Today we remember and celebrate the struggle and sacrifices made in the battle for sovereignty and self-rule.
Yet, in spite of the battles fought—won and lost—we are still trying to come to terms with what we are as a nation. The predominant religion, the “second language” and much of our culture came from colonization. Who knows what this country would be called today if Magellan had found landfall much farther south on the islands of Maluku instead of Mactan?
Perhaps the problem is the “500 years in a convent and 50 years in Hollywood” mentality. We are constantly self-examining, and that is not necessarily a positive endeavor. It is one thing to look in the mirror for reflection and introspection. It is another thing to constantly ask, “Why am I not like the fairest of them all?”
It seems like every aspect of Filipino life must be viewed in comparison to another nation. The Tinikling dance reflecting the experience of our rice farmers is “unsophisticated” and “crude.” The Japanese Kabuki dance-drama, originated by the dancers and prostitutes of Yoshiwara (the red-light district in Edo) is refined and cultured. That was the opinion of one particularly well-known Filipino artist.
It is one thing to look for “best practices” that could be adopted. It is true that economies with less restriction on foreign investment seem to have more foreign investment. A more autonomous federalist form of government could be beneficial. Maybe the Senate should be elected by a geographic constituency rather than at-large.
Maybe the government should have adopted even some of the policies of other nations to combat the pandemic; but at least take into account local conditions. We hear what a failure our government is and what an incredible success story is New Zealand. Except, do any of the Philippine bashers realize that the combined population of the City of Manila and of Quezon City is larger than the entire country of New Zealand? Why are facts so hard?
Speaking of the pandemic, the Philippines is not the best—obviously—but far from the worst.
As of June 9th, based on the total number of deaths from the virus, the Philippines (about 1,100) is number 31 out of 215 nations and territories that have confirmed cases. Thirty locations have no deaths. However, with “Deaths per 1 million population,” the Philippines is number 97. Not the best; not the worst.
Maybe we should do some comparisons. Mexico has 14,649 in the grave from Covid-19. Canada has recorded 7,960 deaths. Peru with a population 32 million has 6,000 fatalities. The population of Chile is about 19 million. Its death toll is 2,500. Turkey has less than 100 million, of which 4,800 have died. The Netherlands is slightly larger than the NCR with over 6,000 dead.
All of these nations have “deaths per million” of at least double to seven times as large as the Philippines: Austria (75 deaths per million), Finland (58), Norway (44), Israel (34), Iceland (29) and Colombia (26).
However, all these comparisons are inappropriate. Bananas and mangoes cannot be accurately compared even if they share a yellowish skin.
The Philippines is unique and has the capability to reach its great potential. But that potential will always be sometime in the future until the people believe it can be accomplished. That is what a group of men and women believed 122 years ago.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano