Sad dependence days!

By +Oscar V. Cruz D. D.

Lately, the Philippine Independence Day was celebrated—with the sour note that it was declared a working day plus school opening, the eventual results of which were relatively few celebrants and big traffic jams. As expected, people were exasperated and the national leadership was even more despised and even loudly cursed at times.

It was right and proper then that some people greeted one another with “Happy Independence Day!” it was the anniversary of something historical in the liberation of the country from foreign domination. There were Filipinos who suffered much to the extent that some of them gave up their lives for the cause of Philippine independence. They are heroes who deserve the gratitude and admiration of the present generation and those yet to come.

But the truth begs to be told: especially so under the present administration, after but one independence day, there are no less than 364 Philippine Dependence days. In other words, the greetings of “sad dependence day!” may be said the whole year round—except for 12 June, out of deference to those who precisely made the day significant.

It is futile to still address the marked dependence of the country on foreign oil. It is already nauseous to speak about the nation’s dependence on foreign labor much more atrocious is the dependence of this administration on open and covert gambling corporations to siphon in the money of both the rich and the poor.

The dependence of the Philippines on foreign aids is too well known to still merit any mention. There is also the fast emerging educational system in the country basically geared for a service economy—thus forwarding the pitiful message that education for national development is not only strange but presently even taboo.

Lately, the Philippines displayed its big dependence if not downright mendicancy for accepting some helicopters used by U.S. troops in the distant time of the Vietnam War! They are among the so called “flying coffins”. The eventual result is very predictable: not only pilots in the air but civilians on the ground will suffer shame or lose lives when they are flown “on missions”.

Many sad dependence days! The truth hurts but the pain does not make it a falsity.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/viewpoints/)

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