Loyalty to one’s country

Last Thursday, I was the guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Manila, the oldest club in Asia, which I recently became a member of. The members belong to divergent political backgrounds and persuasions. There were the Estrada friends and classmates like Tony Lopa, Tong Payumo, Boy Ampil, Digs Dilangalen, Jimmy Policarpio and Susing Pineda. And there were also GMA followers like Atty. Jess Santos, lawyer and spokesperson of the First Gentleman. Also present were prominent businessmen Ed Reyes, former Insurance Commissioner Ben Santos, Paqui Ortigas, Fausto Preysler Jr., O.V. Espiritu, and of course the oldest member of the Rotary Club, Don Paco Delgado. There was international hotelier Art Lopez with AmCham executive director Rob Sears. We also have diplomats in the Rotary like Ambassador Cesar Bautista and Ambassador Vic Garcia. It was actually an honor for me to speak before such a distinguished crowd. I wanted to share with my fellow Rotarians the experiences that I have had over the years when I was still a news reporter of Channel 9, knowing people in politics, and relating them to the present political situation. We’re a country that has been divided for so long, and it’s time for us to be guided by loyalty to our country, and not to any one person or group.

When the Spaniards conquered the Philippines, they imposed a colonial policy of "divide and rule" to keep the country under their control. It was relatively easy for the Spanish to do this because ethnic groups had tangible and actual differences, like their dialect, food, traits and even clothing. The Spanish tried to pit one group against another, encouraging this attitude of regionalism to subdue any rebellious spark and prevent the country from being united. In fact, the Spanish rulers would use soldiers from one region to quash a rebellion in another, in this way encouraging competition and animosity between Filipinos.

This regionalism could also be one reason why we lost in the Spanish and the American Wars, because we were divided as a people. Even with a common enemy, factionalism still prevailed, as in the case of Emilio Aguinaldo and Andres Bonifacio whose enmity caused members of the Katipunan to take sides. Even then, the penchant of Filipinos to be loyal to a person and to stick to their own kind was already apparent.

That’s probably the reason why even today, Filipinos abroad still prefer to be identified by their region or province. Even in the United States, we have the Abrenians, the Panggalatoks, the Kapampangans, the Bicolanos, instead of simply having the collective term of "Filipino." Here, the Kapampangans would rather go with their cabalen, the Ilocanos with their kailian, or the Batangueños with their kabayan. That could partly be the reason why the Machiavellian theory of "divide and conquer" has been very successful in this country. We are so divided because everything is personality-oriented.

When I interviewed Ninoy Aquino in Tokyo months before he was assassinated, I found him to be a very charismatic person. He could have made a good president, but that was not meant to be. I also got to know Fernando Poe Jr., and like Erap, he was also charismatic. But people have to start learning to look beyond personalities. Friendships and loyalty to one person should not get in the way of doing what is good for the country. Loyalty is not a bad thing; in fact it is a trait that is most appreciated in our culture. But extreme loyalty or friendships with certain groups or people could ultimately blind us into thinking that being loyal to that person or group is being loyal to the country.

As I have stated many times before, EDSA I was the only legitimate People Power Revolution. EDSA 2 was a mistake because it booted out a duly elected president. If anything, it only succeeded in deepening divisions between the people, with some groups still trying to exploit it by encouraging pro-Erap groups to go after GMA. It has come down to the Biblical "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth," which has complicated the already divided situation we’re in today.

Trying to correct a mistake with another mistake will only lead to chaos. And the way I see it, we’re stuck with GMA whether we like it or not. She has said that she is determined to finish her term no matter what, because she believes Divine Providence placed her in Malacañang. For GMA, she believes she’s the best person to lead this country towards change from its present system. We need to start looking beyond personalities and to start focusing on the system that could best work for this country.

Perhaps FVR’s formula that calls for a transition from our present presidential system to a parliamentary form of government is worth considering. I know that there are many who do not agree with Charter Change and a shift to the parliamentary system, but it’s worth a try. The present system has already failed us.

The bottom line is, politicians have to stop looking after their own interests. As the saying goes, "What’s good for the goose is good for the gander," and it should be taken to mean, "What is good for the country would ultimately be good for all of us," and not the other way around.

Both Erap and Gloria are personal friends of mine. Erap could have been a good president, but unfortunately he tripped. GMA still has the opportunity to make history and become a good president, as she always said she wanted to be. I have long ago abandoned the idea that being loyal to one person or a friend, to a fault, would be good to the country, which many of us are perhaps guilty of. We should now look beyond loyalty to one person.

This country must mature into what democracy is really all about. As Winston Churchill aptly said, the democratic system may not be perfect, but it’s the only system that works. As we can see, most communist countries like China and Russia are now moving towards a capitalist and democratic system.

It was Manuel Quezon who once said, "My loyalty to my party ends where my loyalty to my country begins." It is now time for all of us to collectively start being loyal to our country, and not to one’s individual interest. After all, it’s the only country we’ve got.

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