STI Kalibo, September 27, 2008
Theme: Building Leaders for Tomorrow
Topic: Fundamentals of Leadership and Volunteerism
I met a boy last week. A 12 year old boy who told me that when he turns 13, he plans to leave the country. I asked him where he was planning to move and why he wanted to move. He said he was going to Canada because life is better there. Sabi niya, he wants to move to Canada because there are no Filipinos there. I reminded him that his parents are both full Filipinos, and that he was Filipino as well. His answer to me was that he was Filipino not by choice. Hearing those words coming from a 12 year old Filipino boy made my stomach turn over. I couldn’t understand how someone as young as 12 could dislike his fellowmen and his country so much to want to leave and cut ties from this country so early in life. It saddened me even more that these words came from a boy who I later found out had a brilliant brain. Ang galing niya sa math and science! It seems though that conversations such as this is nothing out of the ordinary anymore. For how many years now, we’ve been losing out best and brightest because for a lot of Filipinos, the dream of a better life is a dream of leaving the country forever.
Don’t get me wrong, the dream of leaving the country is a dream I fully understand. I left the country when I was eighteen so I could study in California. I got my bachelors degree in international relations with a minor in Economics . After graduation, I lived out my dream of working in Washington DC as a political researcher. I was out of the country for six years, but I always knew I would return. I always knew that my place was here, with my family, and with my people.
Now believe me, I don’t discourage Filipinos from leaving the country… I’m just a nationalistic cheerleader – Go Filipino go! Relate to the world, Go global! Ang sa akin lang, remain a Filipino and be proud you’re a Filipino. If you are ashamed of the Philippines, then do something to change the image of the country. Hindi nararapat na mahiya tayo dahil tayo ay Pilipino. Kung may dapat baguhin sa mukha ng ating bansa, magtulungan tayo. Naisin natin ang pagbabago. Tayo tayo lang naman ang makakapagbago sa bansa natin. It’s time to stop pointing fingers. It’s time to stop whining. Wala naming naidudulot na mabuti yan… Sama ng loob lang ang dala niyan. Pero sige, if you really want to rant and whine and complain. Go ahead. Let your frustrations out. But perhaps after that, it would be more constructive to act on those frustrations. Why do we have to wait for someone else to fix a problem that you've already identified?
Sabi nga ng professor ko dati... "Once there is seeing, there must be acting. Otherwise what is the use of seeing?" And really I have to stress on the importance of doing or acting. Why? Because over the past year, I've noticed that we filipinos are not lacking in information. We know what's going on around us. We're complaining all the time! But really we have to get past that stage of complaint.
I mentioned earlier that I left the country. I was gone for over six years. Much has changed since I left. Unfortunately though much has also remained the same. The traditional politics of you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours is still dominant. Corruption is still rampant. Now this statement that corruption is rampant is not my original statement. Paulit ulit na sinasabi yan ng mga nakatatanda at ng simbahan. Moral leadership is badly needed. But how can we have moral leaders when we don’t even have enough good citizens?
Come election time how much money do politicians spend to get votes? How many people accept the money thinking pare parehas lang naman yang mga politico na yan? And yet, we expect our leaders to be morally upright! Paninindigan ba yan? Di ako magreregister dahil pareparehas lang naman? Tatanggapin ko ang pera dahil pareparehas lang naman! Paninindigan ba yan o gawain ng mga duwag?
The heart of democracy lies in its active citizenry. We cannot have a thriving democracy if the culture of selfishness persists. What is this culture of selfishness I speak about? Others call it the live and let live philosophy. This is prevalent in individualistic societies but I see it now in our country as well… Sure, we care about the members of our immediate family, but what of the people who live beyond the four walls of our homes? Bahala na lang sila? I contend that we need to go back to the culture of live and help live.
I remember when the team of Dios Mabalos Po first got to Aklan, parang gulat na gulat yung mga tao kung bakit may mga Bikolanong dumating para tumulong sa Aklan. But what we were doing… what we are doing…. is nothing out of the ordinary. Filipinos have always been a helpful people. History tells us of the Bayanihan spirit. Bayanihan - taken from the root word ‘bayani’ meaning hero. In the classic tradition of carrying a house, each man would carry a portion of the weight of the house and in effect would become a hero for all the other volunteers because he lightens the load for others. Each man thus becomes a hero to everyone as all the others become a hero to him. I ask you, where has this spirit gone? What has happened to the value of social responsibility? Why have we ceased to care about the people around us?
Ang bayan natin ay bayan ng maraming Juan at Juana… Malakas man o mahina… Mayaman o mahirap – may kakayahan na iabot ang kamay para makatulong. Sabi ng mga mas nakatatanda - Walang sinuman na lubhang mahirap na di makakatulong sa kapwa. No one is so poor that he cannot help.
Leadership requires a sense of selflessness – to give even if it hurts. To express connectivity by being present. Tao sa taong nangangailangan… may pagpuna, may damdamin, nagmamalasakit, nakikiisa… di kailangang bayaran.
It’s been said, One man’s hunger is another man’s duty… The call to service is a call to every individual. It’s not a call to government officials, social workers, or charitable institutions – it’s a CALL TO ALL. Young leaders of Aklan, Step up. There’s much to be done here at home. Your people need you. The country needs you.
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