The response was encouraging. People e-mailed me from different parts of the world saying it was about time we focused on the positive. Some shared stories of their own triumphs. A few stepped forward and boldly said, "I would like to help. What can I do?"
All this was happening in the wake of the Aurora and Quezon tragedy. The irony of it. Here I was, writing about what was good about the Filipino when the maddening, heart-wrenching proof of exactly the opposite, was staring me in the face. Yet even as I clutched my stomach at the stunned, grief-locked eyes of women who were no longer mothers, and clenched my teeth at the narrow-minded newspaper article asking, "Whose head will roll over the Quezon tragedy?", I knew that other stories would start coming in, too. Stories of hope and light.
And they did. Help poured in from Filipinos all over the world. Through The Filipino Channel people made donations, one for as much as $20,000. Anonymously. Just like that. Housewives, students, nuns – all kinds of people – flocked to relief centers to offer their help, whether to pack food and clothing or to cook for other volunteers –anything – so as not to sit idly at home while others suffered so. People were exhausted from lack of sleep but plodded on. What they felt couldn’t have been anything close to what was still happening in those flood-ravaged towns.
I thought about the rescue volunteers who had to wade through thick mud and dig with their bare hands and whatever implements they could fashion out of nothing. I felt the usual anger and frustration that is part of every Filipino’s experience and launched into the familiar mental chant: this happens to us so often why don’t we have the tools, the equipment, an actual disaster relief program that is organized and easily mobilized, on and on. But part of me was also mighty proud that the Filipino will do whatever it takes, with whatever he has. He will use his bare hands and risk his life. When push comes to shove, the Pinoy will just do it.
Since writing that piece on Karangalan, I’ve also been teased. "You still trying to save the country?" There was another comment that alluded to disappointment over the content of my column, as if I should be writing about something more digestible like say, someone’s awesome holiday table setting or Christmas shopping tips. But I took it in stride. I am a Filipino and this is my country. I’m not going to sit in my little cave pretending I’m not part of the big picture and I’m certainly not going to be paralyzed by the thought that nothing I do will make a difference. I will just keep doing what I can and believe that my efforts, no matter what they are, will count towards a better Philippines.
There was a man on a bicycle who went to the relief center and gave of his day’s earnings: 50 pesos. It was all he could give, he said. Was it all right? Volunteers applauded him. If every Filipino gave whatever he could, in the spirit of hope and healing, we could be taking those steps across the threshold now. Today, we use our hands to dig through rubble, tomorrow we use them to plant more trees. The next day we get our acts together and handle disaster with more precision. And over time, maybe, there will be less and less disaster to handle. But we start somewhere. If it’s 50 pesos that’s what it is. The point is that you pedaled and you gave it. If it is a prayer, even hastily said, that’s what it is. There is no gesture too small.
There is an impulse in the air that is beginning to take root and blossom. It is an impulse that is illuminated by the belief that the Filipino can bring the country across the threshold. We have it. Thousands of Filipinos are doing extraordinary work. Despite the widespread cynicism about the future of our country, there is a growing number of people who would rather act positively and not be sucked into the dark hole of bitter resignation. The Karangalan Conference and Festival is but one of these impulses; the first gathering of thousands to celebrate our strengths and accomplishments. We don’t have to get together just for tragedies. We can get together in good times to forge the bonds that can get us through the bad.
Am I trying to save the country? There really is only one answer to that: always. With whatever it takes.
The Karangalan Conference/Festival will be held on January 21-23, 2005. For more information on the program, exhibits, registration, etc., log on to www.truthforce.info. You can also contact Nicanor Perlas at 687-1309; 687-1312, 687-7481 or 687-7482. Or e-mail me at magisip@yahoo.com.