Ideologues, maybe; but true patriots?

Basically, they are consumed by the tenets of their ideology, hence, suspiciously devoid of genuine patriotic concerns for their country.

The true nationalists among them may be outnumbered by a good number of aggressive and dominant “comrades” who are mostly spoiled brats (from well-to-do but broken families) in spite of their superior primary and secondary schooling. Thus explains their bias for rights more than responsibilities. For which they should be pitied more than condemned, except that they tend to exploit the dismal state of the marginalized in pursuit of their causes.

They are capable of going to the mountains, as did some bright students from UP and other known educational institutions, not so much because they are brave, but because they are reckless, adventurous and undisciplined. Some—moneyed and always defiant of establishments, especially the military with the Catholic Church and the US government as their favorite whipping boys, so to speak—could even be into drugs.

Their nonchalance toward China’s show of force in the West Philippine Sea is understandable—notwithstanding Bayan Muna’s House Resolution 1420. Anyway, there’s such a thing as saving face.

Helping victims of floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other natural calamities is not in their agenda.

So, what’s new?

—RUDY B. MEDENILLA, [email protected], Lucena City