No nation can be great without national pride

Last week, the Commission on Election annulled the proclamation of Isabela Governor Grace Padaca in favor of Benjamin Dy who had protested the results of the 2007 elections. Padaca had been holding office since her proclamation last 2007. In a similar case, COMELEC unseated Bulacan Governor Joselito Mendoza in favor of Roberto Pagdanganan. No offense to Mr. Pagdanganan who is a good family friend but if he really means to serve the country in his right senses and if he is a true gentlemen at that, he should allow Governor Mendoza to finish his term. What else is there for Benjamin Dy and Roberto Pagdanganan to do in public office at this time when Padaca and Mendoza are already concluding the last months of their term?

I find these sudden changes distractive maneuvers. These moves have just brought up more chills down our spines and more skepticism on the sincerity of those in power. Why these last minute changes when we have barely six months to go before election period? Haven’t we had enough confusion? Everything is changing! From names of streets, to holidays, to elected officials and cabinet members – even the law has changed. Is this government out to confuse the people? Can’t we at least get some rest from the too many mind boggling inconsistencies? My gosh! Even the traffic enforcers cannot be consistent in implementing a simple One-Way traffic rule or No Entry sign. One day you have enforcers manning the post and so everyone follows the sign. The next day, even if there are traffic enforcers around, you can see cars going against the rule. So, in effect we are conditioning the citizenry to utter disobedience. What is worse is when a traffic patrol car or a police car also breaks the rule. This phenomenon reminds me of how easy it is for our leaders to get away with the law or maneuver the law just to get what they want.

We never learned our lessons from the Marcos Regime. If we were dead serious about changing our ways, then the Cory administration to the present Administration would have been persistent in their crusade against corruption.

In this country, people just want to run for public office to become the rule. Observe how they act. From the Barangay level to the Senate – they are all the same. As a matter of fact, in the recent Congress hearing on the legality of the declaration of Martial law in Maguindanao, didn’t the cabinet members who were questioned on the issue look baffled and pathetic? That is the common look of all public officials who are placed at the witness stand. There is a certain look of “sadness” – the kind of look when you have been stripped of dignity within yourself and what you do. Unlike people who work hard, are sincere and really mean well, who exude self-confidence, fulfillment and inner pride. In this case, they all look like prunes. Remember the infamous NBN-ZTE inquiry? How did Ben Abalos look then? I rest my case.

How will these presidential candidates fair? Will the coming May elections bring the much needed reform to our land? Will Noynoy Aquino face up to the challenge of implementing genuine land reform and obtain justice for Hacienda Luisita farmers? This will be a test of his sense of justice. How can Manny Villar set aside his family business without compromising his sincerity to lead and help bring the Philippines to progress? Will Gilbert Teodoro stand firm by what he said that once he is in office, no one can dictate to him? Will Dick Gordon be able to live up to the “Kennedy” ideal — ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country? Can they indeed walk their talk?

What about the electorate? Do we vote for someone who will bring us the much-needed changes toward a sustainable future or do we vote for someone who will give us what we need to survive for a day? I would like to believe that by this time we have grown wiser and more discerning of what is right and wrong, what is good and evil. Otherwise, everything will just be a perpetuation of what exists.

Now just before the very threshold of Christmas we experience this Maguindanao tragedy. Who wanted this to happen? I do not think GMA expected it. I bet she was aghast upon hearing what had happened. But as we all know, when one grows a baby snake and nurtures it, it can become a cobra – that may unconsciously or indirectly attack its master. So, the moral of the story is that in this country especially in the field of politics – BEWARE! There are way too many pundits and double crossers out there. Someone you think is your friend or ally can be your enemy or foe in a matter of seconds.

The tragedy behind all the events that continue to come our way (aside from the victims of Ondoy and the Maguindanao Massacre) truly lies in how this Administration and our barangay and city officials have acted upon them. Are we going to vote again for incompetent officials? Unless we educate the voters and make them aware of the important elements of good public service: knowledge, hard work, honesty and compassion, we will continue to be a basket case.

In the past weeks, Presidential Press Secretary Cerge Remonde has become a big joke. Are you auditioning for a stand up comedy act, Cerge? How can you easily crack jokes and wear a big smile on your face when you talk about serious matters in public. This Administration seems to have an answer to everything and they have projected a seemingly positive attitude that everything is okay. With all due respect, everything is not okay. Can’t you have another approach in how you handle press briefings? Yours is becoming a hard act to follow.

The problem is that Malacañang has a tendency to talk big and act small. The Palace has always claimed how great their achievements have been but in reality we are still digging in Maguindanao and in other areas affected with the mudslides and landslides “with bare hands”. What a joke! This says it all, doesn’t it, Cerge?

No nation can be great, indeed survive in this cruel and unforgiving world, without national pride. Every action, every word spoken must come from a resurrection of the “national spirit”. Those who love their country and have pride in themselves don’t stoop to corruption and are untainted by cynicism or defeatism.

As my late father once said, “There’s too much flag-waving in this country without true reverence for the flag. Sound the bugle, beat the drum: We’re the greatest, ram-a-tam-tam. It’s all, sad to say, empty rhetoric. Nowadays, it’s even more confusing. We’ve begun to brag, We’re the worst. It’s the same thing really”.