Think about it

Little global page

By Jun Velasco

A NEW friend from Japan, General Director Yasuaki Niitsu of Soka Gakkai International Philippines, an international Buddhist movement, has this startling revelation: Japan has no national hero.

He says Japan’s young are not happy about their country having no rallying spirit such as Jose Rizal.

Aki is a Knights of Rizal chapter commander in his country and says that in Japan scholars, government officials and even the youth are impressed with Rizal and love studying his life, patriotism and universal mind.

During a meeting at the KoR headquarters Thursday with Supreme Commander Larry Davide presiding, our Japanese friend gave us a glowing forecast of the Philippines’ future but elicited a pang of melancholia for his economically developed country because “it doesn’t have spiritual moorings.”

He likens Rizal to Mahatma Gandhi who is widely venerated by his countrymen and lovers of peace and freedom worldwide. We note rather sadly that though we don’t see many Filipinos visiting Rizal’s monument at the Rizal Park, we saw thousands queued it out for hours to just get a glimpse of Mohanda’s memorial tomb everyday in New Delhi. We joined the queue in l998.

Back to Aki with whom we dwelt at length on the value of a moral force over materialistic pursuits, reminding us of a Bible verse about losing one’s soul due to a preoccupation with money.

Aki is just one among 60 heads of Knights of Rizal chapters abroad. We have one in Germany, Sir Manfred Ollik, who is now a resident of Dagupan City.

It’s fun and rewarding to be interacting with Rizalistas because they love to study the thoughts and deeds of Rizal, a Filipino who has risen to the realm of greatness.

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A local paper, Northern Mirror, came out with a probing news item about Bishop Oscar Cruz being challenged by education, religious and civic leaders to “show sincerity” in his anti- jueteng drive by going to the root of his moral covenant by including all forms of gambling including “masiao,” “tong-its,” “ending,” “cara y cruz,” cockfighting, and other illegal games.

They also want the nationally famous man of the cloth to lead a more serious and consistent drive to lick all forms of irregularities including massive graft and corruption in the government and the Catholic Church’s untouchable privilege of skipping tax and yet remitting its earnings to Rome.

The story’s byline, Gretchen Rivera, pretty daughter of local media mogul Ruben Rivera, came out with a theory that the Bishop’s beef with the mayors could be traced to would-be couples’ increasing preference to a mayor over a priest in officiating weddings. Gretchen also quoted neighbor columnist Gonzalo Duque for his pungent item on the church’s non-payment of taxes as “onerous and unchristian.”

Bishop’s Cruz should be inclusive, not exclusive vis a vis his moral and spiritual drive to strengthen the church, the story added. What floored us was a revelation that some priests are not even careful in concealing their paramours, eroding the church’s credibility as a spiritual and moral institution.

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The Punch’s online edition has accessed us to friends and acquaintances in many parts of the world. Lately, childhood friends and kin such as the former Paz Ugaban, now Mrs. Paz Campbell who lives in New Zealand, and the former Maripi Llamas who is in Canada contacted us thru the Punch website.

Sorry, Maripi Llamas Dioquino, daughter of the late Dagupan Treasurer Hernando Llamas and the former Paz Martinez, sister of nanay Aurora, for our misprint of your family name as Parayno, no thanks to the proverbial deadline woes.

Both Maripi and Paz Campbell were our playmates during our carefree childhood days in Barangay Malued. Maripi’s late erpat was our favorite chess playmate, while Paz Campbell’s erpat, our former barber Mama Emong, is our enduring political chismis partner. Every election Mama Emong, now a Mangaldan resident, would visit us in Bonuan with friends in tow, and discuss local politics. This local political tidbit odyssey started yet when we were in high school when Ferdinand Marcos and Cong Dadong Macapagal ruled Philippine politics.

Now in his early 90’s, Mama Emong still keeps us posted on local politics. A good man, his daughter Paz must be dearly blessed with her New Zealander hubby.

Our foreign land-based friends want to thank the Punch especially Publisher Ermin for this little global page for gluing relationships across time and space.