| Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash
Third of a three-part series- *A chapter from a memoir, Land of the Mourning by Fernando B. Perfas
In light of the past, Filipinos have developed a siege mentality that compels them to accumulate beyond their needs when opportunity arises. Unmindful of consequences and driven to take advantage of present opportunities that may never come again, they grasp with greed and wanton abandon. Nothing satisfies them until the same resources are spread beyond their immediate blood to the next of kin in an escalating, self-perpetuating process. This is an added measure of security, so they could keep what had been amassed should the vagaries of life turn against them.
This false source of comfort guarantees that never again will the days of material wants set upon them. In governance and the exercise of power, this is the perfect recipe for absolute corruption and nepotism. This pattern of coping with the vicissitudes of life is deeply rooted in the Filipino psyche and framed by centuries of brutal subjugation and unmet needs.
The contradictions between these survival strategies and the teachings of the faith they now profess often escape most Filipinos. The incongruence is never perceived because the disparate ideas live in different rooms and levels of their psyche. The business of living pervades the forefront of their consciousness while matters relating to heaven—the realm of the spirit—are kept in the foreground of their awareness. The former is concerned with survival, and the latter is a matter of faith invoked upon as an oracle to ward off misfortune or increase good fortune.
To rise above such a survival imperative by acts of genuine altruism and charity is truly heroic, for it is clearly a force of Nature that no simple human can defy. There were some who, through the centuries, denied such instincts and charted their destiny beyond the dictates of mere adaptive survival. Those were the true heroes.
RELATED STORY: Part II – Historical Trauma and the Corruption of the Filipino Mind: A Working Theory *
The slum mentality that characterizes how the poor adapt to the social conditions of the slums shares common attributes with siege mentality. By extension, from the insights in Tim’s declarations, one finds the slum mentality not unique, but somewhat familiar; it is a reenactment of the siege mentality. The social conditions of the slums are reminiscent of past deprivations and elicit a similar response to that of siege mentality, which is an unconscious reaction to threats to one’s survival. Having lived in the slums, I witnessed the raw manifestations of the Filipinos’ ingrained sense of powerlessness and inability to use power for good when they have it. Burdened by a warped conscience, they are likely to overlook the most appalling injustice in their midst. Their heads become hollow, their hearts hard and full of greed, and their faith misguided when their stomachs are empty, and their safety is in jeopardy.
And what about the political process that expresses the voice of the people and governs through a mandate to serve the interests of the country? Again, Tim would probably say, “The siege mentality, based on greed and opportunism, is a sordid past that gets played out in this arena.” Politics is often a sham. It is the beaten path to power and wealth for most politicians and a form of pastime or entertainment for the rest. Interest groups vie for power, but personal self-interest reigns supreme. With electorates on the lookout for new heroes to emulate or characters to identify with, Philippine politics is primarily governed by a personality cult. Political platforms are nothing but empty words, beautiful but empty nonetheless. People know, but the fantasy is irresistible.
In my younger days, Mom and many others would vote for politicians for their good looks and wealth. Popular among the poor are actors with folk-hero appeal, the “defenders” of the common people. The mixing of movie plots with reality in the vain hope that their fantasy becomes reality. Since many of the disenfranchised poor can only dream of becoming rich or wielding power, vicarious identification with successful politicians or actors is the next best thing. Among the desperate, the price of a meal is all it costs to buy their votes. Besides popularity, candidates who inspire the most basic sentiment of the masses – their faith – are likely to be elected. Again, this is a form of siege mentality—the need for reassurance or the promise of a better tomorrow by doing more of the same. Over the course of time, I asked myself, “Where does the hand of destiny fit in?”
Tim kept his word, and I went on every camping trip with him. He was an enigma, one of a kind. He was among the “passers-by” in my life whose shadow and breeze breathed new life into my otherwise humdrum existence. My brief time with him and the wisdom he conferred on my young mind left a lasting impression. Those footprints of an earlier time were like a compass in a journey through life. He sowed in me the seeds of social awareness and concern for others.
Before the school year was over, a new scoutmaster, Mr. Diaz, took Tim’s place. Things would never be the same. “Tim has to go home to his province in Bulacan for an emergency. His mother is quite ill. He’ll try to return as soon as he can,” Mr. Diaz explained. I never heard of Tim again.
Mr. Diaz was no Tim. In fact, he was the opposite of all I liked about Tim. He was a man full of hot air, more talk than action. He valued appearances and was the type who would elevate himself at the expense of others or take credit for others’ toil. His first decree was to have us all in full Boy Scout uniforms so he could parade the troop at district and regional gatherings. The contrast between his fancy outfits, with all the gadgets he flashed about as part of his scouting paraphernalia, and the hovel where his family lived was shocking. I was glad I only had to put up with him for the summer.
Politics is often a sham. It is the beaten path to power and wealth for most politicians and a form of pastime or entertainment for the rest. Interest groups vie for power, but personal self-interest reigns supreme. With electorates on the lookout for new heroes to emulate or characters to identify with, Philippine politics is primarily governed by a personality cult.
My sense of loss that year was compounded by world events involving the Philippine Boy Scouts contingent to the Eleventh World Jamboree in Marathon, Greece. Twenty-four Boy Scouts perished in an air crash in the Arabian Sea off the coast of India on July 28, 1963. I looked up to those scouts with admiration and envy, and it was challenging to come to terms with their loss. Indeed, it was a sad and difficult year.
Mom had never pushed me in school, but I sensed she was betting on me to bail us out of the slums. This unspoken expectation was on my mind during the closing days of the school year. The transition from primary school to high school was a crucial time, and the beginning of my battle against an illness that would sap my strength and morale.
“My illness when I was fourteen took its toll on my self-esteem,” I tell Mom. “Although I wasn’t aware of it then, I was depressed for a long time. I had to have regular shots and took pills for my condition.”
“Where did you go for the shots?” she asks.
“To the public health center on Padre Herrera Street.” Mom seems lost for a moment, unable to follow what I’m talking about. Her memory of the event is faltering. “I was glad you never told anyone of my condition. I was embarrassed by people knowing,” I continue while feeling mildly disturbed that she has forgotten what I considered a serious misfortune. I keep quiet, determined to keep my disappointment from leaking into my voice.
“Now I remember some of it,” she finally says.
“Allow me to tell you more of what I remember,” I said.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Fernando B. Perfas is an addiction specialist who has written several books and articles on the subject. He currently provides training and consulting services to various government and non-government drug treatment agencies regarding drug treatment and prevention approaches. He can be reached at fbperfas@gmail.com.
