heard this analogy that the problem with the situation in the Philippines can be likened to the reaction of people to a stinky public toilet. Everybody passes by it, repelled by the grime and the smell. Everybody complains about it, pointing fingers on who’s responsibility it is to clean it. Because nobody does anything about it, the more people use it, the dirtier and stinkier it becomes. Till the point , wherein it becomes a fixture of our life. ,We just accept and live with it.It does make you think , does’nt it? Businessmen talk in hushed tones about the difficulties of dealing with the system and its needs. We complain about it and yet we are used to it and we use it. We refuse to clean it, pointing the responsibility to others. The more we are used to it and the more we use it, the dirtier it becomes, hence, the vicious cycle.
I received 
a flyer with a startling message. It was all black in front, with a single matchstick attached thru it in the middle. This message was written, “Light a candle or curse the darkness…your call.” It was a challenge and a plea for support from the DILAAB Foundation, a faith-impelled, Church based movement advocating heroic Christian citizenship and leadership.
Are we really moved by such calls or have we already accepted the grim realities of our lives. Let me correct that, of our Filipino lives?
I sometimes think that there is a hidden Filipino inside every Filipino, That there is a Jose lurking in every Juan. The Juan in us has already been tolerant of the way our country has been run. We shrug our shoulders and grin, we accept and clench our lips. We complain quietly and we pay. The Jose in us wants better. He is proud of his country and heritage. He is proud of his history and its heroes. He knows we can be better and we are better. But, Jose does’nt get out much because Juan is the one living in the real world.
If we do not
look at the problem of the stinking toilet and see the solution for what it is. That we ourselves have to roll up our sleeves and accept the fact that nobody will clean up after us. We have to do it. No matter how distasteful or how bad it smells, we have to do it. Because if we don’t , there will be a lot of Jose’s , unfortunately, they will be living and working in another country not ours.
The great American civil rights movement leader , Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where 
he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” I remember our last Filipino hero, Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, who could have chosen to live out his life in comfortable exile in the United States, justifying it by saying that he deserves it, that he has served enough. But he did not. He knew what awaited 
him. Yet he went willingly. His sacrifice ended a dictatorship. His sacrifice sparked a peaceful revolution movement that reverberated around the world. P
eople Power went out to topple dictatorships from Eastern Europe to Africa. In that instance, our hidden Jose stood proud. I remember a song whose lines went, “handog ng Pilipino sa mundo….” Where did that go?
How do we di
scover the Jose in us once again? There are no easy or quick solutions. But we need to start. In order for us to learn about ourselves, we need to get rid of the you and the they. The more we convince others of us, the less there will be of you and they. Till a point is reached, where in lighting a candle, we have ignited our nation.
For those of you that want more information about the DILAAB foundation, or wish to volunteer or partner with them, please call (032) 416-9073, mobile phone 09173248388. You can also find them on the net http://www.dilaab.net/ .
Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.
For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at
stirspecialist@gmail.com , or visit http://www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com/
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