Of remembering countless heroes
And the need to rectify their nation's errors
A message for National Heroes day
and remembering the late Armando J. Malay
As this person observed, people venerate heroes primarily as part of cultural heritage, as television and radio stations, as well as social media sites has urging everyone to remember and cherish their life and works, most likely all for the sake of impression that the nation is trying to cherish what their forefathers cultivate and still trying to instill in its people. For obviously most people care more about themselves and less of their fellow beings, except tragedies as well as holidays such as yuletide or any other festivities enough to appease everyone. And the system? Has really benefits from everyone's apathy as well as its holiday-only generosity.
Quite inconveniently true, especially that to see the fact that most people are becoming apathetic as they really favour much their own fantasies than to become a person for others. Yes, lives doesn't matter except themselves with all their comforts amidst semblance of generosity that often made for the sake of impressing others; and with today's media emphasising more of shallowness and a hodgepodge of nonsense, it seems that everything is becoming terrible rather than fine no matter it tries to satisfy everyone with illusions if not emphasising their asses with all its idioicies, hence trying to deviate everyone from the realities of having a corrupt order aggravating centuries-old tensions.
In every report that emphasises the idioicy coming from entities warring for ratings almost forgets the really serious issues that has to be taken justice in no time, hence the message of remembering heroes and cherish their contributionsis all but for chrissakes, fillers in a webpage. And speaking of issues that should be tacked and taken seriously with justice, where were the reports on Pork Barrel? DAP? Mamasapano? Ampatuan? Hacienda Luisita? The countless numbers of disappeared and unjustly killed by the system? The attempt to tax the once free-of-charge Balikbayan Boxes? Or even the latest issue on the dispute between the former and current members of the Iglesia ni Cristo? These issues are stacked from time to time by latest ones, hence deemphasised as news articles whether political or showbiz in nature, but today seems that showbiz and politics are entangled too much, and confusing which is political and which is not? Or which is really serious to emphasise or just mere rumor to debunk? Anyways, the system benefits from that entanglement at the expense of people trying to make an heroic act such as seeking truth from facts if not asserting calls for justice, freedom, and solidarity with the people the way they work hard and pay taxes. The latter seemingly stereotyped as an example of a "little heroic way" so is exposing the corrupt and favouring the righteous!
Sorry for all the incorrectness that made this writeup rather turns out to be a criticism than praise as it tells about remembering heroes and be inspired by its lessons. But these heroes are human, hence suspected to errors left unnoticed by historians. Some are even far from being heroic, of being servant to its people as they favour seats and privileges, they even forgot the duties and responsibilities of a patriot in a way Aguinaldo's opportunism surrendered his country for gold at Biaknabato if not certain leaders who traitorously favour a semblance of cabinet seats than asserting calls for national independence. And nowadays, as well as in the past, people hear self-proclaimed messiahs with all the infrastructures made for the sake of pride, political gimmick, and not as a duty like its own contstituents. Worse, squandering people's funds just to keep firm the status quo amidst criticism. Good to hear the infrastructure, but why can't even realise the aspirations of their heroic inspirations? Or is their inspirations far from being heroic and servant-like? Sorry to say but people used to look at Rizal, Bonifacio, Del Pilar for inspirations in life, but actually they look at the example of Hermana Penchang, Señor Pasta, Quiroga, or Tandang Basio Macunat for examples! When was the time people really rolled up sleeves for their fellowmen? For their community? It may sound idealistic to most people who easily shrug it off in favour with all their apathies, but a promising nation really demands civil servants willing to plough, forge, build in pursuit of having a nation reborn from its dreadful pasts.
Thus, this person is hoping that these people who able to create are the heroes trying to forge a future that a desperate nation trying to achieve and cherish for present and future generations to come. True that the centuries-old revolution is not yet been realised with those on high trying to keep firm a soiled status quo, true also that the reforms needed during the propaganda movement and its succeeding reformists has not yet been taken into action regardless of those people on high deem as irrelevant in today's setting. Hope that apathy is all but temporary till a strong wave of awareness breaks their collective disregardment in favour of standing up and rolling sleeves, forging for themselves and for a society in which its illustrous forefathers left its tasks unfinished if not trying to rectify its errors by means of letting its successors take its task of rectifying errors and remolding the nation into a well rounded whole with all its material and spiritual strength binded together.
Anyways, as what the late Armando Malay said in his 1934 Bonifacio day post:
"Our future national heroes shall come from the Proletariat, the backbone of any country at all times. They shall not come from the rich class, whose prime concern is still how to perpetuate itself in power. They shall not come from the idle intelligentsia, who will be found wanting when the supreme moment comes. They shall come from the toilers and their primary ideal shall be to raise the working class from its sordid level."
To paraphrase Malay, the working class demands a common front of those who willing to get serious in pursuit of a better country. True that the working class are the ones who clamour for liberation, so are the farmers, the petty yet willing segments of the intelligentsia such as this person, the late Malay himself, and hundreds, if not thousands of socially aware who engaged in social movements if not their "own little ways". In fact, he did speak on behalf of the masses, he did fight for the masses, and now he is in another world, will everyone willing to heed his message to raise a nation from its sordid level? The ones on high who thinks about power, as well as its apologetics, may deem it irrelevant as if the edifices in Makati and Taguig has proven that the country rose up, but did it stop the injustice in the mineral-rich mountains, sugarcane-fields, factories, and shantytowns? The message is radical for it speaks what is inconveniently true.
Therefore and obviously, regardless of what they deem irrelevant in the eyes of those on high, be it the call for reforms or urgung to stand up and fight against the dilapidated social order, still age-old bullshits remain. These bullshits somehow should been corrected for long if not for the system and those on high who failed to heed the call of its people in putting an end to the problem with justice. Now it is up to the ones who have the guts to assert and go beyond the parameters to counter with all the talents given with the awareness enough to bring light against this national nonsense. No matter those on high continue to babble the rising economic rates and infrastructures driven by patronage politics, yet can't even truly commited to bridge the gap between the haves and have nots, of building a true social concord between the state and its constituents, then Ladies and Gentlemen: no wonder those who afford to criticise able to debunk the myth as they afford to seek truth from facts, that they keep their eyes open regardless of how the system tries to put down and replace with what is currently shown. As everyone expect more and more intensified struggles, as everyone prepare to clear out consciences through remolding and emphasising virtue to rectify mistakes and rebuild for a better nation, let us, the people who in this post called everyone, keep collected in the spirit that the nation's forefathers imparted to us.
And that is more than just veneration.