Archbishop Cruz belies Roper Report
filipinos maybe poor, but not unhappy.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz asserted this to belie a recent Roper Report that said that the Filipinos are the “unhappy people” in Asia.
“This is rather far from the truth, to say the least,” he said
He contended that the Filipinos may have certain ambivalent if not altogether negative traits, but these do not support the Roper conclusion although this, he added, may appear true at first glance on account of the many unhappy socio-ethical elements in the political and economic circumstances taking place in the country.
“Many Filipinos are poor, more and more Filipino children no longer goto school, less and less people look with respect and admiration at their government, and the country has sunk deeper in foreign debts, plus more and more people are not optimistic of their future as a nation,” Cruz said. “But the unhappy people in Asia, they are not”.
He pointed out “how does one explain that the Philippines has the longest Christmas celebration in the world? Why is it that town fiestas are infallibly held even more than once a year in certain places? And since when have Filipinos stopped singing and laughing? And why do Filipino children continue playing, running, shouting, smiling?”
He noted though that it is the present administration that has made it more difficult for the citizens to earn an honest living and have a comfortable life.
As a consequence, he observed that more Filipinos are expressing their marked discontent with and disrespect for the national leadership.
“Yet, millions of text jokes are sent all over the country, generating multi- million laughter, wedding celebrations, birthday parties, anniversary commemorations -no matter how humble-continue to be held practically everyday, the whole year round,” Cruz said.
He said, the Filipinos are still hospitable, and ready still to share the little they have with others.
He noted that new happy songs continue to be composed and happily sung as well, street dancing has become more and there are more local attempts at making it in the Guinness World Records just for the fun of it. –EVA
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