Beyond my lifetime

We are going around in circles. Unfortunately, the circles are spirals, and they are going downwards. I cannot say what lies at the bottom.

I have never been to war like my parent generation, those who lived through World War I and World War II. Luckily, too, I have been spared the worst like those caught in conflict areas where government troops were at war with communist rebels or Muslim insurrectionists. So, I really cannot say how bad things can go at the bottom of the spiral.

At my age, too, while the possibility is there, the odds that I will experience World War III are very slim. Our growing conflict with China is more delicate. If what self-claimed pundits are saying that we are in a proxy war between China and the United States is true, then a nuclear confrontation between the two remains slim as well. The two know it will be the end of their worlds as they know it now.

Beyond our shores, however, there is turbulence that can erupt into pocket wars. If I list down all countries with internal or regional armed conflicts, it will take up too much space. And we are mostly in the know because of the speed and volume of international news available locally – if we are interested. It is enough that we know there are enough trigger points that can light a global fuse leading to World War III.

We have less problems in the Philippines in terms of the variety of issues. Almost all our different challenges stem from two major roots – corruption and poverty. Between the two, corruption is the cancer that is metastasizing while poverty is its most visible consequence. Poverty, though, is not only a result; it also plays an active role in deepening and spreading the cancer of corruption.

Because of corruption and poverty, Filipinos are grappling with new cancer growths everywhere as is the case when cancer metastasizes. It used to be that corruption was only in the hands of the Executive Branch, mostly confined to government projects that would favor cronies and demand kickbacks. In other words, they were specific and few. Today, corruption is everywhere and, as a result, is now generally tolerated.

And there lies the most painful and sinister wound – the gradual shift of the very meanings of right and wrong. Our value system, our very soul, must now undergo the perversion of accepting what is wrong and slowly letting go of the strict adherence to what we once regarded as right.

Again, because of my age, notwithstanding my active objections to this lowering or debasing of virtues and principles, I see no hope to see its reversal in my lifetime. However, I see it worsening. It is like a monster set free from its cage and hungry to devour everything and everyone that kept it there. Prayers or hypocritical lip service cannot stop the cancer of corruption. Only a purging can, when it comes.

Going against the odds, however, is not new to me. I would prefer not to. It is always easier to ride the tide for as long as by doing so, I do not create an unbearable inner conflict within my set of beliefs. When I lose hope for myself, it is only in accepting that I may not see in my lifetime the irreversible beginning of meaningful change. Woe to the virtues and values on which our ancestors built the character of the Filipino.

However, I am sure as there is day after night that the moment and process will come. Man cannot defy the natural or divine order without consequence. It is just that my sense of time is not the same as life’s sense of time – like in the popular saying “in God’s time.” Time is not mine and I must let it go. My life and actions, though, are mine and I will pursue what I believe in.

How, then, can I proceed in a mission, the favorable ending of which I do not think I can see? With so little time and resources, I have to move forward like a sniper and let go of the shotgun approach. There is no problem with my motivation. Having long dreamed about an ideal country, it was necessary for me to think of decades, not just years. Despite that, and knowing change comes slowly, I remained motivated.

The cancer of corruption has spread from one place to another, and there is no sure medicine to stop the metastasizing. To save what is left, what comes to my mind is to focus on the healthy cells and organs. They have remained healthy in a very unhealthy environment because of one fact – their immune system. A strong immune system is the first order of the day for me. Its strength must be enhanced to keep resisting the spreading cancer.

I have two target audiences that I can continue to target in my advocacy work. From 1983 in the hills of Quezon to semi-retirement today, I have focused on community development work, the last 22 years as part of Gawad Kalinga. My sanity has been sustained by this work and by a mission that calls for zero poverty, zero carbon, and zero exclusion. This work has kept me beside much younger workers from whom I continue to receive inspiration.

Community development work, however, naturally flows to nation building, a faith and patriotism partnership for me. Thankfully, it is just as true for Gawad Kalinga, its many partners, and armies of volunteers I have engaged with.

Nation building, however, touches on governance. In fact, any work addressing poverty ultimately brings one to governance simply because of the huge numbers and resources involved.

My other audience must be the idealism of mostly younger Filipinos who are the true hope of a brighter tomorrow. I pray that I can encourage them to stay the course.

The poor and the young. So be it.