ALEX MAGNO: DAMAGED CULTURE
MANILA, July 20, 2004 (STAR) FIRST PERSON By Alex Magno - As soon as we start arguing with foreign commentators, we begin walking into a quagmire.Global opinion, not surprisingly, has been harsh on us – first, for actually trying to negotiate with terrorists and, second, for withdrawing our token force in disgrace.
We have been accused of cowardice. Our concessions to terrorists have been described as grossly irresponsible, endangering the lives of other nationalities as well as those of our own countrymen by making them more delectable targets for hostage-taking.
The lowest point, I think, was reached this weekend when the radical leftist group Pamamalakaya demanded that American talk show host Jay Leno issue an apology for making comments he was "in no position to make".
It seems the leftists have not only lost their sense of national dignity and collective responsibility to the community of nations, they have lost their sense of humor as well. That is truly tragic.
For those who missed it, Leno in his highly-rated talk show said that the entire Philippine mission to Iraq could fit in a Humvee. He later said that the record for the 100-meter dash was broken recently by Filipino troops hurrying to flee Iraq.
Leno was not being unfair.
Exaggeration, of course, is the essence of comedy. And comedy is most biting when it rests on a grain of truth.
The grains of truth in Leno’s comments are that our mission was miniscule to begin with and that it was withdrawn in indecent haste by a government caving in to terrorist demands.
If his comments hurt, the pain is not undeserved.
If we could not stand by our commitment to other nations, we cannot henceforth demand other nations to stand by their commitment to us. If we cannot put national pride above private grief, we ought not to demand respect from other states.
Stop the hewing and the hawing. Let’s not try and mystify everybody else with senseless rhetoric about "complex considerations" leading us to trade off national self-respect for some mistaken notion that we are doing all our overseas workers a favor by caving in to terror.
That will not even be correct, to begin with. By caving in to terrorists, we have endangered our own workers overseas. We took a myopic view of the strategic situation and succumbed to shallow emotionalism. Our government allowed itself to be intimidated by cynical leftist groups obviously trying to exploit an emotional moment to mount stale propaganda.
All the hewing and hawing will only expose our insincerity or worse, our own intellectual confusion.
If we cannot stand by our commitment to fight the scourge of global terror, then let us at least find the decency to accept that we are flimsy. If the demagoguery of the leftist groups could not be contained by a government capable of explaining national policy so that it makes sense to every Filipino, then we allow the intellectually bankrupt demagogues to dictate national policy.
If we cannot present a longer horizon of considerations for our people to appreciate, then we lose credibility to the global perception that we are an unreliable nation ready to succumb to every expediency that comes along. We are worthless allies who will break and run at the slightest discomfort. We are an unprincipled country ready to cut a separate peace with every terrorist band.
Last Thursday, on Dong Puno Live, I had what I thought was a very revealing debate with the usual mouthpieces of the Filipino Left. It was a debate, I believe, that unmasked their intellectual dishonesty.
Fr. Joe Dizon of Bayan filibustered about why those who took Angelo de la Cruz hostage and beheaded his Bulgarian companion were not terrorists. By trying to assign some noble cause to this murderous band, Dizon seems to be subliminally trying to convince us that the atrocities committed by his friends in the NPA – including the on-going hostage-taking of two Army lieutenants in Quezon – were not acts of terror.
Liza Masa of Bayan Muna tried to sound profound by trying to redirect the debate to the "context" of an unjust war. That "context" would have given her the pretext to launch yet another tirade against an "imperialist invasion" that would excuse acts of terrorism. That ploy would have distracted us from the real question: the moral repugnancy of any act of terror.
Some half-wit from Sanlakas arbitrarily redefined "nationalism", turning the concept upside down, by claiming "nationalism" meant putting the interest of the individual above that of the nation state. Let me remind that half-wit that the root word of "nationalism" is "nation" and the sentiment describes putting considerations of the national entity above self. His twisted definition actually refers to "individualism", whose root word is "individual" and refers to the sentiment that puts individual interest ahead of the nation.
But let’s not belabor the semantics. Our diplomacy and international standing are in a mess. This is a moment of national shame.
The least we could do is to try to understand why we now find ourselves in this mess. Those elements that caused us to bring this upon ourselves are the same elements that explain why our whole development as a nation is in a mess.
We have a damaged culture.
We put individuals ahead of the nation. We put short-term comfort ahead of long-term considerations. We are constantly unable to subordinate the particular to the general, the peculiar to the universal. When the going gets tough, we are prone to seeking out quick fixes that bring momentary relief at the price of further complications down the road.
Some of my friends have needled the unyielding position I have taken on this tragic incident, asking me what I would do if I were in the place of Angelo de la Cruz.
I have pondered that question long and hard. I have decided that even if my own life was on the line, I would not – with all due respects to Angelo – plead for my survival at the expense of asking my government to humiliate my nation.
That is the dictate of patriotism.
Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
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