Yesterday marked the death of one of the most loved presidents of the Philippines, none other than the mother of this country, Mrs. Corazon Aquino.
I would be annoyed to ends of my wits when I hear the most hated president of the Philippines capitalizing on her death by messages of unity and the like. The hypocrite would most certainly do so anyway, knowing her insatiable desire for a publicity op. Knowing her, she would deliver a very "heart-warming" and "reconciliatory" message to each and every Filipino, advocating "unity" and "peace" both politically and otherwise. She has already taken the first steps; she declared August 5 a non-working holiday to honor the burial of Cory. On that day, I hope I would never turn on the TV to see our dear president delivering her laughable message. The TV better be equipped with 5 inches of protective lead and fiberglass for it's own good.
I would be annoyed to ends of my wits when I hear the most hated president of the Philippines capitalizing on her death by messages of unity and the like. The hypocrite would most certainly do so anyway, knowing her insatiable desire for a publicity op. Knowing her, she would deliver a very "heart-warming" and "reconciliatory" message to each and every Filipino, advocating "unity" and "peace" both politically and otherwise. She has already taken the first steps; she declared August 5 a non-working holiday to honor the burial of Cory. On that day, I hope I would never turn on the TV to see our dear president delivering her laughable message. The TV better be equipped with 5 inches of protective lead and fiberglass for it's own good.
Call me stingy or whatever, but we should all face the truth. I read a newspaper article today claiming that the death of Cory brought the Philippines together. It claimed that due to her death, the Philippines became united. But the fact of the matter is, this unity is only very temporary. This unity would only last for until the death of Mrs. Aquino still has an effect; very soon it would fade away and we would all be back in disarray.
It's painful to admit, but the so called unity of the Philippines depend so much on temporary and passing things. Remember when Manny Pacquiao defeated Ricky Hatton? A lot of people also claimed that during that one day, rebels and soldiers alike took a break from fighting to watch his match and celebrate his victory. We saw a lot of enemy politicians congratulating the triumph of our "hero". The Philippines was united, but only for so long. The following day (figuratively and literally), the trapos, soldiers and rebels were back to their old routines. The "unity" we enjoyed was really short and temporary.
Our country needs to find and hold on to a lasting source or inspiration of unity. If there's one thing Cory Aquino taught us, it's the fact that no matter how small we are individually, united we can stand against any form of tyranny or oppression. We are weak, sure, but together, no tank or soldier or ill-meaning politician or leader can stand in our way. I'm not advocating for another people power or another massive rally in Mendiola or EDSA, but we should really learn to be united and cling to a relatively more permanent inspiration.
After a month or so, once the uniting effect of the death of Cory wears off, we would be back to our old routines. Trapos would be once again trapos and our dear president would once again be our dear president. But if we would all learn to be united not for the sake of a Pacquiao victory or a death of a noble leader, how much more beautiful would the Philippines be?
Do we really need Pacquiao to win 365 matches a year or to kill 365 noble leaders just to ensure a year of peace and unity?
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