Traditions die hard, specially the stupidly harmful ones. Take our celebration on New Year’s Eve. The whole world welcomes the New Year cheerfully and with hope for a better life ahead. But the way we Filipinos do it puts everyone, including the young and the innocent, in harm’s way.
We make ear-splitting noise until the wee hours of the morning, not to rejoice and make others happy, but to disturb, bother and scare them. The more people we frighten, the more memorable and thrilling the experience. Some burn tires in the middle of the road in wanton disregard of the law. Yet the police do not apprehend them. Next day, the stench of burnt tires pervades the air and the streets look ugly. Meanwhile, wealthy families in exclusive villages spend thousands of pesos on fireworks that seriously harm or even kill others, if not burn a neighbor’s house. So there goes the Filipino version of New Year fun. Goodbye pera (cash), welcome perablems (cash problems).
The governments of other countries have budgets for New Year fireworks. These fireworks are professionally showcased for the public and whole families to enjoy watching at the park, or from the safety of the living room—on TV. But to Filipinos, this is not thrilling at all. Filipino culture leads many families to think that they should impress neighbors that they have more money to burn. So, fireworks have become an interfamily competition. Worse, the irresponsible ones fire their guns into the air mindless of where the bullets land. When the bullets injure or kill somebody, only then would come the regrets, the blame game, and then the investigations that lead to nowhere.
We are the only country where our hospitals are put on alert for casualties of an otherwise happy occasion. Talk of foresight, we seem to know that disaster is coming but our tradition would rather not prevent it. The hospitals anyway are ready for any eventuality.
We are a pathetic nation of fatalists. Instead of preventing accidents or deaths, we thrill at the thought of surviving the “fire of the dragons” by sheer luck. Even before midnight, the stubborn victims of a foolish tradition are brought to hospitals with bloodied faces, missing fingers, if not fading lives.
Why the noise-making? Well, the Chinese think it will drive away evil spirits. But must we do what the Chinese do? What we should drive away are corrupt politicians and the evils that drug Filipinos into becoming copycats of other people. Instead of making noise from firecrackers, I believe that it is more enjoyable, more Filipino, and above all, safer if our communities hold traditional musicals and dances at town squares, to be followed by a Thanksgiving Mass. Or the young ones could hold open-park concerts. Families could gather in traditional reunions—in peace and safety. These gatherings are more in the spirit of unity, abundance, hope and the optimism that come with the New Year. Then we can all welcome 2014 safely.
—POMPEYO S. PEDROCHE,
pspedroche@gmail.com