of Austria has Nigerian-Filipino David Alaba in it. He is also a star player for Bayern München – my favorite team. Commenter Mariano Renato Pacifico might say, he will never be an Azkal. Only white mestizos make it there, mestizos who don’t really represent the Philippines. But in general one may ask the question – why are Filipinos never a team? They were NOT a team against the Americans from 1898-1901. They killed their best coach because he wanted to make the team more unified, even giving them a common uniform – I am talking about dark-skinned mestizo Heneral Luna.
A recent article by the new Filipino intellectual blog Assortedge (link) says: Hate destroys us. Hate causes our nation to fall. Hate will get us nowhere. I know prosperity for all and a life free of war and violence is all we wanted to achieve. To this end, only a nation free of hate can earn that tomorrow. We are more than a collection of yellow islands and red islands. We are and forever will be the Republic of the Philippines, and together we will win back the future. History professor Michael Charleston Briones Chua of La Salle said this in an interview with Karen Davila last year (link):
Do you believe Aguinaldo had Bonifacio killed? CHUA: Based on historical accounts & witnesses, I believe YES. Do you believe he also had Luna killed? CHUA: Possibly, considering Luna was killed by Aguinaldo’s men, at the seat of power, with his mother watching. So, should we consider Aguinaldo a hero or a traitor? CHUA: As a historian, we give all sides, all perspectives and its up to the Filipino to make the judgement.
I used to be a bit patriotic, but circumstances made me leave. Looked at returning to the Philippines twice – 1986, 1995. Something held me back and I know now what it was. Hate. Crab mentality. And yes, conformism. The insular mentality that does not accept those on its team who are a bit different in outlook. Jose Rizal knew about this, the Noli me Tangere novel is mostly about hypocritical crabs, while El Filibusterismo is about how nobody really stands up for anyone else. No team, really. Much less national.
Around one million Filipinos left for the United States from the 1970s onward, mostly middle class. From some accounts I have heard that many Filipino creoles and mestizos left for Spain – those who had the exit option of obtaining Spanish citizenship by proven origin – during and after World War 2 and during and just after the Marcos dictatorship. Some I heard still speak Filipino at times – in Madrid. Now those among Filipino nationalists who see themselves as culturalists not racists (some Marcos nationalists were) say they will accept those who are culturally Filipino. What the hell does that mean? Taking things to the extreme, there are Duterte followers who deny the right to being culturally Filipino to all they define as being un-Filipino. I guess for a lot of them, all this “bleeding-heart” or “hypocritical” stuff about human rights and democracy is just a colonial import anyway, to hell with it? Just like Catholicism which Duterte also dislikes?
The Venetians allegedly said when the Austrians left: “damn them for teaching us how to eat three meals a day”. Damn the Spaniards for Catholicism and justice, Americans for democracy? Hm.
Irineo B. R. Salazar, München, 18. June 2016