except to say that the
"peasant look is back."
Back? For me, I never let go of it. The peasant look is all about femininity. It is about clothes of chiffon and lace with layers of net and gauze that make a woman sort of float like an angel – as though she could touch the sky.
But for this week my country takes precedence in this column.
Let me first quote Clement of Alexandria from the book You Will Always Have an Angel Watching Over You. I wish the Philippines did have the billions and trillions of angels hovering over it, especially now. This easy-to-read book was a present to me from my Officer’s Basic Course students at the Philippine Public Safety College System, police senior inspectors George P. Calarda and Enrique S. Ennangen.
The book says, "Passing beyond the teaching of the Angels, the soul goes on to the knowledge and understanding of things." I wish my soul could. And this feeling is not peculiar only to me. I have chosen to write what it is in my heart, observations from the point of view of a fashionable wife, mother, researcher, historian, and street parliamentarian because my judgment dictates that I do after weighing options for the future of my country.
We are now a people crazed, frenzied, lusting for blood. But whose blood – better still, whose head – are we lusting for? The President of the Filipinos’! Because this is truly the sad state we are in, we decry the President’s "lapse in judgment." But aren’t we all guilty of the same? Worse, are we all wallowing in self-denial about our own collective lapse in patriotism?
They say the President cheated in the last elections because FPJ lost. The legions of FPJ fans have a right to feel that way for after all, they have looked up to FPJ with almost blind idolatry, and rightly so. For the man was good to them, the man gave life and soul to their dreams and aspirations.
But can the politicians who saw in FPJ an easy access to power say the same? These are seasoned politicians, mind you, veterans of many election wars, savvy in election machinations and maneuverings. And, above all, pragmatic enough to know the whys and wherefores of politics and elections.
They must know that FPJ did not win because they ran a lousy campaign. They must know that FPJ did not win because they did not go the extra mile for their candidate. They must know that FPJ did not win because they were not united, and this lack of unity cost FPJ close to 4 million votes, which would have made FPJ win by 3 million votes. Any politician worth his salt who knows his election mathematics will tell you such a lead is irreversible.
Instead of apologizing to the legions of FPJ followers for their "lapse in unity," they have chosen to go after the President’s head.
And here lies our "lapse in patriotism."
Why don’t we cut the government some slack, and allow it to function and pursue its governance agenda?
Why don’t we fiscalize, not to bring the government down, but ensure that the government adheres to its defined program?
Why don’t we put primary value on loyalty to country and work together, harnessing our collective best to overcome our collective mediocrities?
Why don’t we put political posturing aside, agree on a common agenda and work as one?
Why don’t we stop using the poor as fodder for our political cannons and instead see them as the best reason for us to do our best?
Why can’t we be critical but not obstructive?
Why can’t we be honest with ourselves so that we can be honest with others?
At the very least, if we can’t do all these, why not just follow the law and the due processes that it mandates?
Then perhaps, we can truly make up for our "lapse in patriotism."