It was in the mid-1990s. While my family and I were having lunch at an out-of-town restaurant, a group of half-a-dozen Filipino men and women and a Caucasian woman came to sit at the next table. The place was nice, set in a private garden, and I thought it was a good Philippine showcase for the foreigner, who in all likelihood was a first-timer and newly arrived.
Some moments later, we could hear very clearly the conversation at that table: The Filipinos, speaking in English, were pointing out the many different faults of the Philippines and Filipinos, and having a good laugh for themselves at every turn. Every time I glanced at the foreign guest, she seemed perplexed, as if wondering why Filipinos found it so amusing to put their country and themselves down. I wanted to call out to the group and say, “Huwag naman natin siraan ang bayan,” but I kept quiet, as I recognized nation-bashing as a kind of pastime for some people that I had long encountered in various places ever since I was a child.
That long-ago episode came to mind as I read Cielito Habito’s column, “We’re still kulelat” (9/10/18). But his column wasn’t a putdown of the country, and rather a reminder that, as he put it, “we can’t exactly pat ourselves on the back yet.” Perhaps his next column/s will discuss what improvements are needed and how to do them.
ATIS ALTAMIRANO, atis.altamirano77@gmail.com