Mea culpa

UNESCO preamble states that war starts in the minds of men. Therefore the defense of peace can only be built by removing ignorance, through a knowledge society.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is at war against illegal drugs that for decades have triggered murders, robberies and rapes all over the land. So he is doing away with drug addicts, local drug pushers and big time drug pushers whether they are policemen, soldiers or government officials, the so-called narco-politicians. Rody is also at war against oligarchs who have no concern for the welfare of poor illiterate families. What have the so-called tycoons done to help the poor help themselves and consequently equalize opportunities for all? The unstoppable construction of high-rise condominiums and shopping malls? When will these end?

This greediness has deprived the general public of unpolluted green parks and has invaded the natural landscape and culture of the countryside. Immersed in materialism, the spiritual sense of our youth has been debased. Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Guilty, we strike our breast.

The sins of our fathers

Since we were granted independence in 1946, our country has been encircled by a vicious cycle of evil. We failed to understand and practice democracy – a government OF the people, BY the people, FOR the people. Our country has remained oppressed, burdened with illiteracy, neglected by the local government who has not lifted a finger to provide major functional literacy programs in the community. Beyond reading and writing, the underprivileged require functional literacy lessons of good grooming and hygiene, good housekeeping, childcare, cooking and nutrition, mayors should provide networking with the DepEd Bureau of Alternative Learning System (BALS). They are convertible to backyard business.

Many are enslaved by the rich, dictated and fooled by the powerful and corrupt ninongs and ninangs (godparents). Even the Church has failed to instill morality especially among the poor and unschooled for they were conditioned to beg. Parents and teachers tend to uphold wealth as the end all instead of putting emphasis on work ethics and honor. Mea culpa. Mea culpa. It is our fault.

Why are there millions of drug dependents?

Practically everyday newspapers front-paged a countdown of suspected drug addicts, drug pushers being killed – one time totaling 525 (170 attacked by vigilantes, 355 by police operations). One of them was the emaciated Michael Siaron of Pasay pictured dead, sprawled on the street.

Who is Michael? He is identified with a cardboard scrawled “drug pusher.” His anguished wife claims he is not. If he were on drugs, then he would be at war with his neighbors, the whole community? Who are his parents? His province? Was he a school dropout that could not hold on to a decent job, so he sold drugs instead? The newspapers should elaborate on this. Who were the drug syndicates that fed his trade? Why hasn’t the police, supported by NBI intelligence, arrest him before instead of killing him?

But what conditioned his misery?  The following day the same newspaper front-paged his cardboard shanty floating in a stinky estero (canal) saturated with sickening rubbish. Shocking! How many Metro Manila mayors perpetuate this abominable dirt? With 12 million inhabitants the city mayors assisted by barangay captains should be doing a daily collection of waste materials morning and afternoon but they only do it once a week. It is appalling to realize that most of the 16 NCR municipalities coddle colonies of squatters instead of relocating them into more humane settlements. Are mayors commendable? Do they deserve to perpetuate themselves in power? Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Heaven help us.

Meantime the drug dependents reason out in defense. Kasalanan ko ba? They ask. Hindi ko naman alam. Is it our fault if we know no better? Mahirap lang kami. We are helpless being too poor. When the local mayor and his councilors fail to provide an environment of continuing education as well as skill occupation, poverty will persist.

The media

The latest of the narcotic drama of the nation this week is headlined by the papers “159 ‘narco-officials’ named.” Readers gasped “incredible” to see splashed on front page large photos of shame-faced mayors accompanied by the “Rody’s List” box of the names of mayors, judges, congressmen, cops, soldiers involved. Whereas the previous week daily photos of “shoot to kill“ victims of President Duterte’s war on drugs filled up the newspapers. Most striking was Michael’s weeping wife cradling her dead husband on the street and their lonely shanty floating on the estero. Do the newspapers provide useful information about the addicts’ lives and their moral obligation to society or merely sensationalize their misery to get the readers’ sympathy? Photos of the victims and families may sell the paper but gives the wrong sublimal message to the uninformed public. Still some papers prefer to give more emphasis to the sociological background of the human elements to help develop a knowledge and hopeful society and so regulate the photo bombardment of misery. Mea culpa. Mea culpa.

On the other hand, social media courtesy of pedestrian witnesses has come to the aid of reporters as in the case of John dela Riarte who was happily on his way to his new job as driver for a bank in Makati but unfortunately his motorcycle accidentally bumped a private car. Cell phone photo of a passerby showed clearly the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) immediately arresting and handcuffing him – taken into the police car and shot to death four times. Obviously murdered, and not resisting arrest and grappling the police gun as claimed by the HPG. Mea Culpa Mea Culpa

Where top businessmen fail to invest

Last week STAR columnist Cito Beltran exposed the culpability of the privileged Filipino businessmen. His column “Cockroaches and Crabs in Life” referred to drug dealers as “cockroaches of society“ that have taken away the lives, health, wealth and peace of mind of many Filipinos. Because they never crawled into our space, we simply dismissed it as other people’s problems until we had an infestation. So the public voted an “exterminator” into office to get rid of the “cockroaches” dealing in illegal drugs. As long as there is one “cockroach” drug dealer hiding in the barangay, it does not take long for them to repopulate their world with addicts, dealers, dependents and protectors.

“Yes it’s disturbing to see 400 dead drug pushers and the thought of having to live with them for longer. It is disturbing especially for those who did not do anything to stop it when they were in power and in a position to do so. That bunch continues to do nothing except talk about the problem and criticize the police who put their lives on the line at every ‘buy-bust operation.’

“Big businessmen want to get into infrastructure projects, build commercial-residential complexes, more and more condominiums, and win more contracts from government and make more profits provided they have a level playing field. How ironic, the top five percent of Philippine business still think they need a level playing field. Try explaining that to the taho vendor, the basyador, the guy who travels three hours from Talim Island to Barrio Kapitolyo just to sell 20 kilos of fish he carried on his shoulder all the way!

“What we don’t hear from businessmen are unsolicited offers to build more jails that are modern or at least humane. Unsolicited offers to build juvenile protection facilities for the minors we want off the streets, so that we don’t have to lower the age of the criminal liability to nine years old. Unsolicited offers to build new wings for public hospitals especially in the provinces. Unsolicited offers to build proper facilities for the aged and abandoned so we don’t have to criminalize abandonment of parents by the children they abandoned or cannot properly care for them. Unsolicited offer to build dormitories in the many state universities and colleges that have a dire shortage of housing especially for poor but deserving scholars so that they don’t get rape off campus or commit suicide because of shame and dishonor for not having the money to continue their education. MEA CULPA.

To confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life

“I have taken you to a high mountain and shown you below, in the valley of men, the great stream of life which flows through all the Universe – that stream which encompasses all things, which has always been and always shall be. How harmoniously it flows, how steadily and with perfect rhythm. You saw the forms of men, working in that stream. They appeared as tiny ants working in their hills, from the high place I had taken you. Some few you saw working in harmony with Great Stream, they were riding the waves and everything they did was easy and joyous, for they were the ones in harmony with My Law and My Universe. But others were pushing and fighting their way against the current of My Divine Direction. How they toiled and suffered and with what distress was their day filled!

“But as you beheld the vision, you likewise beheld they joy, the look of lifted attention, the peace, upon the faces of those who were in harmony. You beheld also the look of weariness, distrust and agony on the faces of the others.

“It is enough! You see so plainly the results of being for My Law, and not against it. Shall you ever again try to push it aside, or try to form your own laws, or try to fight your way-up stream?”

( Quiet Talks with the Master)

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