The Future of Our Nation (Conclusion)

We cannot face the future without looking back at our past and accepting the truth; a truth that may not even matter to the younger generation of our nation that holds no memories at all of this past or to those that deceive themselves into thinking that they did not do any evil to our nation. We hear voices from old men of that past now saying: let us forget and move on, but in there hearts they know why. It is because they took part in the grievous wounding of our nation and this we still remember.

We cannot let the darkest period in our nation’s history be relegated to the past and be simply forgotten because the evil that pervaded then continue to plague our nation even now. What we are suffering today is a malaise that has infected our fathers and the generation that came after and we must not, cannot forget.

There are at present, forces seeking to rewrite our history especially this ignoble period of our past, to lend it a veneer of achievement and accomplishment that benefitted our people. But we see through their lies and deception knowing only too well that all they want is to once again attain the pinnacle of power wrested from them by our long suffering people, a people once emboldened by unity, encouraged by prayers and brought together by faith at EDSA, for three glorious days that the whole world applauded. But the toppling of a dictator did not end the misery and from that time until this very day our people continue to suffer. Why?

What went wrong? Our country then in the seventies seemed poised to take off. Marcos went on a massive borrowing spree to undertake numerous infrastructure projects. The construction frenzy saw highways, dams, bridges, schools and even hotels mushrooming all over the Philippines, not to mention the showcase building projects of Imelda in Metro-Manila.

It so seemed that progress and prosperity was just around the corner. But one could not really say, because then, the only press that existed was under the government’s control and government then meant Mr. Marcos. This was the picture media presented about our nation’s “progressive” state: nothing but propaganda. All the infrastructure achievements were trumpeted by media in the meanwhile colonies of the poor in Manila were fenced off with wooden boards that were painted white.

But then all these World Bank, ADB and IMF funded multi-million dollar construction projects were cornered by a favored few and the money lost on graft were staggering amounts. These undertakings were really partnerships with the senior partner sitting in Malacanan with his signature as his only contribution to the venture, in fact to many ventures involving millions of dollars that had the requisite “kickback”.

This insidious practice of cronyism was putting our nation deeper and deeper into debt while the Swiss bank accounts of these favored individuals grew bigger and bigger. Of course the “godfather” had the fattest bank accounts in Switzerland and other money havens, naturally so because he was the greediest of the lot and his heart was filled with plunder.

Just think of what one deal of a Marcos crony did to our nation. I am of course referring to the 2 billion dollar Bataan Nuclear Power Plant that did not see a single day of operation and benefitted not one Filipino, but we shouldered the debt burdened on our people, which we finally paid off only two years ago plus the interests that multiplied the original price tag several times. We are still paying yearly maintenance costs for this mothballed nuclear plant running to several million pesos.

These people were truly without conscience and as long as they could pocket their hefty commissions, they could not care less about our people’s suffering. These were the people that ran away with our money, laughing all the way to an offshore bank and may have even collapsed a local bank or two along the way.

Deals like these were common occurrences, the rule rather than the exemption, during the long Marcos reign, but which Marcos did not have a monopoly on, as succeeding leaders and their administrations were also rocked by scandals of men in high positions of government involved in profiting from deals with their offices.

What Marcos put in place in the mechanisms of government were warmly embraced by succeeding leaders schooled in his long reign of greed. Roberto Ongpin did not learn the intricacies of how to make a behest loan just recently, he was the brilliant administrator of the Binondo Central Bank during the Marcos rule that netted for their cabal millions daily.

When Marcos fell from power and fled to Hawaii the entrenched corruption in the government and even private industry that did business through their powerful connections and alliances just continued becoming even more pervasive. The succeeding administrations could not shake (or did not want to) the deeply rooted lust for profit as the corrupt practices of government and private industry passed on from the Marcos past evolved their own brands of more creative graft; as our poor people sunk lower and lower into desperation and hopelessness.

What have become of our protectors, the guardians of our public order and safety, our armed forces that should have guaranteed our sovereignty? Why have they turned against the very people they were sworn to protect and have allowed themselves to be used repeatedly to subvert the will of our people? Politicians and powers that be employ them for their own ends and ambitions and this lust for power bring terror, violence and even death. We have seen how our military leaders became the very same politicos they serve as they too chased public office knowing it was the key to perpetuating power and wealth.

This was the institution that was first seduced and then corrupted by absolute power. Without the participation of the armed forces, the blatant power grab of Marcos in 1972 would not have succeeded and in return for the support of the military, handsome rewards were meted out in exchange for personal loyalty.

This was the beginning of a corrupt system in our armed forces and the police that was put in place at that time and has evolved into an insatiable monster that we are only now discovering. The latest scandals in the military and the police reveal only the tip of the iceberg, whose main mass of perfidy lie hidden beneath the surface.

It was during this time that an organized tribute system was firmly put in place and became an evil tradition that was then viewed as perfectly acceptable. The funds of the armed forces probably experienced the most number of creative ways it could be stolen.

It so evolved into a perfect system, became so entrenched, that succeeding administrations did not matter. The corrupt practices remained in place. This was why Angelo Reyes could only kill himself in disbelief that the AFP as an institution should be taken to task for their traditions that enriched the top military leadership. They have been doing this for so long that there was really no more moral dilemma for the top brass to receive multi million tributes or bribes as the case may be.

And what of our public servants that should serve the public according to the oaths they made, but instead serve only themselves? Our nation has been bled dried, our country’s resources exploited to benefit only a few, our sovereignty compromised, our treasury bankrupted, and even our national interests sold to the highest bidder by these very same public servants whose impunity appalled the world when a group of men, armed by the military and led by a powerful political clan massacred their political rival’s family including over thirty journalists who just happened to be with them on that fateful day.

The world was shocked and condemned this brutal massacre but we who have been inured and calloused by the violence we witness everyday, shrugged our shoulders and faced more pressing concerns like putting food on the table and sending our children to school.

We do not have to wonder why there is a continuing exodus of our people because after forty years, our leaders have failed to give the ordinary Filipino a better life. Those who played leading roles in the dark past of our nation contributed greatly to the continuing darkness and the legacy they left behind for our generation was their propensity to steal, pawning the very future of our people.

Imagine an mindset that could say: I could lie, cheat, steal and even murder without fear of retribution. That is the impunity of the powerful that have hardened like concrete after repeated evil that remains unpunished. When will justice be served in our nation? When will the doers of evil be put to task?

Gone is the dignity in a country that suffers the curse of poverty. What have become of our institutions that were suppose to see our nation grow and prosper, our people free, with justice for every Filipino? What truly ails our nation? Why have we become a nation deserted by its people who search for better lives in strange and alien lands?

Still the rich and the powerful continue the greed that has seen our nation’s wealth cornered by so few while the rest of our people wallow in the poverty as their fathers before them, without hope for a better life. In this despair our nation weeps knowing her children have forgotten how to dream and a people without dreams are a people without a future. We have become a morally decayed nation and herein lies the root of all our society’s ills.

So where lies our future? Will we remain in apathy and indifference to the continuing suffering of our nation, a nation that has lost its moral direction and gropes in the dark? The truth is, we are the generation that could make and spell the difference in our nation’s future. United we could put to an end this dark legacy of our past that continue to rob our nation of its future, but only if we experience a moral regeneration for our ourselves and our people.

I see hope because our present leadership chose to first battle the evil of corruption. I see hope if PNoy remains faithful to the mandate given him. I see hope when I see our overseas Filipinos uniting as a potent force for change and reforms. I see hope when our youth expresses their desire to stay and serve our people rather than venture abroad for greener pastures. I see hope when we as individuals undergo personal transformation to truly find ways to serve our fellow Filipinos.

We have already begun to see the stirring of our people, both from here and a far, responding to the cries of our nation. Many are rediscovering a love of country that now compels them to act. There is a growing desire to help and moves are being initiated for real change in our society.

And our generation must bear this burden of ensuring the future of our children, while our generation has the strength, the resources, the knowledge, and the resolve to see the suffering of our nation come to an end. We cannot let this opportunity pass us. We cannot let history be written by another generation. We are called to act now. Let us build this future in unity with love of country burning in our hearts confident that we can leave a legacy of good for our children and their children. Let it be written that we were the generation that redeemed our nation. We cannot do otherwise.