A nation's loss

When holidays are transferred to emphasize the economic more than the essential, a nation stands to lose so much.

For one, collective memory becomes fragmented. Some will tend to remember the vacation part, not the reason for the holidays. Some will not even bother finding out why there are holidays. A number may remember the reasons for the holidays but may remember only those that they wish to remember.

Values are lost. Consumerism takes over nationalism. Heroic deeds are buried beneath deep layers of superficial actions and practices. Some examples of such are paying lip service to the fallen heroes, raising flags, or even declaring holidays away from the genuine historical dates.

Heroes and heroines, courageous acts and events slowly are lost especially on the young. Their lives and their valor are relegated to history, to one subject in school or perhaps an hour of lesson or a short 5-minute segment, if at all, in the news.

Rather than be recalled as the bida and kontrabida of the immediate past, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., is repackaged as the father of Kris or the husband of President Cory, the dead Ferdinand Marcos either as the father of Imee and Bongbong, the latest star witness vs. Lucio Tan, or, as the husband of the very much alive, just as dramatic Imelda.

Why is the economic more important then the essential? Ask GMA. Ask this present administration whose legitimacy remains challenged. Who in this administration would like to remember the events of the past as these truly took place on the actual dates that these took place?

Take the Garci tapes, for instance. Who will stand to lose or win when the real time, date, and contents of the Garci tapes are known?

The same question can be asked of the true results of the elections. There is still a need for real heroes to come out and reveal under oath the complete truth about the Garci tapes and the true election returns. Definitely, the truth will set the Filipinos free and emerge as winners.

Are there still heroes who speak the truth and who think, like Ninoy, that the Filipinos are worth dying for? Or are there more who would rather say they are very willing to live for the Filipinos and proceed to actually live exemplary lives in the service of our people and our country?

So many have given up their lives and service for this nation but are not celebrated or are in the verge of being forgotten, especially by the most numerous in our country, our youth.

We can think of Claro M. Recto who is more known now as a street rather than a nationalist, Raul Roco, remembered more as one of the presidentiables rather than as the president this country deserved to have but never had, and Fernando Poe Jr. who is more remembered as Panday rather than as the man who would have been the people's king or president.

Economic holidays transfer the focus from the real and essential to the contrived and the superficial. Why prefer the unreal and non-essential to the genuine and the truth? Perhaps many of today's leaders will prefer not to remember the real and the truth and those whose genuine heroic lives and service dwarf those who fake and lie their way through to the top in this land?

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