People had varied reactions to the corruption on flood control projects. The common reaction, however, is anger. Of course, who among the robbed would not feel anger?
One interesting reaction that catches my attention is the statement: “Enough is enough. Tama na. Sobra na.” This particular reaction reveals the people’s attitude toward corruption, not only in flood control projects but also in (all) other areas of the government.
The metalinguistic approach used by the Filipino philosopher, Fr. Leonardo Mercado, SVD, in his book, Elements of Filipino, is applicable in this matter. It says that “the metalinguistic approach rests on the assumption that a language reflects the thought and somehow determines the outlook of its native speakers” (p.8). I agree with this view, since language is man’s tool to express his/her inner self.
When we say, “enough is enough, tama na, sobra na,” we express our inner selves. Here, we give the impression that corruption has a certain limit. Within this limit, corruption is still allowable. It is still within the perimeter of what is “enough,” “tama” lang. Beyond this limit, corruption is already outside the border of allowability, an idea which is subscribed in this case.
Otherwise, if corruption in the government in whatever form it may be is never allowable from the very start, then we would not have said: “Enough is enough, tama na, sobra na.” We would have rather said: “No, it is never allowable from the very start, no matter how big or small it may be.” Here, the concept of allowability is never applicable.
But, metalinguistically, “enough is enough, tama na, sobra na” rather shows the “thought” and “somehow … the outlook” of the people. Here, the people in general subscribe to the idea that corruption in the government is allowable to a certain limit. However, regardless of whether the limit is narrow or wide, it nevertheless shows that corruption is tolerated to a certain acceptable degree. For this reason, the people having this kind of “thought” and “outlook” are also culpable of these corruptions in the government.
Therefore, from the metalinguistic point of view of the statement, “enough is enough, tama na, sobra na,” it can be inferred that corruption in the government exists not only in its objective material form, i.e., in the actual practice of it, but also in the subjective inner self, i.e., in the very “thought” and “outlook” of the people in general, whether conscious of it or not.
Jose Rizal, while an exile in Dapitan, was right in his answer to Pio Valenzuela (sent by Andres Bonifacio) in June 1896, saying that the people were not yet ready for the revolution against Spain due to lack of arms (De Catalina, 2012, 225).
However, it could be said there was something else Rizal had in mind: the people themselves still needed a prior revolution in terms of “thought” and “outlooks” before having a government of their own. Rizal still saw cancerous “thoughts” and “outlooks” in his fellow countrymen at that time. In fact, he recorded these “social cancers” in his immortal novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Valenzuela went back to Manila. He told Bonifacio about Rizal’s opinion regarding the planned KKK revolution. Bonifacio nevertheless pursued the revolution.
One “social cancer” is in terms of “thought” and “outlook,” that corruption is allowable to a certain limit as shown in people’s own language: “Enough is enough, tama na, sobra na.” It remains not only in the subjective realm but even in the objective praxis up to this day. This cancer still undeniably plagues the nation today. Rizal’s dream still remains a dream!
