THIS is one of the few instances where I am agreeing with Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
In a recent speech at Far Eastern University, she declared, “Let me summarize the problem with Philippine elections. Of the 50 million voters who will troop to the polls in May next year, the greater majority are not intelligent, they are not educated for voting, and the candidates they choose are not educated for serving.”
To clarify: I’m only agreeing with the second part of her statement. The one about candidates not being educated for serving.
Santiago was obviously talking about education in terms of having a college degree or an MBA or a doctorate. That helps of course. But the most important education – a good education, that is – is that which my grade school teachers and my Scout Master taught me and my generation.
They taught us good manners and right conduct. Politeness and courtesy. Charity. Respect for elders. Love of country. The importance of honoring one’s word. The dignity of labor. They hammered into our heads that “honesty is the best policy.” And they kept reminding us of the Golden Rule.
My Scout Master made us recite, “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout’s Law. To help other people at all times. To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.”
Against the standards set by my Scout master and my grade school teachers, Santiago is absolutely right. She’s right, not only about many of the candidates who run for public office, but also about a large number already occupying official positions in government.
They are impolite, uncouth, vulgar, using such crass language as “Gago!” in the halls of the Senate. They have no word of honor (blithely admitting to have lied about jumping off a plane). They are backroom dealers, double-crossers, plagiarists and see nothing wrong with it. Ruthless and murderous. Wallowing in unexplained wealth. Neither mentally awake nor morally straight. And they live by The Other Golden Rule: “He who has the gold makes the rules.”
About the first part of her statement – that the majority of voters are not intelligent – I disagree. The majority of Filipino voters are intelligent enough to learn the lessons taught them by the leaders of the country – the same leaders who, in the words of Santiago, are not educated for serving.
These Role Models in Reverse are like Fagin, the villainous character in Charles Dicken’s novel, Oliver Twist,” who was maintainer and teacher of a gang of juvenile thieves. Fagin taught and trained his wards well, and he was intent on “educating” the orphan, Oliver. Fagin’s most “intelligent” student was the master thief, the Artful Dodger.
Indeed, not just politicians and public officials, but many of our country’s businessmen and some members of the clergy, have been “educating” generations of Filipinos on the fine points of tax evasion, bribery, extortion and other techniques for earning a fast buck, the profitability of selling their votes, and the futility of living ethical and principled lives.
Our youth – not just the poor, mind you – have been “educated” on the techniques of pulling strings, dropping names, influence peddling, taking short-cuts, jumping the line and bending the law.
Back in the 40’s then Senate President Jose Avelino declared, quite candidly, “What are we in power for?”
In the NBN-ZTE scandal, whistle-blower Jun Lozada recalled that NEDA Director General Romulo Neri cautioned the project proponents, among them, Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos, to “moderate the greed.”
In testifying before investigators on the unusually large sums of money being squirreled out of the Philippines to the US, the wife of AFP controller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, declared unblushingly that the sums were “gratitude money” – a euphemism for bribes.
Citing financial dole-outs received by members of the Catholic Bishops Conference from then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, columnist Conrad de Quiros wrote:
“The test of the pudding is in the eating. Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, who was one of the most favored recipients of the honest-to-goodness assistance, found absolutely nothing wrong with Arroyo stealing the presidency. ‘Everybody cheats anyway,’ he famously said.”
I heard a similar statement at a panel discussion that I participated in at the Philippine consulate general in San Francisco, several years ago. Among the issues discussed was Arroyo’s cheating in the presidential elections. One of the panelists declared impatiently, “Why complain about the cheating? Everyone cheats anyway!”
I had a quick riposte: “I completely agree. As a matter of fact, since everyone is corrupt anyway, why don’t they just legalize graft and corruption?”
The panelist realized that I was being sarcastic and complained as much to me. My reply: “Is that what we should teach our children…that it’s okay to cheat because everyone cheats anyway?”
Those are just some of the examples that come to mind, but they illustrate the kind of education that our people have been getting from our leaders.
Are they intelligent or dumb?
Many years ago, a friend of mine who was a customs inspector at the NAIA decided to quit his job. The man refused to extort or accept bribes, which was SOP among his colleagues in the bureau. Not surprisingly, he drove a broken-down jalopy and his house badly needed repairs. Worst of all, he was constantly being called “Gago” and “Tanga” by his wife.
My friend isn’t alone. In our country, there are many honest, hard-working, principled civil servants, soldiers and policemen, as well as members of the press, who haven’t heard the end of being called “Dumb!” by family and friends, because they refuse to cheat, steal or use their “connections” to enrich themselves.
“Bakit di mo gamitin ang utak mo?” is the usual exhortation. “Why don’t you use your coconut?”
Sadly, in our country, “Mautak” (brainy) has become a pejorative. “Intelligence” has come to mean “clever,” “devious,” “street smart.” The personification of Fagin’s Artful Dodger.
Are these the folks that Santiago thinks are “not enough intelligent and not educated enough for voting”?
You’re wrong, Madame Senator. These people are as intelligent as you politicians have made them. You have taught them well. And our country has suffered and will continue to suffer because of this.
On the other hand, you’re right. Many of your colleagues are not educated enough to serve.
***
Email [email protected].
