There’s a Goyo in us
To continue the excitement in the previous film directed by Jerrold Tarog, I watched the sequel to “Heneral Luna”. It was titled “Goyo,” named after the young general, who at 24, had to carry out a big responsibility. This didn’t bother him anyway. He loved the fame that accompanied it. Despite the need to go into battle in order to defend the land from American invasion, he was too busy wooing a young Filipina. The nights were all about drinking and merrymaking. He gave in to orders given by the president whom he idolized so dearly. Being a “pet” made him into this adorable young bachelor, breaking women’s hearts along the way.
By the time the American troops surrounded their fortress, he was busy skinny dipping in the river with this comrades. Yet, in the present-day he is regarded as a hero. He is in every child’s book on Philippine history as the man who defended Tirad Pass with all their might before their ultimate surrender to the Americans. His looks and charm made every modern Filipino believe that he was a real hero.
What then makes a hero? I have to ask myself if we really have to die in order to be recognized as somebody who has shown genuine love for the country. The answer really is not in the deed itself, or the magnitude of what one has done but in the principles that one has to fight for. We live in a time where we no longer identify what is right from wrong. Because of idolatry, we forget that it is wrong to kill humans because they are alleged to be involved in illegal drugs. We forget how our own country’s treasures and money were acquired by a family in power. Promising words and artist’s perspective seems to bring the whole country to their knees followed by the will to change.
Who are we trying to fool? It is no less than ourselves. We have become too blinded by the many false hopes and promises by people who want to be in authority. By the time they are on the pedestal the rich become richer, the poor become poorer. There is a Goyo in every one of us -the narcissistic ego that only thinks of himself and itself alone. This in turn sacrifices the good of many. The more we think only of ourselves and our welfare, the more our society becomes the ugliest of them all.
In the end this is all our choice, shall we choose to make choices for our own advantage or to that which may make the country a better place? It may sound like cliché and motherhood statements but the small actions that we do contribute to a bigger scope in the community. If we choose to be law-abiding citizens then discipline and order will make us better than we were yesterday. It is a matter of making the right decisions based on the law.
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