Freedom from ghosts

My Independence Day was rather bleak as I chose to stay at home rather than go out and join the festivities. I was glued to my computer, trying to start an academic paper that has long haunted me, looming over me. Many friends were asking about my whereabouts and I told them that I wasn’t available. My petty self isn’t free from the many responsibilities of the academic world. While this is my own little bubble, I'm sure we all have our own domains that we cannot escape from. I remember Cup of Joe's hit song “Multo”, whose chorus talks about being bound and visited by the ghost of the past every day.

The word “ghost” could come in many forms --it could be things from the past, future events, or the literal spooky, unnatural being we often find so scary late at night. For many Filipinos, their ghosts are the present, stuck in the usual routine. The Department of Labor and Employment, last Thursday, created a Kalayaan Job Fair in the hopes of freeing the unemployed from hardship. Their way to genuine liberation is to provide a decent job that would eventually uplift one’s life status.

Our country is also stuck with the ghost of its past. In my lifetime, I have sat through two impeachments --one of a president, and a second (if it actually happens) of a vice president. Watching the proceedings made me reflect on the way Filipinos voted for their next set of legislators. The minority were very eloquent with their points, while the other faction banked on irregularities that seemingly struck a point as the current terms are set to close. It’s quite unsure what that says about us as a country moving forward.

The question “are we truly free?” is still to be asked. June 12 is just a placeholder to remember when the flag was hoisted in Cavite, but it never emancipated us from the perils we couldn’t leave behind. Even now, we are bound by the diplomatic relationships we have and the choice of administration we got ourselves into. There’s no real enjoyment in being a Filipino unless one of us wins an international competition, like a band-aid temporarily soothing the wound.

It is true that ghosts haunt us, like history repeating itself again. Experts say the events of today will have a repercussion on what will happen in another three years. It is like placing ourselves in a box with little to no choice. The incoming administration’s movement will be bound by whoever is the ruling political dynasty. While it can be denied, we are all bearing the brunt. I wonder if we can truly rid ourselves of the influence of the ruling class, let alone the dominating country in the world arena. We will forever a slave to our past if we don’t let go of the ghosts that haunt us.