The last couple of weeks has seen circus following circus kicking off crescendous waves of crocodile emotions that swept many Filipinos off their feet. One good thing coming out of that is that it brought to fore some really key features of the dysfunction that underlies the Philippine National Thinking Process. Below, for the reading pleasure of some folks who made chumps of themselves over the last couple of weeks, are some important lessons to learn.
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In short, understand first the underlying conceptual frameworks.
The noise created around the so-called “plight” of the 190-odd Ateneo de Manila University faculty members who were being targeted by a modern-day Inquisition led by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is a good example. Some armchair “activists” were quick to wax poetic indignation about these “victims of primitivism” in the academe who had allegedly made known their stand on the Reproductive Health Bill within the premises of the Ateneo while conveniently forgetting that the Ateneo is a Catholiclearning institution that describes itself as being “loyal to the teachings of the Catholic Church.”
Self-described “activists” of secularism conveniently forget that in a secular state such as the Philippines, there is an even more fundamental choice most Filipinos are able to make — whether to remain Catholic or not.
Be consistent.
Otherwise, learn when to shut up in times when silence is the dignified behaviour to apply. There is an old saying: When you always tell the truth, you don’t need to remember what you said. Bayan Muna partylist Representative Teddy Casiño conveniently forgets he is a representative of his comrades-in-partisanship when extending his crocodile condolences to the family of the late Secretary Jesse Robredo. Bayan Muna, if we recall, reportedly called for Robredo’s head to be served on a platter over charges of corruption under his watch the allegations of which were, at the time, still being investigated.
That report, funny enough, also mentioned how some congressmen who also hail from Robredo’s hometown in Bicol chimed in on Bayan Muna’s witch hunt. Interesting when one considers that Robredo’s uncle, Camarines Sur Rep. Luis R. Villafuerte happens to be a congressman and kababayan and has another nephew, a certain Jojo Villafuerte, who was also running for the Naga City mayor seat back in 2007. The elder Villafuerte is also seen to be the man who thwarted efforts to get Robredo (who, at his death was working under an “Acting Secretary” capacity) properly instated as a legitimate Cabinet member.
Know who your boss is.
The Philippines is a free country. We are able to choose who we work for. Unfortunately, the 190 Ateneo faculty members facing the Inquisition conveniently forget who their boss is. Not to worry. They are in good company. President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino III sometimes exhibits a bit of confusion around that area as well whenever he seems unable to decide whether he works for his Uncle Peping or for the Filipino people who he calls “his boss”. The venerable Teddy Casiño too. His classy Pontius Pilate act on his own politburo demonstrates that great men like him also forget who their bosses are. So don’t fret. The greatest amongst Pinoys do suffer a bit of selective amnesia every now and then.
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Sometimes it is the simplest lessons that one would think they would have learned way back in Kindergarten that trumps in substance any so-called “education” that earns some bozos a few acronyms after their names.
It is that easy to tell words that seems to contradict with our previous statements or behaviors according to certain situations. It is good that we have intelligent public observers as these changes in someone’s opinion is mostly committed by those who are in politics especially here in the Philippines that politics is mostly driven by sweet-talk but mostly action-lacked, blame games, crocodiles show and left to right boasting. Integrity is very important especially when we know that somebody’s recording and taking footages of our actions. Most of the time, it is better not to say anything at all than saying something that could destroy your reputation.
Benign0
The statement signed by a total of 192 (159 plus 33) ADMU professors was doubtless uncalled for, since the signatories are all respected professionals in their various chosen fields, most of them holding PhDs. http://www.interaksyon.com/article/40249/160-ateneo-professors-endorse-rh-bill plus an additional 33:http://www.interaksyon.com/article/40850/more-ateneo-profs-endorse-rh-bill
Hence, to avoid the possibility of being mistakenly perceived that their intent was to provoke, confront or even challenge and embarrass officials of a University that employ them (their “boss”), the basic sense of propriety should have moved them to issue the statement — not as “the undersigned individual faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University” — but in their equally effective professional capacity as, say, historian, economist, theologian, psychologist or other field of endeavour.
In fact, I initially thought that the defiant stand of the signatories in the statement and their resistance was merely a RESPONSE to an attempt by ADMU officials earlier to influence the faculty concerning their view on the RH bill. But, after having read the Statement, it turns out that they had not been provoked at all. In fact, I learned later that they had issued a similar Statement sometime in 2008.
Good manners and right conduct, character education and values education are, of course, school lessons that are best taught, not by professionals holding PhDs, but by teachers with a BS in Elementary Education.
Note, in particular, that CBCP is not conducting an “inquisition” here. Far from it; rather, what they are performing is “the right and duty” of Bishops over a “Catholic University,” the ADMU, since “the Bishop has a responsibility to promote the welfare of the Catholic Universities in his diocese and has the right and duty to watch over the preservation and strengthening of their Catholic character” (Part II, Art 5 (2), Ex Corde Ecclesiae, 1990).http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_15081990_ex-corde-ecclesiae_en.html
I’m with you, Bening0: ADMU is a recognized “Catholic University” whose “Catholic teachers are to be faithful to, and all other teachers are to respect, Catholic doctrine and morals in their research and teaching” (Part II, Art 4 (3), Ex Corde Ecclesiae, 1990).
So, you’re right, the signatories should amend and reissue their statement as a collective Letter of Resignation.
@Domingo, yes as you so very well put it succinctly here…
… there would’ve been no problem if they had done it the way you suggested above, and they would have had a more sound basis for challenging any citation from the CBCP on grounds of academic freedom had they done so in the name of their professions rather than in the name of the Ateneo.
Great insight!
agree naman ako kay benigno pero sana e tigilan na niya ang pagtatago sa likod ng mukha ni jimi hendix at ilantad na niya ang sarili niya. Napakaironic lang kasi nagrarant siya tungkol sa mga so called armchair activist pero hindi niya alam na isa siyang armchair columnist hehehe
That is coming from an anti-intellectual emo prick who does nothing but to TROLL over here.
Am I right?
I don’t see how showing one’s face will be relevant to any of the ideas presented.
“Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people.”
-Eleanor Roosvelt