A Mom and More

This afternoon, I planned to do my research on the Philippine educational system during the revolutionary times, 1896 to 1899, for a group presentation next week.  But, instead of researching, I was drawn to watch on TV — the live telecast of the encampment

 of Senator Trillanes, General Lim and comrades at the Manila Peninsula Hotel after they walked out of the Makati Regional Trial Court earlier. After several sessions with Prof. Buhay Alonzo in a course on Philippine Educational System, I’ve been conditioned to watch out for learning opportunities from day-to-day experiences, from personal interactions, and from various media.

Though I am never really interested about developments in the political field, I watched this afternoon’s telecast hoping to learn something worthwhile.  I entertained the notion that perhaps I’d see a glimpse of a modern day Andres Bonifacio, a  contemporary Philippine revolution of sorts.

But here’s what I witnessed on TV:

1.      Trillanes:  an idealistic youngish military man and senator who may want reforms but has limited experience, poor tactics, limited knowledge and followers to stand by him.  

2.      Media arrests: obviously a violation of press freedom, a shameful picture to show to the world about the kind of democracy that the Philippines practices.

3.      Curfew declaration: an uncalled for move by the government; another unconstitutional curtailment of people’s rights.

Was this rebellion planned to coincide with tomorrow’s National  Heroes (Bonifacio Day) Day commemoration — for impact?

Yes, it has been over a hundred years ago when Andres Bonifacio, a poor  and uneducated man, the “Father of the Philippine Revolution”, led the Filipinos’ fight for freedom and justice and won it, ending over three-and-a-half centuries of Spanish domination.  Today, it seems another people’s revolution needs to be staged again to check our society’s ills and bring us on the road to progress. 

A passage from Bonifacio’s essay on “What the Filipinos Should Know,” (translated from his work in Tagalog) written during the Philippine Revolutionary times  could serve as a food for thought, nudge for us to think about what we could do for our country:

Reason tells us that we cannot expect anything but more sufferings, more treachery, more insults, and more slavery. Reason tells us not to fritter away time for the promised prosperity that will never come….Reason teaches us to rely on ourselves and not to depend on others for our living. Reason tells us to be united…that we may have the strength to combat the evils in our country.

Tonight, I may have lagged behind my research target but at least I’ve seen in real time how a present day Pinoy revolution starts and ends; I’ve learned how and why it fails; I’ve seen Philippine history unfold.   I felt frustrated about the waste of time, resources and people’s efforts which I have seen.  I felt irked at the government’s reactions to the incident – everything was overkill.  I felt cynical about seeing the Philippines rise from its current economic challenges soon.  (Enough of emoting, it’s time to end this post and go back to my research.

As our country experiences a crisis, can we pinpoint from among our Filipino personalities aspiring to be modern leaders – someone who can be as brave, strong and true to the cause of the Filipino masses as Bonifacio who had none of these prerequisites for most politicians nowadays: a prominent family heritage, well-funded bank accounts, viable businesses, education in foreign universities, media endorsements, and a network of influential people?

Are we back to Bonifacio’s revolutionary times, but with a different enemy to conquer? Can we expect a new Katipunan in the making? Who is our Bonifacio this time? What can we  do , as moms, to be revolutionaries of our own time, in our own homes, for the country?