QUEZONIAN CONTEXTS FOR OUR TIME

“I WOULD rather have a country run like hell by Filipinos than a country run like heaven by the Americans, because however bad a Filipino government might be, we can always change it.” Quezon the movie adopted another version of that quote, which ends with "because no matter how bad, a Filipino government might be improved." In our time, those two versions would differ significantly.

THE former. The former could be used to refer to a US-modeled system of government with a strong president under a strongly-representative democracy CHANGED IN THE FUTURE, after repeated demonstrations of failure, to a more democratic parliamentary form perhaps, and/or to one under a more participatory democracy or quasi-direct democracy like that of Switzerland. The word "can" is optimistic towards Filipinos' capacity to create or instigate or demand such a transition or transformation. The latter. The latter version of the quote (with "might") is less positive, but perhaps more realistic, as if cognizant of the fact that we have always had a policy of maintaining ignorance and propaganda-vulnerability in our country's overwhelming majority (simply via our education system that refuses to be fully socialized and takes pride in a hierarchism of trainings). But although the latter is realistic, almost implying a pessimism or as if subtly preaching the impossibility of hoping, it is however ignorant of the fact that a government molded through a plutocratic model of fake democracy WILL NEVER ALLOW ITSELF TO BE "IMPROVED". Or is it pessimistic precisely because of the near-impossibility of seeking improvements within it?

WHICH version do you prefer? At the risk of sounding like a Macchiavellian inciter of armed rebellion, I'd say that such a plutocratic/kleptocratic government system that has allowed so much power among its wielders will indeed never allow a more open government, or share legislative power with the people through truly-useful initiatives, and that the only time it will allow these to encroach into the system is when a revolution occurs that would demand the upending of those eternal refusals. As an open government and participatory democracy advocate I'll risk stating that statement bordering on Macchiavellian or otherwise Marxist pessimism, however, knowing full well that Filipinos currently want to upend our current system that continues to refuse significant changes only through the lens of either communism or Islamism, both of which our plutocracy has been able to keep at bay. Filipinos will never go to war against our eternally corrupt plutocracy in the name of open government or a quasi-direct democracy. . . . Never. Although they might be able to, someday. Can change. Might improve. Two different worlds in a parallel universe.

A short, short review

photo from Rappler

I COULD research a flaw (or rumored flaw) in Leni Robredo's personality, then make a movie out of that. I could then end up hyping up, like a troll, the flaw or flaws (or rumored or speculated flaws) I uncovered in that research, couldn't I? All in the name of a "she's just human" supposed narrative statement, since I've always claimed to love her politics. End up, I said, because that film could actually drown out all the things she fought for during her presidential campaign, against all the odds (read: the entire anti-open government plutocracy and their friend, kleptocracy). Couldn't it? . . . Now, aside from the difference in their stature, Robredo is far from being a Manuel L. Quezon, and vice versa, as far as we know, and Quezon and Robredo belong to two different times in history with very different problems. I only pulled out that example with her in the above paragraph to present an argument, with which I would now want to ask this: did Quezon the film end up being an anti-left of center propaganda film that effectively trivialized Quezon's and Osmeña's nationalism against all odds (the Americans' reluctance) as well as put in the shadows the former's (progressive) policy struggles against the landlords and industrial plutocrats of his time? All in the name of putting a "focus" on a he-was-just-human supposed cinematic statement, with no intention of making it come out like a right-wing black propaganda film produced by an Ortigas and a Rocha.

(IN hindsight, did Heneral Luna the movie help make Rodrigo Duterte's "put Tang in a" glass-shattering curses come out as no more than just charming? And, looking forward, will Quezon's supposed treatment of Osmeña, as hyped up in the film, aid Sara Duterte's communication struggle against the Luzonians of our time?)

Agam-agam

ANG mga facilitators, makukulong. Ang mga nagdisenyo ng facilitation, maaabswelto. Iyan ang prediksyon ko.
    In the interrogative, contractors and DPWH engineers ba ang magiging Janet Lim-Napoles et al. of the 2020s? Facilitators taking the fall for the architects and top beneficiaries of the facilitation?

Wala

HABANG hinihintay daw ang resulta ng imbestigasyon ng "Independent Commission for Infrastructure" (sic), may nagsa-suggest sa Senado ng isang tax holiday, isa naman bagong DPWH with new employees. Walang nagsa-suggest ng bill para sa mas transparent na gobyerno!!!
    Aasikasuhin na raw ang "anti-dynasty bill" at bill providing additional powers sa "Independent Commission for Infrastructure". Pero, again: as usual, no bill to make government more transparent!!!

NAWALA ang pork barrel, pinalitan ng insertions. Kung mawawala na ang insertions, ano ang ipapalit ng political families ng Pilipinas para maipagpatuloy ang kanilang . . .
    Oh, the performative rage of government leaders everywhere! But only a handful of them would actually back an open government bill!
    For as long as walang gagawing mother batas for an open government, lahat ng legislation na isusulat ay malulusutan in the near future! Ganyan katalino ang mga kriminal sa ating Konggreso!!!
    Kaya "open government" na now!!! Hindi lang sa SALN!!!

Para-Parochial Promise

KUNG gagawa ng masama ang aming pari o Obispo, o kahit ang Santo Papa, hindi ko ipagtatanggol. Sasama pa ako sa mga magkukondina sa ginawa o mga ginawa.
    Ikaw? Kung ang pastor niyo . . .

In the end

IN the end, all this back and forth between anti-Duterte and pro-Duterte citizens won't come out as that mid-2020s battle between supporters of ideas of good government and those conservative proponents of evil's continuance, but simply as that communication war between two parties who both tried to convince a badly educated majority that they were the ones on the side of the good. Sad.

Ukol Sa Mga Panawagan ng Pagtiwalag o Di Na Pag-ambag

HINDI lahat ng ordinaryong Katoliko sa ating bansa ay naging anti-RH Law, o kasalukuyang anti-divorce or even 100% anti-abortion, to mention a few contentious positions sa Simbahang Katolika sa Pilipinas. I may even dare say that, bagamat lahat sila ay patuloy na nagsisimba at nag-aambag sa Iglesia Katolika, lahat ng Catholics are actually cafeteria ones. Naniniwala akong ganun din ang mga miyembro ng Iglesia ni Cristo at Jesus Is Lord Church, hindi ko nga lang alam kung ilang porsyento sa kanilang populasyon ang hindi nagpapadala sa anumang groupthink na mayroon na isinusulong ng isa o ilan sa kanilang mga lider. In my case, totally na titiwalag lang ako sa Roman Catholic Church, temporarily man o permanently, o ihihinto ang aking pa-₱20-₱20 na inilalagay sa collection bag tuwing nagsisimba (na, I admit, ay ilang beses lang naman sa isang taon), kung akin nang makikita na ang LAHAT ng lider, o ang MGA NASA TUKTOK, ng aking Simbahan . . . ay kampi sa mga tao o kaugalian na di ko kailanman maaaring kampihan.

The eternal urge to control the uncontrollable

BA'T di nabantayan nang maigi ng mainstream media ang mga proyekto ng DPWH? Hindi kaya dahil . . . sa word-phrase na "street gutter" pa lang, iba na ang pagkaintindi ng Philippine news journalism sa pagkaintindi ng civil engineering?
    At itong mga project engineers naman, nag-ocular inspection naman daw. Pero an "ocular inspection" is an inspection utilizing optical devices (lenses, microscopes, &c). Kaya ba di nila nakita ang kitang-kita na ng naked eye?

MGA kababayan, narito na rin lang tayo sa usapang pag-intindi at pagtingin, . . . sana'y tingnan na rin nating maigi ang concept behind dike (levee) projects itself. Tanong: bakit levee lang ang parating tinitingnan na solusyon o ang tinuturing na pangunahing solusyon sa pagsalba sa ating binabahang mga kababayan? After all, ang mga environmentalists o ecologists, halimbawa, hindi totally supportive sa konsepto ng levees.
    At para sa mga climate change-aware, ang kahit pa up-to-standard na levees na itatayo sa mga "sinking" areas ng bansa ay maaaring mawalan na ng saysay 25 years from now. In short, kung ang perang tinapon sa levees na iyan ay ginasta na lamang sa relocation, mas forward-looking pa sana. Bakit hindi ang mga nakatira sa bahaing lugar ang tanungin natin, in a participatory-budgeting manner? Dahil ang levees sa panahon ng rising seas, walang pinagkaiba sa Dolomite Beach.

Paniniwala at kasinungalingan

I ONCE asked myself, posible ba'ng i-imagine si Jesus at ang kanyang disciples as a platoon of Christofascists? Yes, it is instantaneously possible now. Mai-imagine nga kita as one of his disciples' disciples. But wait, I'm confused. Shouldn't you be thankful and proud instead of angry at me every time I quote your hero-evangelist's words? O sige na nga, he was a good man. Bahala ka sa buhay mo.
    Dahil wala akong kilalang bilib sa kanya ang matutulungan kong mabago ang pagtingin sa taong yon. So, sabi nga ni Vi sa Arcane, "let things play out."

    Kaya, heto na nga. Sigaw mo, giyera na sa Amerika! Hmm. So, oh my God, civil war's a-brewing, between those who believe in a liberal Christ and those who worship a conservative one, and in between are people buying NRA stocks. Now, in the June shootings of Minnesota legislators and their spouses, nobody posted a "THIS IS WAR!" exhortation. Bakit di dapat nagsimula ang giyera noon, noong June? Ang tanging exhortation na masasabi ko, at diretso sa kanya, ay ito lang: "Rest in peace now, in peace perhaps with all the victims of automatic rifle mass shootings you didn't care about."
    War, eh? You know, people who campaign for violence, aggression and war always have this strong faith that they'd come out the winner. Faith, yes. Dahil ganito: anumang kasamaan ang plinano niya sa mundo, dahil ginamit niya ang pangalan ni Hesus, sumusunod ka sa kanyang "kabanalan" at makikipagpatayan sa ngalan niya. Marami nga naman sa ating planeta ang kakain ng balat ng durian, kasama ka na, sa ngalan ng faith na pinagsisigawan ng mga gumagamit lamang nito para maging makapangyarihan.

MORAL of the story, huwag sanang gamitin ang pangalan ni Hesus sa maling posisyon at baka ito ay bumalik sa iyo. Again, "Be careful what kind of America you wish for, you just might get it in your neck of the woods" is the blunt moral here. So, right-wing Anerica and right-wing America sympathizers in the Philippines, sure about the new American civil war you're craving for?
    Sabagay nga naman, sinasabi mong Kristiyano ka, ngunit lahat pala ng Bible quotes mo . . . galing Old Testament. Teka. Kung lahat ng Bible quotes mo ay galing Old Testament, hindi ka Kristiyano, malamang ika'y isang Caiaphasiyano. Yes! After all, "Christian" conservatives believe Christ was a conservative, confusing Him with Caiaphas.

    Kaya pala. Bilang isang Caiaphasiyano, kailangan mo muna ng 'sang-milyong pruweba bago mo matanggap iyang katotohanan. Kahit madali ka lang mapaniwala ng kasinungalingan.