Filipinos by Name Only

The love for our country is becoming less significant to the Filipinos of today. Our belief that our united love for our country ended when the wars ended is absurd. Many of us are not anymore familiar with our existence in this country as well as the roles we are to partake as members of it. More are becoming ignorant and less sympathetic to its importance. Less people are participating in rallies or even silent protests. Haven’t we forgotten that we became popular around the world because of the successful People Power? Haven’t we benefited from the impact of this in our lives today? If not for that, we might still be one of the caged nations in the east. Though, I admit I, for one, is not yet born when that campaign happened. I just seen it on documentary videos and I felt the brutality of it. Yes, we watch TV, read the news, but it all ends in a sitting position. News has become a form of entertainment instead of a medium to encourage nationalism. WE don’t care about the murders of others (what we only do is murmur how pitiful their fate was), the environment campaigns are just ads and not to be taken seriously, the lives of celebrities take more attention from us than the problems occurring in some communities, but our ears are wide-open when the news talks about our health. Imagine how selfish the Filipinos had become; from the one for all to the mind your own business race. If not for the death of Francis Magalona many of us will still be unaware that there are still advocates who promote the great archipelago in the Pacific.

I am not trying to convince people to join rallies whenever possible. What I am just pointing out is that for at least as Filipinos we should feel obligated to the future of this country and not just focus on ourselves or on the people we love. We should not be Filipinos by name but by heart. We can start by just caring for our environment. I am just disappointed with the Earth Day last Saturday. There are a lot of ads calling for support for the planet earth. But the households in my place did not even participate in this cause because they think it is nonsense. Many are not aware of this happening and many just don’t care. Turning off the light for one hour, what can it contribute for the future? Actually, it is not the actual turning off the lights. The turning off the lights is a symbolic pledge that from now on we will use the energy wisely. It is like a reformat for our everyday lifestyle and the turning on the light marks its start. With just this simple task, my province is becoming less cooperative. I hope it is not the same on your place.