An Education

I think my professors at school share the same resentment towards the Philippines as me, though their understanding of the Philippines is more robust and knowledgeable than mine. They also have the benefit of living through the Philippine’s golden years when we were one of Asia’s finest. And today, any teacher above the age of 40 bemoans the fallen and lost empire that our country had the potential to be.

“When we were in college, companies would send us letters inviting us to apply to their corporation . . . each student would receive three to five letters, two from the government and three from the private sector.” Now, we’re paying entrance fees at job expos just so we could hand in our resumes.

“Bangladesh refused to do business here in the Philippines because our processes are too slow and inefficient. Imagine, Bangladesh is refusing to manufacture medicine here.”

“The Philippines is still using the feudal system. Our people still resort to dole-outs from the President. They expect the government to feed their mouths.”

And the one that stick out like a sore thumb is our culture. “Culture is the one thing that is holding back our country. If you look at other countries’ political parties, no one jumps from one party to the other. But here in the Philippines, people jump on the bandwagon of the majority, because that’s where the power is, and that’s where the money is.”

I’m bombarded with this almost everyday at school. How can I feel proud of my country when the role models I look up to at school have no faith in our government? How can I pretend to be patriotic when one of my professors refuses to even acknowledge the presidential election last May?

The country barely seems to be moving forward, and in a sense I feel my bitterness and resentment being justified by our limping progression. But then again – I have seen our country advance. The past election is evidence of progression as we successfully had an automated election (thank you Richard Gordon). The rebuilding of infrastructure in my neighborhood tells me that the local government is still operating, despite the slow process. And we’ve finally extended the LRT1 to connect with the MRT. But something within me yelps, “Is that all?”

The Philippines still has the potential to be big, to make a comeback. But I fear we’ll make the mistake of leaning too much on government and not enough on our own efforts to push us forward. I fear Filipinos will lose confidence in President-elect Noynoy when their immediate wants and needs aren’t gratified. I fear that our culture won’t change because we’re too resistant and too afraid of change. I fear complacency is what lies within all of us.

My professors at school have the right to be angry. They’ve done their part to pull the Philippines forward, and they continue to do so today through educating us in college. But instead of infusing resentment and bitterness into our minds, I wish our teachers would instill in us hope and hunger.