QUO VADIS

Is this the beginning of the end; in other words the fall of the Knights of Rizal?

Dr. Rizal wrote about the social cancer. It is happening right now, right here. Our precious Order is indeed sick, very sick and it will suffer to an even larger extent if we do not act.

Becoming a member in 1997 was a good feeling of brotherhood of man, a quest for helping, for doing good things together with my international brothers for the communities in both our own country and abroad; no taking over command, or questioning who is the boss; just a simple group of international, mutually respectful members. Those Knights were the noble, silent heroes; Knights whose hearts were in the right place.

Suddenly there was a change, a desire for power by a few individuals. Let’s call these the “rotten core”; a small group, they were very smart and planted the cancer in the Order, especially in Europe.

Regardless of the warnings send by the noble Knights to the Supreme Council they were ignored and neglected. There was a belief that the noble Knights were rebels; the minds of the upper echelons were already poisoned and manipulated by the rotten core, based on lies and misinformation.

Who to belief was the question, their own or the others?

They believed the core, with their nicely written letters, their false résumés, the good works they falsely claimed they had done and all other stuff they wrote, without checking the facts.

The core is dangerous; just for their own glory they use their own people, by brainwashing them that the noble Knights are rebels and power-seeking racists, and they call themselves nationalists and true Pilipino.

How many times they told me and my friends that we should be grateful to be allowed to be Members of the Order, because we are only affiliates and have no right to be Members.

They easily forgot that we are all dedicated and committed internationalists who believe in and follow the way of Dr. Rizal.

Do we have to tolerate more accusations that we are racists and not fit to be Members ? I don’t think so. I say this must stop NOW, for the future of the Order. Let us unite as true Brothers and make an end of this madness.

After all, most of us are married with a Filipino spouse and I’m proud of the fact that through this marriage I feel like a Pilipino, a true internationalist, so please, don’t call me and the noble Knights racists.

Too many good and noble men have resigned from the Order in the recent past because their belief in the OKOR was destroyed. Those who have remained are still fighting for their belief that there is actually still hope for the future; but only if we stand up and shout long and loud enough in the name of Dr. Jose Rizal. This is not only for ourselves but for our children and the next generation of noble Knights all over the globe.

Let us all pray that justice will be done, that all involved come to their right mind and start thinking over the distressed last several years and let us hope this will never happened again.

I really don’t mind what reaction I receive from writing this letter. Those who know me will know that it comes from my heart. This is my view and I strongly belief that I am not alone in this.

God bless you all,
NOM
Sir Francois Ooms
Member of the Knights of Rizal