The tragedy of our times

Title

Creator

Valencia, Teodoro F.

Language

English

Source

Panorama Volume XX (No. 10) October 1968

Year

1968

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

THE TRAGEDY OF OUR TIMES Congress, and for that mat ter, The Establishment, is on trial in the Sanidad-Cauton row over the congressional seat for the 2nd district of Ilocos Sur. Are we to decide this case on the palakasan principle or under the rule of law? The people are watching. They’re not hap py with what they see. * * * The one serious “crisis” that nobody is talking about is the money situation. We’re in a “frozen” state, as it were. The banks can’t lend and the borrowers1 dare not pay their loans. Everything is frozen as of Oct. 12. The CB is probably happy with its un precedented “power” over the banking institutions. The masses who, in the ultimate analysis, must suffer the shock of this paralyzation of the business world, don’t know what’s going on. They only know what’s hitting them. Was it ever this bad? ♦ ♦ ♦ When the Munoz Agricul tural School became the Cen tral Luzon State University, the only beneficiaries were the officials of the school. It meant increasing the salaries of the top officials, starting with the president, who start ed to draw P30,000 a year; a vice-president with P14,400, and deans with PIO,000 each. The staff members remained at their old rates of P212 a month minimum. The stu dents have yet to see the change for the better. There is a strong agitation for a return to college status. This is a case of wearing long pants before the child is ready. * ♦ ♦ I got a letter from a betterthan-average educated family of 14 whose trials and tribu lations best mirror the tra gedy of our times. The fa ther comes from Piddig, Ilo cos Norte. He has backpay certificates for the family. But when that represent the October 1968 9 only hope will he be paid? Meantime, his five boys and eight girls are all unemploy ed. They had supported can didates in past elections in hopes of getting a break. All they got were ID cards and promises. This is not an iso lated case. This is typical. * * * The administration will do much better by just under scoring what is being done to improve living conditions in Central Luzon instead of creating false Lopes for a quick solution to the “crisis.” We might as well face the facts: the problem won’t be solved this year or next year, nor even in the next five years. It should be sufficient to emphasize what has been done and what are contem plated to be done in the im mediate future. * * * In the area of peace and order, politics is still the No. 1 stumbling block. For as long as regional and district leaders are minded in every step that the administration takes, even in the simple mat ter of assignment of key PC, education and judicial of ficials, we will never have public confidence in the ad ministration. We are follow ing a system that has been proved ineffective and wrong during the last 60 years. When justice depends on the whims of the “leaders” of a region, then there is no jus tice. ♦ ♦ ♦ Between pleasing the “lea ders” and displeasing the people or pleasing the peo ple and hurting the political gods, the administration pre fers the former. Why, then, are we surprised to see the people are losing faith in the rule of law? Palliatives don’t work. The people are not as stupid as the politicians think they are. They’re only poor and powerless but not stupid. They are resentful if quiet out of sheer hopelessness. * * * There is also the need to reconcile words and actions. We keep saying that we will improve the judiciary, assign more law-enforcers, give aid in varying forms but one thing we never disturb — the overlordship exercised by po litical bosses. How can we promote progress while hug ging the status quo ante hel ium? The era of datus and sultans is what we have even in the Christian world. ♦ * * 10 Panorama Thus, Mindanao is the world of certain politicians who cannot be displeased; the Ilocos belongs to another group, and some Visayan pro vinces are special spheres of influence of some politicians who stand head and shoul ders above the law. These are the realities we don’t talk about because we do not in tend to do anything about them. The President is kid ding himself if he thought he can keep his little sultans and kings and at the same time make the Constitution and democracy work. For many of our people, democracy is a world in the dictionary, not a living institution. * * ♦ The people are helpless while policemen protect one another, PC protect PC, Army people stand together. The parties are mutual aid and mutual protection associa tions. The government ser vants stand aloof from the people. The “will of the peo ple” who are “sovereign” does not ring true in the world of reality ’68. Roads, bridges, ample rice and fish nor even parks and play grounds will not cover up the ugly monuments of dictator ship and anarchy. — By Teodoro F. Valencia, The Manila Times, November 20,1968. EAVESDROPPER In early England when thatched roofs were built a space was left on the ground where the water from the eaves might run down and drip off. This space was called the “eavesdrip” and still later was modified to “eavesdrop.” It seems that even in those days there were persons who were not above stand ing in that space at night, at doors and windows, to listen to what the occupants were saying and do ing inside their homes. Such people were dubbed eavesdroppers — a name which has remained with them to this day. October 1968 11

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