Our scourge of disunity

Before anything else, my lady Carmen and our children, Belynda and Romar, Averell and En-en, Byron and Aimee, Beatriz and Charisse join me and this paper in wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

Of the hopes commonly verbalized among Christian nations throughout the world during Christmas that of unity is most elusive. Our unity as a nation, it seems to me, is particularly difficult to achieve. We are a fractious people in many an undertaking. Ironically, it is in the spirit of unity that we are disunited.

In politics for instance, we are a divided lot. This is indicated by the existence of an astonishing number of political parties. There are Lakas, Kampi, Liberal, Nacionalista, LDP, PDP and so forth and so on. Quite paradoxically, if we examine their party platforms, philosophies and visions, which, by the way, are obviously written by brilliant nationalistic minds, they, for commonly seeking the advancement of our people's welfare, do not differ from one another. In other words, there is a unity of purpose inked in their documents. It, thus, boggles my mind no end, that while different groups agree on certain basic principles of governance, they, or perhaps, their leaders, cannot be unified in the pursuit of such ideals or at least reduce their number to a less dizzying scales.

Look around, even in our barangays, disunity, amidst unity, is visible. To attempt to drive home this point, let me ask you how many chapels are erected in say a sitio? Along the inner streets of the city, we find one small chapel almost back to back with another. Or maybe one is built just a block from the other. Yet, they may have the same patron saint to honor!

Among our youths too, the term unity is either misunderstood or its meaning is stretched to unbelievable limits.How may it be explained that there are as many youth associations in a given locality as there are those who claim leadership? "A" group, for example, is composed of members living within the same area where "B" association functions. And yet, if you have the chance to ask these neighbors for their objectives, they grope around saying that they are organized to promote unity among the youngsters.

Let us go to a wider scope. Here in our city, I will name few dynamic organizations I know or have come across. Circulo Boholano, Katilingbang Leyteneo,Aguman Capampangan, Timpuyog, Bicol Association. The basic announced reason for each of these organizations is to unite their fellow province mates to a common objective. Within such small territory as Cebu City, they want to project the image of unity.

What these groups fail to realize is that by rallying their paisanos to an identified sector, they, in effect, range themseles against the other groups. In identifying their province or region, they, figuratively speaking, put a fence that separates them from those coming from other places. Thus, when a Boholano here in Cebu City enlists himself under the Circulo Boholano banner, he, in effect, discriminates the other groups. When he unites with his fellow Bol-anon, he disparages the Leyteno, who might be his friendly neighbor.

Can you imagine that in foreign countries, we carry our disunity (because of a desire to be united) to embarrassing levels? This, to me, is a scourge. In the US as probably elsewhere in the world, there are Cebuano groups distinct from those of Negrenses or the Tagalogs. It looks like our countrymen identify themselves with their province or regions more than being citizens of the Philippines. I have learned that in an effort to organize Filipinos in California, each person coming to the forum sought to sit beside another coming from his province. Instead of attending the meeting as a Filipino, he was imbued with his parochial upbringing such that eventually, thereemerged many regional associations from those in attendance at that forum. How sad.

Something must be done to address this flawed psyche. Government and private institutions should unite in this effort. If monies have to be spent to have our values re-oriented and perhaps, our education augmented that our social fibers be directed to national, rather than regional identify, so be it. We cannot hope to move our country forward unless we are dedicated to thinking of the Philippines as more important than any one of its provinces.