Why be a hero?
A conversation with my Filipino colleague yesterday....
MC: "Another public holiday?" (please read in an incredulous tone of voice!!). "What's this one for?"
MC's colleague: "In honour of Bonifacio"
long pause whilst MC digests this...then...
MC: "Haven't we just had a day honouring Bonifacio? At the end of November?"
MC's colleague: "Ok, well it's for one of the heroes then".
It turns out that today is the day the Philippines honours the hero of all Philippine heroes...but one wonders what Jose Rizal would make of a conversation like that...
From a quick read yesterday it seems as if the Philippines have made a science out of nominating their heroes...there is/was even a committee for nominating the national heroes....the criteria according to this site are as follows:
1. Heroes are those who have a concept of nation and thereafter aspire and struggle for the nation's freedom. Our own struggle for freedom was begun by Bonifacio and finished by Aguinaldo, the latter formally declaring the revolution's success. In reality, however, a revolution has no end. Revolutions are only the beginning. One cannot aspire to be free only to sink back into bondage.
2. Heroes are those who define and contribute to a system or life of freedom and order for a nation. Freedom without order will only lead to anarchy. Therefore, heroes are those who make the nation's constitution and laws, such as Mabini and Recto. To the latter, constitutions are only the beginning, for it is the people living under the constitution that truly constitute a nation.
3. Heroes are those who contribute to the quality of life and destiny of a nation. (As defined by Dr. Onofre D. Corpuz)
in addition....
1. A hero is part of the people's expression. But the process of a people's internalization of a hero's life and works takes time, with the youth forming a part of the internalization.
2. A hero thinks of the future, especially the future generations.
3. The choice of a hero involves not only the recounting of an episode or events in history, but of the entire process that made this particular person a hero. (As defined by Dr. Alfredo Lagmay)
However, even with this committee...no official declarations have ever been made delaring any one Filipino a hero...this gives rise to large discrepancies in the number of Filipinos that are 'heroes'...could it be 42 or the nine listed below..
a. Jose Rizal
b. Andres Bonifacio
c. Emilio Aguinaldo
d. Apolinario Mabini
e. Marcelo H. del Pilar
f. Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat
g. Juan Luna
h. Melchora Aquino
i. Gabriela Silang
and here's a good arguement for a tenth national hero...
And on a final 'hero' note...after an all too brief exhange with Skippy-San...I read this...(via MLQ3)...the heroes of modern day Philippines....so the question remains...are the overseas Philippine workers something the Philippines should be proud of...or something for the Philippines to be ashamed of... (that sounds like a title for a school essay!).
Seriously...
I will maintain my usual fence sitting stance and offer my probably ill informed opinion as this...the fact that doctors retrain as nurses to work overseas and earn more money than they can as doctors in the Philippines - that's an embarrassment...the fact that the overseas workers venture sight unseen into the big bad world beyond and spend all year away from home and family in order that they may feed, clothe and educate their extended family is something to be proud of...the fact that the problem is being perpetuated i.e. the overseas worker paying to educate a child who qualifies as a doctor and then realises they can earn more money as an amah or nurse in Hong Kong...that's an embarrassment....the fact that their remittances home temporarily raise the Peso exchange around Christmas that also could be seen as an embarrassment....having said all of the above...the Philippines has realised that in the country's present state its greatest product is its people and the only place to earn more money to support the ever growing families (don't get me started on that one!!) is beyond its borders so it is taking the only sensible option and filling the world with over qualified nurses and amahs.....being realistic and practical is usually something to be proud of...
MC: "Another public holiday?" (please read in an incredulous tone of voice!!). "What's this one for?"
MC's colleague: "In honour of Bonifacio"
long pause whilst MC digests this...then...
MC: "Haven't we just had a day honouring Bonifacio? At the end of November?"
MC's colleague: "Ok, well it's for one of the heroes then".
It turns out that today is the day the Philippines honours the hero of all Philippine heroes...but one wonders what Jose Rizal would make of a conversation like that...
From a quick read yesterday it seems as if the Philippines have made a science out of nominating their heroes...there is/was even a committee for nominating the national heroes....the criteria according to this site are as follows:
1. Heroes are those who have a concept of nation and thereafter aspire and struggle for the nation's freedom. Our own struggle for freedom was begun by Bonifacio and finished by Aguinaldo, the latter formally declaring the revolution's success. In reality, however, a revolution has no end. Revolutions are only the beginning. One cannot aspire to be free only to sink back into bondage.
2. Heroes are those who define and contribute to a system or life of freedom and order for a nation. Freedom without order will only lead to anarchy. Therefore, heroes are those who make the nation's constitution and laws, such as Mabini and Recto. To the latter, constitutions are only the beginning, for it is the people living under the constitution that truly constitute a nation.
3. Heroes are those who contribute to the quality of life and destiny of a nation. (As defined by Dr. Onofre D. Corpuz)
in addition....
1. A hero is part of the people's expression. But the process of a people's internalization of a hero's life and works takes time, with the youth forming a part of the internalization.
2. A hero thinks of the future, especially the future generations.
3. The choice of a hero involves not only the recounting of an episode or events in history, but of the entire process that made this particular person a hero. (As defined by Dr. Alfredo Lagmay)
However, even with this committee...no official declarations have ever been made delaring any one Filipino a hero...this gives rise to large discrepancies in the number of Filipinos that are 'heroes'...could it be 42 or the nine listed below..
a. Jose Rizal
b. Andres Bonifacio
c. Emilio Aguinaldo
d. Apolinario Mabini
e. Marcelo H. del Pilar
f. Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat
g. Juan Luna
h. Melchora Aquino
i. Gabriela Silang
and here's a good arguement for a tenth national hero...
And on a final 'hero' note...after an all too brief exhange with Skippy-San...I read this...(via MLQ3)...the heroes of modern day Philippines....so the question remains...are the overseas Philippine workers something the Philippines should be proud of...or something for the Philippines to be ashamed of... (that sounds like a title for a school essay!).
Seriously...
I will maintain my usual fence sitting stance and offer my probably ill informed opinion as this...the fact that doctors retrain as nurses to work overseas and earn more money than they can as doctors in the Philippines - that's an embarrassment...the fact that the overseas workers venture sight unseen into the big bad world beyond and spend all year away from home and family in order that they may feed, clothe and educate their extended family is something to be proud of...the fact that the problem is being perpetuated i.e. the overseas worker paying to educate a child who qualifies as a doctor and then realises they can earn more money as an amah or nurse in Hong Kong...that's an embarrassment....the fact that their remittances home temporarily raise the Peso exchange around Christmas that also could be seen as an embarrassment....having said all of the above...the Philippines has realised that in the country's present state its greatest product is its people and the only place to earn more money to support the ever growing families (don't get me started on that one!!) is beyond its borders so it is taking the only sensible option and filling the world with over qualified nurses and amahs.....being realistic and practical is usually something to be proud of...
posted by Madame Chiang at 6:45 am
1 Comments:
I will take the stance that OFW's should be a national disgrace to the PI. Evry time I go to Bahrain and line up at HKG behind a parade of Filipino's boarding a Cathay Pacific airliner it reaffirms my belief.
Here is why I believe its bad:
1) It reinforces a concept that those who remain behind in the PI are "owed" something by the overseas workers. It disgusts me to see the amount of scams that are perpetrated by Filipino military members to try to get things to and or from the PI and or get Mom and Dad taken care of.
2) The workers frustrate normal economic development in the countries they work in. Rather it reinforces a caste system such as in Bahrain and UAE, where Arabs only do executive work ( if they work at all), Filipinos house work and Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis construction work. Its one reason the Middle East does not change, why give up such a good deal.
3) It fosters the development of "underground economies" in the countries they work in, much to my benefit I have to admit. Sunday afternoons in Wanchai are a great place to meet "augment my lifestyle" girls. However its crazy they feel compelled to do this and can in one make more money than they see in a week.......
4) The Philippines will never make any progress until it breaks the "welfare state" mentality. The country has a lot to offer. Great climate, good beaches and an industrious people. However they blow it every time because the lapse back into bad ways. Ever try to get a package out of customs. I have and the US goverment does not give us a line item for "bribes". When you bring this up with the PI government through the embassy they just look at you with a big blank stare, even though they know full well what you are talking about.
I could go on and on on this subject, but you see my point. Ever talk to a Gaijin who has married a Filipina? If he has money, the bride expects him to provide for the whole family. Who came up with that warped custom?
And don't even get me started on Gloria Arroyo............
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