Magkaisa, Huwag Mang-isa
The message of Joseph Jeeben R. Segui, BS Mathematics, Summa Cum Laude,
to his fellow UPD 2009 graduates. Take time to read......
Three contractors are bidding to do some minor repairs on the White
House fence. One is an American, the other, a Mexican, and the last is
of course a Filipino. They go with a White House official to examine the
fence. The American contractor takes out his tape measure, does some
measuring, and then works out some figures. “Well, “ he says, “I figure
this will cost about $900: $400 for materials, $400 for my crew, and
$100 profit for me. “ The Mexican then does his measuring and says, “I
can do this job for $700: $300 for materials, $300 for my crew, and $100
profit for me.” The Filipino scratches his chin, leans over to the White
House official and whispers “$2700.” The official, incredulous, says,
“What?! How do you expect me to consider your service with that kind of
figure? Plus, you didn’t even measure anything.” “It’s simple,” the Pinoy
explains, “$1000 for you, $1000 for me, and we hire the Mexican.” The
next day, the Filipino and the Mexican are both working on the fence.
I first heard that joke more than three years ago. Fresh out of
high school, a wide-eyed first year college student, I found the joke
hilarious. It even made me more proud to be a Filipino. I thought to
myself, “Hanep talaga ang mga Pinoy! Magaling na mag-add, ma-utak pa!”
But four years of UP college life and an innumerable number of slaps
from reality changes one’s perspective of things. When I read the joke
again recently, I still found it funny but instead of pride, I felt
frustration and shame. This kind of dishonesty really happens in our
country and it happens on a much larger scale.
The joke alludes to an adverse yet prevalent attitude that we Filipinos
have. My mother calls it the “mang-iisa-kung-magkaka-isa” attitude. We
see it in the high-ranking politicians who give out grandiose promises
of a brighter future and a better leadership but once elected in office,
place their interests above the welfare of the people, to your
run-of-the-mill traffic enforcer who capitalizes on ambiguous traffic
signs to exact their “pangmeryenda.” Or to what we Bicolanos call the
libong libong pabor. “Pare,” a guy says to his friend, “may utang ka sa
akin diba?” “Hindi ko maalala. Magkano?” the other asks. “Hindi ba 100?
Sabi mo babayaran mo ngayonng linggo.” “Oo nga,” the other affirms, “100
nga pala yun,” even though he knows it was really 150. Biro mo,
magkaibigan na iyon; lalo na siguro kung hindi.
Manifestations of this Pinoy trait can be seen even in UP,
especially during the enrollment period. I once had lunch with this girl
I really liked. She was a registration assistant for most of her college
life and we inevitably talked about her experiences during enrollment in
UP. She shared with me the different strategies UP students would use to
try to get the slots that they want. Basically there are four
strategies; she got everything down to a science. The first is
‘persuasion.’ The student tries to be charming and funny in an attempt
to befriend the RA and then possibly find a soft spot and persuade the
RA to give him or her priority; nakiki-flirt ba. The second is
‘commiseration’. Here the student simply appeals to the pity of the RA;
nagmamakaawa. The third is ‘intimidation’. Here the student tries to
force his or her will
onto
the RA; nagtataray. The last is ‘tactics’. Two people who’ve struck a
deal coordinate the timing of one’s cancellation of his slot to the
other’s request for a slot. Just to let you guys know, this crafty
scheme usually works.
Just from this story, it’s pretty clear how clever and resourceful we
Filipinos are. Biruin mo ‘yun, enrollment na nga lang, may mga nalalaman
pa tayong mga strategy. There is no doubt in my mind of how capable
Filipinos are in achieving their goals. From sports: boxing, billiards,
wushu, patintero agawan base;_to music and to the sciences, we continue
to exhibit our prowess despite the tough economic conditions plaguing
our country. Filipino kids who migrate to the US and anywhere abroad
really, almost always find themselves at the top of their class. And
often, we hear news of some Filipino making waves abroad. Time and
again, we Filipinos have shown our capacity to do good work. Hindi
talaga matatawaran ang galing ng mga Pinoy.
Some of you may be thinking, ‘If Filipinos are so competent, why
then are we this ditch-of-a-situation?” I don’t have the absolute answer
but what I do know for sure is that a big part of the problem has to do
with the Pinoy’s “mapang-lamang” attitude.
It may not seem so serious, but this Pinoy quality is cancer to our
society. It goes unnoticed but it is terribly damaging. This kind of
self-centered mentality is precisely the root of corruption and
dishonesty. Personal wellbeing outweighs communal, even national
benefit. It pits Filipinos against each other in a struggle to get at an
advantage over another.
As we prepare to leave the University and go on our own ways,
we, the soon to be leaders of this nation, should be free of this
detrimental quality. If we are to effect positive changes that would
bring this nation to a better tomorrow, we should first start over with
ourselves.
We must change our self-centered mindset. Let us refrain from engaging
in ‘tactics’ that elevate our own status at the expense of others. We
must change the way we view our fellow Filipinos. See them not as
hurdles to our individual advancement; rather, as comrades in the
struggle towards national progress. And we must constantly remind
ourselves that our personal gain picayune compared to the nation’s
interest.
Look at the person seated next to you. Look them in the eyes and
reassure them that you have their back. Kahit mukhang kontrbida yan,
Pilipino yan, komrad mo yan.
Magandang hapon sa inyong lahat.
