Tuesday, October 10, 2007 Carvajal: The slurs are us By Orlando P. Carvajal Break Point
GOD only knows how many slurs we Filipinos make about our leaders. You hear them in barbershops, in bars, in street corners, in school, even in church. You hear them from all kinds of people too. It is the Filipino’s way of coping with the reality that their leaders are a cruel joke being played on them by some sadistically playful god.
Our leaders must know about these slurs but take no heed. They simply go on doing what they are criticized for in these slurs shamelessly and without remorse. Look how they proceeded to steal people’s money in the ZTE scam when nobody has been punished yet for the fertilizer scam and more recently the overpriced lamp posts.
Why then the big fuss about the slur on “some med school from the Philippines?” Why all of a sudden the hurt pride on the part of our leaders? Of course, a few good schools produce some very good doctors and nurses but is it not true that we have so many diploma mills in this country for all types of courses? Why don’t our leaders apologize to us for allowing this to happen?
If they resent the slur why don’t they do something about their incompetence and corruption that gives basis of truth to the slurs?
They know the slurs have a basis in reality but what they did not like was the fact that these were made on worldwide television. It was not good for their image and that’s all they care about. They do not mind the slurs made by Filipinos because they look down on the people they are ruling and what Filipinos say in private conversations do not tarnish their image at all in the world community.
Filipinos have the right to feel slighted by a slur from foreigners who have no business slurring us. But Filipinos know the slurs are true because they also utter them. In fact, more than slurs Filipinos damn their officials every day at all times and in all places for their incompetence and corruption in all fields and not just in medical education.
No apology from a foreign TV show can remove the basis for the slur. Only a change of heart and atonement by our leaders can true this wrongful situation. Unfortunately no such thing is happening. Judicial killings continue, education is irrelevant and substandard, civil service is more like civil oppression by bossy bureaucrats, dengue and rabies, all preventable diseases, are killing more people than is acceptable, and so forth and so endlessly on.
Instead of feeling hurt, our leaders should apologize to the people for giving basis for these slurs. But no, they go on with their corrupt practices shamelessly. So, like it or not the slurs will continue although maybe not on TV anymore. The slur is really on us. Better still, the slurs are us.
