Dubious characters pushing the federal agenda

Manny Valdehuesa .

FOR federalism to work, it needs to be rooted in a sense of selfeliance, of self-governance, even of independence. In a word, empowered. These attributes derive from one’s consciousness of citizen power, a fervor that burned in the hearts of people during the time of Andres Bonifacio, Jose Rizal, and Apolinario Mabini.

It flowed from the knowledge and conviction that upon the grassroots hinges the strength and progress of the nation. These attributes characterize what we have come to know as People Power—power that asserts its sovereignty and imposes its will over the political establishment.

We should be mindful that we are all part of the grassroots—and conscious of being so. Let this not be obfuscated by the wrong view of oligarchs that good governance emanates from them. Their presumptuous, patronizing attitudes turn a lot of Filipinos into pedants, hypocrites, and mendicants—distorting democracy in the process.

Far too many such oligarchs crowd our political landscape. Motivated by a sense of self-entitlement, they look upon political power as a birthright and hold on with the backing of their social and political connections, their wealth, and, often, their merit-less popularity. Carrying on as if they’re above the grassroots—superior to the masses!—they view themselves as the elite, a breed apart.

So it is no surprise that they display a pretentious or pedantic behavior. They will say, “The masses are out there in the barrio, while I’m here in the city, in an office, in a campus, or in our church.” They forget that all these places are in some barangay or other, meaning, a barrio. But they’re not conscious of it.

Yet it is indisputable that every Filipino is a barrio boy or barrio girl. The barrio or barangay is where everyone lives, works, grows up, and ultimately is buried. Whether urban or rural, it’s where everyone has his address!

Anyone who denies his roots in the barangay harbors an illusion, betraying a detachment from the reality of his geographic circumstances. Before all else, every Filipino is a citizen of his or her barangay.  It’s where he’s registered and casts his votes. To deny it is to betray a hangover of the “colonial mentality”—when to be identified as a barrio dweller was to be looked down upon, and to be classified as an “indio” or a country bumpkin in awe of high authority, authorities who in fact owe their positions to  votes cast by every Filipino in his barangay.

This mentality was born and incubated in our society back when Filipinos were basically vassals and acquiescent followers of the Spanish Monarchy.

It’s time we do away with this colonial mentality. Time to eschew the patronizing treatment which did so much damage to our selfespect and self-image. Time to rise to our full stature as sovereign citizens of our land.

It’s time also to exorcise Philippine Society of seemingly well-meaning leaders who boost their ego with pompous rhetoric about being patriotic, about love of country, of service to the people.

In fact, much of it is nothing more than grandstanding and ego-tripping. Scratch the surface and you will find nothing more than vanity and a desire for self-perpetuation, for power aggrandizing motivated by a basic insecurity about losing a privileged status, and lack of character and political maturity.  –30—

(Manny Valdehuesa Jr. is a former Unesco regional director for Asia-Pacific; secretary-general, Southeast Asia Publishers Association; director, Development Academy of Philippines; member, Philippine Mission to the UN; vice chair, Local Government Academy; awardee, PPI-Unicef outstanding columnist. He is chairman/convenor of the Gising Barangay Movement Inc.. E-mail: valdehuesa@gmail.com)