"Too late..."

"Too late..."

(or how this writer made his writeup after reading a post from a LaSallian)

"Bureaucracy with all its attendant ills arises from a system that prizes efficiency more than humanity, money more than compassion and common sense. Social insensitivity is part and parcel of a system that has normalized inequality, promotes fear and distrust of the “other” -- especially the “rabble on the streets” that we would rather flush away."

-CJ Chanco

Sorry for being Ulrike Meinhof-esque in this kind of writeup all after reading Mr. Chanco's post a day ago. Quite lamenting though, especially that the guards and the clinic of De La Salle University had apparently refused to grant him entry nor given aid as much as possible in its very own clinic, yet too late to respond for what they revive is presumed dead.

And fo Mr. Chanco himself, he would say that he, as a student of DLSU with the incident had happened near his school would say that he tends to curry aid from the school he studied, or specifically through the guards, clinicians, authorities to provide aid for the ailing person that end up too late. Even for some "anointing of the sick" from the order who runs the place.

However, as the guards gave way, they ought to do a "Standard Operating Procedure" that includes papers, or even a cellphone to call for his relatives, yet there was nothing in his belt bag as someone had probably snatched it in the quarter of an hour or so that as the driver had lay slumped motionless inside his pedicab before the guards arrived to check on him. The guards somehow "did" everything as according to Mr. Chanco himself, as compared to a couple of cops and an MMDA officer on hand and they did all they could -- as passive observers.

The guards had checked the pulse, perform CPR, yet still nothing happened except trying to revive a dead person, while the rest, especially bystanders may looked at the scene or perhaps disregard it entirely as a minor matter to think of. Apathy still prevailed as vehicles had to stop by street kids, calling for help bring an ailing person to a nearest hospital.

But still, despite having sent to Ospital ng Maynila (a hospital somewhat near DLSU) by a fellow pedicab driver, it was too late. "Even a man without a medical degree can understand the first 10 minutes after a heart attack or a seizure can mean the difference between life and death." as what Mr. Chanco said. Worse, no one except he who dare, care to look at the person who was suffering from heart attack, stroke, or seizure "for a second time" as according to one of the relatives crying.

And that kind of apathy would say makes Saint Jean Baptiste De la Salle (pray for them) having facepalm in dismay to see people, especially those who carried his name in a prestigious school, and the community surrounded, those who supposedly mold in the spirit of Christian faith had to become, even for a moment a "good Samaritan" for that unfortunate person such as a pedicab driver; especially those who did gather around the man’s body, which was rapidly turning cold.

Mr. Chanco did a part, but again, the apathy of the rest and late respondence of the guards failed to do so. You may blame the season for that time urges people to act briskly, but in times like these few people can become a good Samaritan out of themselves, rain or shine so to say.

snapshot of the article at Interaksyon (news page of TV5)

In fact, in reading that said writeup somehow lies the fact that life as unfair, that most people, except for a few, had disregard those who had been a part of a community: that includes someone who did have to pedal in vain for hours on end, ferrying St. Scho, Benilde, DLSU, or even UPM, St. Paul, or PWU students to and from the bars and discos around Taft, rain or shine for a few hundred pesos and sustain families in midst of increasing prices of commodities and services in the metro. All but strange that despite trying to inculcate the value of concern, charity, faith, hope, love, everything Christ-like is all but a mere promise written in a piece of paper, the rest goes to the worldly values people had think thoroughly on.

And in reading variety of comments lie those who took concern to the fallen or criticize simply because the one who wrote had to assail his alma mater. Which is to given value on that incident: the person who cries for help to the extent of criticizing his school or the school who, despite inculcating Christian morals had deny the privilege for an ailing man to revive?

Anyways, to sum it all: blaming him for criticizing an institution, especially a prestigious catholic school in the metro is simply because of an unexpected something such as a dying man is a mockery of reality and unexpected situations. Expelling him because of criticism pointing against his alma mater underestimates academic freedom, and disregarding a near dying man to enter and given care, especially in a catholic school breaches christian morality; these are the ideas this writer had think of after reading his writeup being posted and eventually picked up by ABC-5 (sorry TV5, this writer is just nostalgic). And on the first place, we cannot blame him to ask the security guards first than the police nor given first aid for that event was simply unexpected.

Otherwise, Why blaming him for being hyper, Over-Acting, or any kind of shit to describe the person and the writeup given? What did you do anyway? Apathy guised as busy all the time, working just to buy and consume in midst of the crisis?

To sum it all, this writeup is somewhat same as Ms. Jasmin Ado's poem as it goes:

We were taught—

by our parents,

by our teachers,

by our friars,

by our surroundings,

to treat other people

nice and kind

but how?

I am here stuck—

in an air-conditioned classroom,

a few textbooks teaching me

how not to end up

like those putrid

protesters

in the streets

wasting their time

under the scorching heat that

I never even bothered

to look at

from my school window

as my teachers teach us

how to treat other people

nice and kind.

Thinking that most institutions speaks of morality yet in realty they dissuade people from interfering in the issues of the society in a way one person, especially a student like Mr. Chanco had to confine himself in his LaSallian, in his academics, in being uncritically loyal to his alma mater whose patron saint thinks about social justice and preferential options for the poor.

La Salle with his poor students

Come to think of this: 

Jean Baptiste de la Salle believed that education gave hope and opportunity for people to lead better lives of dignity and freedom; for at that time, most children, particularly the poor had little hope for the future. Moved by the plight of the poor who seemed so "far from salvation" either in this world or the next, he determined to put his own talents and advanced education at the service of the children "often left to themselves and badly brought up".

That in a modern-day pretext, it's not just education but everything a Christian should do. Hence, St. La Salle himself may deemed by others as a "Rebel", a "Liberation theologian", or perhaps "subversive" in a way he invited teachers of lower class background, struggling, lacking leadership, purpose, and training to take their meals in his home, as much to teach them table manners as to inspire and instruct them in their work. This crossing of social boundaries was one that his relatives found difficult to bear, and somehow different from those who treat matters, especially those of philanthropy and the like, merely to impress.

But in the end, people simply accept the truth that life is unfair. but the problem is that they can't create certain changes except "for themselves" keeping as if a secret in their successes such as Henry Sy working hard to create his ShoeMart or GoKongWei with his Universal Robina. The issue of rich versus poor also supports that fact, for Marx himself said that history is consists of class struggles.

One can't be a Marxist to acknowledge this, even Nat Tyler, Thomas Muntzer, or even Jean Baptiste de la Salle had acknowledge that unfair fact to make changes against it!

***

By the way, as this writer had read Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables" propr to reading that writeup: had people experience being Jean Valjean and Marius Montmercy? That they had to endure criticism at all times, being branded or being scolded for their beliefs? Nope.

For they themselves, no matter how they're educated and having titles, privileges and the like yet all but apathetic in terms of social realities, had unexpectedly, or unconsciously becoming self-gratifying lumpens who brag to the world about "muh achievements." like those of Thenardier who brags about saving Napoleon in the middle of the battlefield, having an inn to take care of, yet maltreats Cosette as its servant doing hard jobs like carrying water from the well and washing clothes despite being a child.

That's all this writer had to say today,

Thank you.