The myth of patriotism

(a youngblood contribution by the IELTS Guru: Ervin Temporal)

Three months ago, the effrontery of parading Philippine flags along major highways and the ubiquity of posters screaming “Mahal Kong Plipinas!” has evoked in me unexpected feelings of insult, disbelief and ridicule.

 Upon seeing the pretentious display of such “nationalistic” decorations, I initially asked myself if the independence day was fast approaching but nay, it was summertime, those were the days when the sun was high and the bourgeoisie purchased an additional airconditioning unit. Too, the national flag day wasn’t near either (How many Filipinos know that there is a national flag day in the Philippines ? I bet none). It was one of those what-is-going-on-around-here events that would cause most Filipinos to momentarily pause and spend few minutes of their time solving the conundrum. I stand corrected. Perhaps, they were too busy thinking of how they can survive and sustain life in this third world backwater country that almost no one paid attention to this not so usual circumstance. Instead of feeling proud of my country, a contrasting panorama was painted on my not so impressionable mind.

 From the standpoint of a theoretical vision, the flag is the country’s cardinal representation, the one commonality that binds the people together. By waving this meaning-embedded usually rectangular piece of cloth, the inducted members of a phalanx who pledged allegiance to it are expected to invoke feelings of love for one’s country. Or is it the case in the Philippines ? Perhaps, just so they thought.

 An overwhelming plethora of Filipinos today disown the mother country. A good question to ask: In this day and age, in which the inflation rate is in its all-time-high, do these people have a concept of nationality? Maybe yes when they are asked to fill out any form and in the item nationality, they are compelled to write down the word Filipino out of the lack of a better option. But do these people really understand what nationality is? Or is their concept of nationality synonymous to citizenship? If yes, then why do many of us, the middle class especially, are such in a hurry to abandon this God-forsaken country? If yes again, then why do these people, who in less than 5 years will not be Filipinos eventually, readily turn away from the Philippine flag and will as expected, gleefully embrace the new nationality that they are to write the next time they fill out a form?

 It is as if we are in a rat-race that Filipinos can no longer wait and that the idea of staying in the Philippines in the next ten years would necessarily constitute a bad mental image for them. How would I not know when every day I get to see new faces enrolling in my review center just so they can pass the required English examinations for them to secure visas from the more desirable  abodes like Canada , US, UK , Ireland , Australia , New Zealand . These countries are the premiere destinations of these capricious Filipinos. Are they too ambitious? Or are they just plain pragmatic? Res ipsa loquitor. Statement of fact: many of us know that nurses, doctors and caregivers have long been preparing for their grand exodus outside of this nation. If I have enrollees who are tire fitters, chicken catchers, and apple pickers who want to try their luck in another country, this is more of an expectation since they are those who need to earn money to recuperate for the lost happiness their families could have experienced in the Philippines in the past few years. But to my surprise, multi-millionaires, even sons and daughters of famous politicians and relatives of the richest business tycoons in the land, are also enrolled in my center with the same hope of changing their citizenship. What is going on? Aren’t they the ones who benefit the most in this unjust pyramidal socio-economic classification that we dare not challenge in the Philippines ? Why bother leave when you enjoy the fact that you are above the rest? Are they too greedy and self-serving that they want more? Or is it maybe because they too are getting poorer?

 Honestly and unfortunately, the disparity between the rich and poor here in the Philippines has grown to such magnanimous proportions that even the affluent do not think highly of themselves anymore. It is such a shame to our freedom-loving ancestors that the country they have fought and died for has become one of the most unlivable places on earth and doomed to disappear in no time. Heralded as the capital of corruption, the Philippines is now in a state of helplessness that its inhabitants are thinking of ways to make themselves endure the bare subsistence mode of living in the country.

 One of the repercussions of everything-wrong in the Philippines is the apparent loss of sense of nationalism. I am not in the position to differentiate citizenship and nationality as I am not (yet) a professor emeritus of a prestigious and reputable lyceum in the Philippines . But one need not be to comprehend that Filipinos today claim to have Filipino citizenship but have no complete understanding (anymore) of love of nation. How can they do so when they are living unthinkable lives and experiencing grave poverty that to them, the word hunger has become a household term? Who do they blame? Not God of course for most Filipinos are still glued to the Catholic church. The proliferation of robotic devotees rallying against the reproductive health bill is evidence enough that the obedient Catholics are only to follow what their leaders dictate them. Or is the government to blame? Most likely not because Filipinos have become jaded of the lies of its leaders to a certain extent that instead of treating the government with deference and reverence, they would look at it with feelings of indignation and contempt. The most recent surveys divulge to us one thing. Filipinos’ concept of government is not anymore the idealized bastion of the people’s welfare but they view it with skepticism, cynicism, and pessimism, as if these words differ in meaning. Whichever word it is, one thing is for sure, they have strong feelings for the government, nay, strong negative feelings for the government. Or are they to blame themselves for the unfortunate circumstances that they are in? Heaven knows.

 All these preconditions have resulted in the lack (or call it absence) of patriotism among the Filipinos. The government, as its way of restitution, has thought of developing a sense of nationalism among its people by displaying our flags on the streets, hoping and expecting that our love for the Philippines would grow all the more. If only the government reads what its people have in their minds and hearts, then the figures in the Philippine prototype of Mount Olympus that is Malacanan Palace should have known better. Has anyone who has seen those flags and posters become more patriotic? Statistics would reveal an impressive null.

 The pretentious display of national symbols instead of being appreciated must be dealt with a critical eye. This is a textbook example of such a waste of public funds. How can the people in government afford to waste millions of pesos for the exhibition of flags and posters literally everywhere when clearly it has no tangible effect to the Filipinos? Did they consider the idea of allocating the money instead on education or food so that Filipinos can truly benefit from the money that we taxpayers have worked hard for and the government uses (or possibly abuses) with all its constitutional and self-professed powers of discretion.

 Instead of displaying these national symbols, why don’t they just do their part in uplifting the human conditions of the people they govern? Most readers might think of me as an idealistic alien from the planet Utopia. But allow me to share how I can be patriotic without spending millions and without using the Filipino flag. My definition of patriotism is when you are able to help your people as a manifestation of your love for the country and fellow countrymen. As the premiere IELTS reviewer in the Philippines today, I see myself as an instrument of the Supreme Being to help Filipinos achieve their dreams in the same way that I am helping the country. True enough, I am one of those culprits who perpetuate the idea of changing citizenship just so my countrymen can fulfill the dream of a sempiternally felicitous life in other countries. But do not get me wrong. I do not promote nor condone the idea of changing citizenship but I am only selling the idea of going abroad for a better living. By improving the English proficiency of my students for them to pass the IELTS, I am able to help them and their families meet their needs and have the glorious life overseas, something that they can only dream of had they decided to remain in the Philippines. While abroad, they send remittances to the Philippines , though worth less and less, to supply blood to the dying economy of this falsely claimed strong republic. One thing that I remind my students: go abroad to make your lives better but never forget your responsibility to your mother country. By doing this, I am able to express my love for the country by no less than helping my comrades achieve the dream that their government failed to provide them.

 There is no such thing as patriotism in the flags that we have seen along the highways. It is just a myth that the authorities are trying to elicit from us. Instead of relying on material things to draw forth and shout that our hearts are burning for the country, let us believe in the power of the harmonious coexistence of passion and action to give meaning to the word patriotism. Mine is using my talent to improve the conditions of my people that they too may experience the good life I am exultantly enjoying. What’s yours? It is never too late to think of how you can discover your own way of being nationalistic.

 The plethora of Philippine flags on the streets we once saw a couple of months ago are now nowhere to be found. It is as if they have remained vanished values of the past. Let us not wait for the true spirit of patriotism and nationalism, like the flags, to become phantasms of a time that was.