have had opportunities to work or live abroad, many of them have relatives and friends who have encouraged them to secure their children’s future by relocating overseas.
Come to think of it, this would be a breed of people possessed of great courage and indomitable spirit, choosing to stay home even as a torrent of trouble threatens to bring the house down. By choosing to stay and try to make things better for themselves and their families, they also choose to build the foundations of a strong nation one concrete block at a time. Just as they can ford the rising floodwaters, they are also able to discern what is right and what is good for his family and his country, sifting through rumors and self-serving pronouncements and accusations.
I do not mean to detract from the invaluable contribution and the strong resolve of our OFW brothers and sisters, but aren’t those who have chosen to stay as much the real heroes of our time? A hero is not made by a singular act of courage; he is made by a life-long commitment towards a certain value or principle. The ordinary Filipino who does his job well to earn a living, raises a family and lives a moral life, notwithstanding the swirling controversies, scandals and corruption that is corroding the world around him, is no less brave than the barrio lass who steps into an airplane to embark on a voyage that could mean economic salvation or physical and spiritual despair.
In the hallowed halls where tread the steps of our national leaders, there are calls for inquiries and investigations into accusations of such grave nature, that the foundations of our legal system and our government are put in question. As in previous upheavals in our political plane, there is a call for the people to pass judgment on the issues and take decisive action to resolve them.
It will be the levelheaded, practical and learned opinion of this silent majority that shall influence the outcome of this current dilemma. They will speak with clarity and conviction, on behalf of all the Filipinos, how they want their future to shape up. Political observers blame "people power fatigue" for a seeming lack of interest in the current crisis. In fact, this perceived apathy may be people power at work, a declaration that all this entire hullabaloo is not fooling anyone, especially Juan de la Cruz.
Ultimately, history will pass judgment over the drama that now beleaguers the residents along the Pasig River. The legitimacy of the current administration and the right of the vocal minority to question it shall be settled over time, the verdict to be meted out by these quiet, unassuming masses of Filipinos who have chosen to take their stand in the land of their birth. They may not be raising their voices with the militant rallyists on the streets and they may not be sharing their opinions on national TV or national broadsheets, yet they, unlike any other force in a democratic society, will, inexorably, exert their collective influence over the fate of our country. They did this in the past; they are, certainly, doing it now.
The present leadership must not lose its grip on the silent majority. It has to initiate a plan that will define a clear, viable road map that will bring it closer to the goals of every law-abiding citizen of this country – peace, unity and prosperity. Time might be running out, but it should continue to meet the awesome responsibilities with all the strength and wisdom it can summon in accordance with the hopes and aspirations of Filipinos who richly deserve a better life. The booming voice of the silent majority should be heard. But this time, we hope, it will blurt out a song of praise, a shout of joy, or a hail of hallelujah. Indeed, hope springs eternal.
You may e-mail bongo@vasia.com or bongo@campaignsandgrey.net for any comments, questions or suggestions. Thank you for communicating.
For the Filipinos who live outside the National Capital Region, the events unfolding on EDSA and Malacañang may seem like a TV reality show that makes for good viewing, as gripping as previous episodes of pretty much the same thing – the Erap and Jose Velarde investigations, the Arroyo and Jose Pidal expose, etc. A world of intrigues, espionage, covert operations and big-time wheelin’ and dealin’ sounds like a James Bond or a Jackie Chan movie. But in this case, it’s all too real.
Filipinos have been through quite a lot these last 30 years. Five Presidents, two people power uprisings, a handful of coup attempts, dot com and real estate crash, power blackout crisis, war and terrorism in the south – these can only begin to sum up the vicissitudes of Filipino life.
We manage, through creativity and improvisation, to make do (and sometimes prosper) with what fate may have dished out to us. Give us freedom of expression, we’ll turn it into a case of sedition. Give us entrenched corruption, we’ll turn it into a way of life. Give us calamities, plague and pestilence, we’ll turn it into TV soap, or you bet, even a comedy show.
Like the proverbial bamboo, we are a resilient lot, able to bend with the gale force winds of politics, bend over backwards to accommodate social expectations and spring back to a proud and stately tree (or plant) after weathering it all, none the worse for wear.
Throughout all these, we’ve managed to make heroes of those who opted to make a living in greener pastures abroad, demoted doctors so that they would aspire to become nurses, glorified the plight of those who were caught in the crossfire of a war not our own but foolishly got involved in, sent Filipino workers scurrying out of the woodworks in Malaysia and Indonesia after tacitly allowing them to get there in the first place.
Understandably, we laud our friends and compatriots who have chosen to seek a salve to a hard life by working abroad. We call them our unsung heroes because, while they individually bring the figuratively well-leavened (and imported) bread to their family’s dinner tables, they, collectively, also bring a much-needed (and significant) supplement to the national coffers.
The procession of Filipinos going abroad for employment is a cross-section of our national community: Teachers who will be working as housemaids in Singapore, doctors who will fill positions as hospital aides and orderlies in Canada, senior engineers who will be field technicians in Saudi, pretty barmaids who will try to pass off their three-week training in dancing as professional entertainers in Japan, unskilled laborers who get a posting for that dangerous truck run to Iraq and elitist colegialas who will work as chambermaids and valets in hotels in Italy and Switzerland.
These are the people who pretty much hocked all their earthly possessions, and, indeed their very souls, just to put together enough money to pay for the requisite pre-departure training and the necessary papers to earn that precious job placement abroad, together with a round-trip ticket to that land of dreams, dollar wages and disappointment.
There are the silent majority, however, who have opted not to seek relief nor a solution abroad. They are the sober and determined who have chosen to stay put, muster great effort to make a go at making a living. In the process, consciously or not, they do their share in nation-building, while sharing in the aches, pains and tribulations that a dutiful citizen is wont to experience in his homeland.
These are the faceless plurality of a people who populate our country, plod on day in and out, intent at making the best out of the situation, performing their jobs, duties and responsibilities the best way they can, and providing for their family’s needs in the best manner possible with whatever amount of money they earn. Many of them would have had opportunities to work or live abroad, many of them have relatives and friends who have encouraged them to secure their children’s future by relocating overseas.
Come to think of it, this would be a breed of people possessed of great courage and indomitable spirit, choosing to stay home even as a torrent of trouble threatens to bring the house down. By choosing to stay and try to make things better for themselves and their families, they also choose to build the foundations of a strong nation one concrete block at a time. Just as they can ford the rising floodwaters, they are also able to discern what is right and what is good for his family and his country, sifting through rumors and self-serving pronouncements and accusations.
I do not mean to detract from the invaluable contribution and the strong resolve of our OFW brothers and sisters, but aren’t those who have chosen to stay as much the real heroes of our time? A hero is not made by a singular act of courage; he is made by a life-long commitment towards a certain value or principle. The ordinary Filipino who does his job well to earn a living, raises a family and lives a moral life, notwithstanding the swirling controversies, scandals and corruption that is corroding the world around him, is no less brave than the barrio lass who steps into an airplane to embark on a voyage that could mean economic salvation or physical and spiritual despair.
In the hallowed halls where tread the steps of our national leaders, there are calls for inquiries and investigations into accusations of such grave nature, that the foundations of our legal system and our government are put in question. As in previous upheavals in our political plane, there is a call for the people to pass judgment on the issues and take decisive action to resolve them.
It will be the levelheaded, practical and learned opinion of this silent majority that shall influence the outcome of this current dilemma. They will speak with clarity and conviction, on behalf of all the Filipinos, how they want their future to shape up. Political observers blame "people power fatigue" for a seeming lack of interest in the current crisis. In fact, this perceived apathy may be people power at work, a declaration that all this entire hullabaloo is not fooling anyone, especially Juan de la Cruz.
Ultimately, history will pass judgment over the drama that now beleaguers the residents along the Pasig River. The legitimacy of the current administration and the right of the vocal minority to question it shall be settled over time, the verdict to be meted out by these quiet, unassuming masses of Filipinos who have chosen to take their stand in the land of their birth. They may not be raising their voices with the militant rallyists on the streets and they may not be sharing their opinions on national TV or national broadsheets, yet they, unlike any other force in a democratic society, will, inexorably, exert their collective influence over the fate of our country. They did this in the past; they are, certainly, doing it now.
The present leadership must not lose its grip on the silent majority. It has to initiate a plan that will define a clear, viable road map that will bring it closer to the goals of every law-abiding citizen of this country – peace, unity and prosperity. Time might be running out, but it should continue to meet the awesome responsibilities with all the strength and wisdom it can summon in accordance with the hopes and aspirations of Filipinos who richly deserve a better life. The booming voice of the silent majority should be heard. But this time, we hope, it will blurt out a song of praise, a shout of joy, or a hail of hallelujah. Indeed, hope springs eternal.
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