“Do you play computer games?”
was the President’s reply to a question of the widow of a SAF (Special Action
Force) officer who perished in the Mama Sapano clash. The young widow asked why there was no air
strike when the beleaguered PNP (Philippine National Police) troops were
surrounded, outnumbered and mercilessly massacred by combined forces of the
BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters) and the MILF (Moro Islamic
Liberation Fighters) that fateful day of January 25, 2015. Instead of making a categorical answer, the
President instead retorted by saying things associated with his favorite
pastime – computer games. (“Air Strike” must
have been one of his favorites.) It is
rumored that he frequently plays computer games with his favorite nephew, son
of his movie actress - sister, which was sometimes the reason why he arrives
late in some important commitments.
Among others, the President also loves to indulge in target practice, sing-along
and fast cars. He loves to play.
Many years ago, a Filipino
Chinese businessman bought an old fledgling sugar mill in Central
Philippines. The residents of that
sleepy city that relied most of its revenue in terms of taxes that the company pays
and the spending from its better paid employees were ecstatic of this new
development. Soon after, the
restaurants, entertainment areas and other business establishments became alive
again. However, the bliss did not stay
long enough. The sugar mill went
bankrupt and stopped its operations. The
banks took over the real property over which the mill stood and whatever scrap
that remained of its machineries. Many
became jobless again and the economy of the city suffered.
There was a running joke
that circulated around after that Filipino Chinese businessman and his family left
the city and returned to Luzon where they came from. The joke was that he was a “very rich man”
indeed – that he could afford to buy a sugar mill so that his children would
have something to play with. Other rich
people would normally buy mechanized toy cars, sometimes even real cars, just
for the pleasure of their young and even their spoiled adult children. But this guy was richer than most because he bought
a whole sugar mill that his children could have something to experiment on and
fiddle with including the lives of the employees and their families who
depended on their livelihood on the facility.
Perhaps, the word “play” was
too, harsh as a friend of mine suggested.
The term could just have been “mismanage” he said. I beg to disagree with him and opt to still
use the word “play”. Why? They knew that they did not have the
aptitude, were inexperienced and did not have the technical and academic
preparations to effectively and efficiently operate such a very complicated
business venture. Yet they went on. After all, if they fail and the endeavor
flops, they would still have enough money to buy another “toy” – probably a
shipping company or a resort hotel that they could experiment on again.
The Philippines may be
likened to a toy in the hands of a spoiled brat. Our leader toyed around with our constitution
by his creation of the DAP, the impeachment of a Chief Justice on
non-impeachable grounds and the proposed carving out a sub-state in Southern
Philippines, among others. He played
soldier acting like a tactical commander by giving direct orders to the real
commander on the ground as in the Mama Sapano case. He played with the lives of our soldiers and
policemen and he never cared. Like toys,
the death of four officers and 15 army soldiers in Al Barka, Basilan in 2011
and that of the 44 SAF policemen in Mama Sapano, Maguindanao on January 25,
2015 are “just part of the job” he says.
Unlike other spoiled brats
however, he played with something that was not his. He does not own the Philippines – it was
entrusted to him by the Filipino people thinking that he would lead this
country to greatness.
In 2010 we chose to have a
leader who is “honest”. Hence we elected
somebody who was perceived to be an honorable man. We chose him over the more experienced, the
more academically and technically prepared, and those with good track records
in various administrative fields in the government and other sectors. Honesty was the foremost qualification that
the Filipino used as the parameter in choosing our leader. However, the
Filipino then adopted a very simplistic definition of an honest man as someone
who does not steal.
Today we reckon back and
rethink what honesty really means.
Borrowing the definition of the Philippine Military Academy of its Honor
Code it says, “The cadet does not cheat, lie or steal nor does he tolerate
anyone who does”. The President didn’t
steal alright and he runs after the thieves in government. However, he prosecuted only the thieves in
the opposite political fence while coddling his friends and allies, closing his
eyes on their misdoings.
Is he an honorable man who is
worth the adulation and esteem of the Filipino people? He didn’t steal but he allowed his friends
and allies to do it. By his
non-presidential demeanor, he cheated his country with its self-respect. He robbed Juan dela Cruz of his dream to
improve himself and his future. He lied to his people. He acted
in his supposedly honorable position like it was just his usual play. He must have thought that running the reins
of government is another computer game that when the game is over you can play
it again without the slightest damage to anyone.
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