The right to whine

Let’s face it. We Pinoys have two favorite pastimes: gossiping and whining. If we’re not doing one, we’re doing the other. I’ve tackled gossiping several times in this column and I won’t delve into that too much because rumors might go around that I’m anti-showbiz, which I am definitely not. After all, I am in show business, being an executive in a television network. However, I do think that we can definitely tone down on our gossiping, and just stick to the facts. But then again, a factual report simply doesn’t sell as well as conjectures, inferences, and baseless assumptions. And that’s where the dilemma begins.

Whining is a Pinoy pastime I can really relate to because, frankly, I do it all the time. Let’s face it – we are a whining brood. And what do we whine about? The Philippines, what else?

We Pinoys always have something to complain about the country. The lack of security enforcement, the potholes on EDSA, the poor water system, the traffic, the pollution, the unabated overpopulation of Metro Manila, garbage, street vendors and street kids, corrupt politicians, the lack of system, the heat, the rising crime rate, the humidity, the inefficiency of the bureaucracy, the lack of jobs, etc. Every day, when you scan the papers, you will get to read one or two stories on these abominations and you get the feeling we are an accursed lot. I do, all the time.

And I must confess, there were several times in the past that I seriously considered moving out of the country. I once got stuck in a three-hour traffic jam and I said to myself, "Darn it, I’m leaving this damn country. It’s hopeless." I went to the extent of filling up immigration forms – for the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, you name it. I believe I even filled up an application for Zimbabwe. It was that bad. Anywhere but here, I said to myself.

But you know, over the past few weeks, there were three events that happened that made me rethink my position. I would sum up these three events in three words: Bush, Mariah, and Mandy.

When word first came out that President George W. Bush was coming to the Philippines, I became very anxious. After all, we just had that oh-so-infamous coup attempt at Oakwood. I had these weird worst-case-scenarios going through my head, with images of JFK being whisked in his Lincoln Continental, unconscious and bloodied, after those shots were fired from school book depository. (Or was it the grassy knoll? Who knows?)

I said to myself, "Man, I hope it doesn’t happen to Dubya." When he stepped out of Air Force One, I was praying, "Please Lord, let there not be a lunatic sniper on the loose!"

And thank God nothing of that sort happen. In fact, by any standard, Dubya’s trip here was highly successful. Sure there were maybe 10,000 demonstrators in the streets. Sure there was this idiotic walkout from some Congressmen (who I bet, at one point in their lives, have applied for a US visa). But that was nothing.

Dubya just visited England (supposedly the US’ biggest ally) and yet there were 100,000 protesters in the streets, some in front of Buckingham Palace itself where he was staying! There were reports and exposes on the flawed royal security. So compared to his England visit, the Philippine visit of Dubya was a piece of cake, and probably far more pleasant. And I must say that makes me very proud of our government, and our country as a whole.

We showed the world that we could handle a state visit of the world’s most powerful (and probably most controversial) man. And believe me, there are a lot of countries out there that can’t make that claim.

I don’t know if it was symbolic or mere coincidence, but that state visit virtually opened the gates of the country to other international celebrities. After that state visit, it seemed that there was a deluge of confirmations from internationally renowned personalities that they were coming over. Over the past weeks, we have seen prominent acts like Michael Buble, Alice Peacock, Stephen Bishop, and F2 come to Manila and perform without a hitch. But the most notable visitors were pop diva Mariah Carey, and pop princess Mandy Moore. Both are legitimate heavyweights in the world of entertainment. (For Mariah, it’s both figurative and literal – man, did you see those bulging thighs and upper chest?). They are really big stars. And they were both in Manila within a span of three days!

It’s hard to fathom that all of these personalities visited the country within a period of only three months. Certainly, it speaks well for the country.

Sure, we still have high criminality. And sure EDSA still reminds us of the lunar landscape. And let’s not deny that politics is still so pervasive in the air. But our country ain’t all that bad. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of good things about this country, certainly enough reasons to stay. If we think that criminality is high here, try Baghdad. If we think EDSA is bad, try the roads of Ethiopia. Sure, things could be better here. But they could be much worse, too.

We’re probably the only country to have a coup attempt, and then the very next day it’s business as usual. Despite the controversies, our economy stays afloat.

Hey, we don’t have big accounting scandals like Enron and Worldcom. And those scandals happened in the US, probably the most well regulated economy in the world! And whether you believe it or not, we certainly have more than a handful of tourist spots in the country. Thanks to Sec. Dick Gordon’s and the DOT’s highly visible "Wow Philippines" campaign, I’m now more inclined to visit places in the Philippines other than Boracay, Tagaytay and Baguio.

The "Wow Philippines" campaign is so passionate, so colorful so vibrant, and so encouraging that you can’t help but believe in it. The TV commercials may tend to exaggerate a bit (hey, all commercials tend to do that), but we have to bear in mind that now, more than ever, we have to see the positive side of our country. Because, let’s face it, it’s the only place that we can truly call home. You may go to the US, have your hair dyed blonde, get a US driver’s license and get a twang in two weeks, but deep within, your heart belongs to this country.

I know that a lot of my relatives who have been in the US for years and have become American citizens still care a lot about the country. They still check out philstar.com, trying to find out what’s happening here. Their citizenship may have changed, but not their hearts. Even that dreaded "little brown American" that Dero Pedero wrote about in his column a few weeks ago.

Just like a lot of Pinoys, I have my complaints. And I do whine a lot about this country. But I have made a personal commitment to try and stop myself from saying any more bad things about the Philippines. First, it’s counter-productive. My whining doesn’t really help the country. Secondly, if you are not doing anything to make the country better, then you have no right to complain.

For instance, you may complain all the time about how our streets are so filthy. But have you unconsciously thrown a gum wrapper or a Starbuck receipt in the street recently? If so, you have no right to complain. You are part of the problem. You complain about corrupt cops, but let me ask you, have you been caught by a cop in the past? Did you take that supposedly mandatory three-day seminar? Or did you pay him off, just so you don’t have to take that three-day seminar? If you did, then stop whining about corrupt cops. You are part of the problem. You made him what he is now.

So stop whining about the country. For one thing, there’s been too much of that already. Moreover, everyone is doing it, so it’s not cool anymore. Even the "squares" are whining now. So be different, and praise the country for a change. It’s no longer fashionable to complain.

Secondly, the country ain’t all that bad. You must admit, we have the best Chrismtases here, and we’ve got the best malls in the world. And where in the world will you find all the passengers in a plane clap and cheer wildly the moment their plane lands at NAIA? I have done some traveling, and I have never seen that phenomenon. Only in the Philippines. Thirdly, unless you can look at yourself in the mirror and say, "I am not part of the problem of this country," then you really shouldn’t be whining.

Because, in the end, you are really just whining about yourself.

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Thanks for all your letters, folks! You may write me at rodnepo@yahoo.com.