Atan, Raymond concede fight to their opponents

Once upon a time there was a country in the Far East where white men colonized and enslaved. But a hero arose by the likes of Lapu-Lapu, Rizal, Bonifacio and many others who wrote their names with their blood in the page of history. A different breed of men and women who fought for freedom and equality. Heroes who defied everything that was unjust and spoke the truth fearlessly; who took up arms and fought the good fight and even if they would have lost, it would not have mattered for as long as they made a stand for what is right and for the good of all.

In deathly nights they convened and made a pact, with hearts burning, to protect and uphold their nation. With a unified intent they tried to destroy every remnamt of a mythological being that these colonizers created before us. They spoke clearly, wrote courageously, fought  valiantly, for the pain of their countrymen.

They were my ancestors and I owe them my reverence; I owe them my freedom. Their blood run in our veins but today my nation is accursed. The forefathers who came after them, failed to watch this nation like a hawk watches its prey. Ali Baba saw the 40 thieves from the tree where he climbed. Ali Baba heard the captain of the thieves spoke the magic word "Open Sesame..."

Then they established martial law, plundered the land and ravaged our people. Contaminated many others until the tentcles of corruption grew like a monstrous black octopus covering the land that span for decades - until all became corrupt.

If we did not lose our human dignity and decency of living, we have lost our sense of integrity, honor and discipline. We have become poor and illiterate. Homeless. Faceless. Beholden by the white race again, even if we have freed ourselves. We have sold our women to foreign men, and not a single Filipino man spoke against it.

We are in a diaspora, scattered all over the world. With out best professionals leaving us to heed the call of the wild "to survive". Survive we did materially, at the expense of family bonds.

This nation is bleeding.

But it is a terror to go to any hospital nowadays due to the absence of seasoned nurses, and with inexperience ones, it will take almost an hour to get a needle in a vein.

With an educational system that has faltered and lack of schools, mispronounced teachers and misspelled students, with the toppings of lack of development of critical thinking.

The Kasims (Ali Baba's merchant brother) of our country have to play the rules of the game of the government.So they employed their brilliant accountants to create ghostly expenses, evade taxes and then build foundations. Eureka! You have a business empire who can finance the thieves during elections.

Then we all go to church. The politicians, the businessmen, the public and then we all become saints for an hour. With their enormous offerings the thieves can strut right through the aisle with unbowed heads together with their bleached wives and rhinoplastic noses. While the rest of the laity watch apathetic. Of course, most of our monsignors and priests have our unfailing understanding for being unable to utter a single vowel or consonant on these occasions.

For us who live mediocre lives and stay in this country, to forget our miseries, we fill our three-pound brains with soap operas and Korean telenovelas, a soporific to dull our senses. Then get on with our mechanical lives day after day without getting involved with the issues of this country.

Ali Baba saw all these. But did he get enlightened and climbed down from the tree and say the opposite mantra "Close Sesame..." never allowing these insatiable, insane thieves to come out from the cave and be buried alive with all those treasures? I wish he did!

But it turned out otherwise. (You've got to read Scheherazade's Arabian Nights).

Instead I pray to the spirits of my ancestors that they may rise once more in every Filipino that this country may have the hope and chance of being redeemed.

Rebecca Perez Juana Osmeña St. Cebu City