Philippines, then and now

In 1968, the National Historical Commission published its compilation of day-to-day historical happenings in the Philippines. For October 25, we note the information that it was on that day in 1845 that Governor-General Narciso Claveria ordered that sidewalks be constructed in the noble and ever-loyal city of Manila. Before that, pedestrians had to share the roads with the horses and calesas. Now they had an exclusive pedestrian pavement alongside the road. So we have Narciso Claveria to thank for initiating the construction of sidewalks in the country. I’m sure he never thought that it was a decision that would be recorded in history.

Actually, Narciso Claveria made many lasting contributions while he was Governor-General in the Philippines. In his first year in office, he updated the Philippine calendar and he is responsible for the surnames that all Filipinos carry to this day. It was he who issued a decree that made it mandatory for all Filipinos to have surnames. Before that, Filipinos were baptized with a first name that was usually the name of the patron saint for that particular day. That is how Filipinos got to have family names and it explains why almost all of them are Spanish names.

Another Oct. 25 event that most Filipinos are not even aware of is that the British conquered Manila and that all officials and residents of Intramuros were compelled to swear allegiance to King George III of England. That was in 1762.

A good newspaper, they say, is a nation talking to itself, and history is a distilled newspaper. What is distills is an eternal battle between progress and catastrophe. Read the daily papers and you will have little doubt as to who is winning the battle. Take the Fathur Roman al-Ghozi case. Who won, al-Ghozi or the officials who should be held responsible for his escape? Take the Sen. Panfilo Lacson exposé. Has he presented any evidence against Mike Arroyo that would stand up in court? Yet those items are what are considered as front-page news today. And now, you don’t even have to file any charges against anybody to land in the front pages. All you have to do is to get drunk in a plane that you can’t tell an emergency exit from a men’s room. They, too, are front-page news.

We don’t agree with the saying that "No news is good news." News happens everyday and we not only have more newspapers, they are so thick everyday that they have to be divided in several sections. We have many people who have projects to help the poor. Those are the kind of examples we would like to see projected through media.

What we do today will determine the history of our country. We believe that first and foremost, we should all try to live simple lives. The money that we all can save by living more frugal lives can then be channeled to projects that will create jobs and provide some basic needs for the country. "Simple Living" was the maxim of former President Diosdado Macapagal’s administration. I know for a fact that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s family always leads simple lives. Why doesn’t she revive her father’s maxim for her present administration?