Respect and Remembrance (or why we are not shallow)

Sunday, 18 September 2011 17:20

Written by Louie C. Montemar

Last Sunday, 9-11, a very popular noontime television program commemorated the 9-11-2001 US tragedy. I predict that TV show will not commemorate the Philippines’ 9-16. That would be a tragedy—but 9-16 was not. It was a moment of national triumph, of greatness.

At 8:13 p.m., 9-16-1991, with thousands rallying aroung the Old Senate (National Museum) Building, then Senate President Salonga announced the final result of the deliberations on whether to extend the stay of US bases in the Philippines or not. "By a vote of 12-11," said Salonga, "the treaty is defeated." That is the Philippines’s triumphant 9-16.

Twelve Senators of the Philippine Republic stood up for sovereignty rejecting the proposed RP-US Bases Treaty. Along with Jovito Salonga, these names must be remembered for that rare act of national pride: Agapito "Butz" Aquino, Juan Ponce Enrile, Joseph "Erap" Estrada, Teofisto "Tito" Guingona, Sotero "Teroy" Laurel, Ernesto Maceda, Orlando "Orly" Mercado, Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel, Jr., Rene Saguisag, Wigberto "Bobby" Tañada, and Victor Ziga.

Senator Salonga himself paid a hefty political price for this sterling manifestation of nationalist leadership as, reportedly, his patrons from the business community withdrew support for his presidential bid.

Now don't get me wrong, I symphatize with those who fell or lost someone dear in 9-11-2001. Still, I must declare now that one thing really bothered me about that incident. Really, really bothered me.

Perhaps our brilliant scientists can enlighten me. I am but a student of social science who is however in love with natural science. The image or rather images that struck me most from the US 9-11 tragedy were about how those New York buildings fell down straight as if they were demolished in a controlled way. When I first saw how the first building fell, shock and incredulity eclipsed grief and pity. People, certainly, tragically, were dying that moment in those buildings, but I could not silence my mind which was telling me that the "physics" of the collapse didn't look right.

It was discomfitting. Some of my friends abroad were online then and were unanimous in expressing their horror and grief. I was bewildered. I just had to keep silent with due respect to others who were then very emotional. Oh, yes, this happened so much earlier before I encountered those so-called “conspiracy materials” positing that there may be more to 9-11 that meets the eye.

No, I am not one of those conspiracy theorists. However, the official explanation still sounds and smells funny.

Now, what will make things even more farcical for me would be if that Philippine Sunday noontime TV show forgets, come this Sunday, to even mention the Philippine 9-16 or our triumph against the strategic military interests of the US government.

This show has ridden on the US-led 9-11 remembrance campaign, and even Filipinos are now quipping, 9-11: Never Forget! But never forget what? For whom? In whose interests?

Again, let me underscore, I symphatize with the victims, the innocents, but let us not be so innocent to say now that we should buy the whole official story about 9-11 and the political-military movements that were later justified in its “remembrance.”

Now more than at anytime in the past, the Filipino has become transnational. This is part of our strength and richness as a people. Filipinos died in 9-11. We share some grief with the American people. Our milieux overlap with that of our American friends.

Milieux refers to an individual's immediate environment or social setting, where she can or may make a difference if only she finds the resolve to act. The global social order can therefore be seen as a set of interlocking and overlapping 'milieux'. I use it in the sense of C. W. Mills' idea of the "sociological imagination"—or that capacity of an individual to grasp how her life story or biography connects with her society's history.

In the case of 9-11, an international act of violence, global society became more real. The sociological imaginations of the witnesses to that tragedy should have been sparked. But imagination needs information to stoke it.

I submit that there should be a proper accounting of what actually happened in 9-11 (and post-9-11) in the US and in 9-16 (and post-9-16) in the Philippines. Only from history can we learn how to move forward not just as Filipinos and Americans, but as humanity.

To illustrate, let’s remember and underscore some information about what happened to Subic and Clark with the base treaty’s rejection in 1991. People who were pushing for the extension of the US bases’ stay in the country often asked: Can we eat sovereignty? Here are some information, some knowledge points, toward an answer.

In 1991, US negotiators gave the Philippine government then a compensation offer in return for Senate ratification of US Bases Treaty: $363 million for the first year and $203 million per year for nine years, on a "best efforts" basis, with an open-ended lease. Clark exports were valued last 2010 at $1.34 billion. Clark investments in 2009: $146 million.

Subic cumulative investments since turnover to Philippine authorities: $7.17 billion. Subic seaport revenue in 2010: PhP414.538 billion. In Subic, it is reported that the 1.77 billion top ten new investments in 2010, six are by Filipino companies. The top investor is Korean, followed by a Chinese company, and the third top investor is a Filipino firm.

Moreover, how many Filipinos and other tourists have used Clark before 1991? There was no access to the general Filipino public in all US Military Bases since 1899 to 1991. In Subic alone in 2010, there were 5.47 million visitors. Of this, 38,032 were foreigners and 5.435 million were Filipinos.

Diosdado Macapagal International Airport traffic in the former Clark airbase was estimated as having served around 60,000 international passengers and 5,000 domestic passengers in 2010.

Yes, sovereignty, like stone, can turn to sweet bread. But no miracle is needed. We need only to acknowledge the people of the former US bases areas for what they have done for their place. Let us however also recognize and give due respect to our brave former Senators and national leaders for what they have done to set the tone of development right for places like Subic and Clark.

I was among the tens of thousands who, in 1991, were drenched to the bones rallying in front of the Senate to support the Senators who kicked out the US bases. I was with the UP Diliman contingent who marched from Welcome, Rotonda in Quezon City to the Senate Building then in Manila. We were with farmers from Subic, workers from all over, women, etc. Supporters of the US bases also marched and petitioned the Senate to let the bases stay. President Cory Aquino supported them. Imagine, a President rallying her people for the cause of foreign troops. Ah.. we are so... Loving?

By the way, St. Scholastica students also braved the rains that day to rally with us. They were not with Tita Cory, their most famous alumna, and they were chanting so sweetly in English (unlike most of us who were crying in Tagalog): “The people, united, will never be defeated!”

If we did not unite, if our Senators did not end the bases’ stay, Subic would not be as it is now. Yes, the relative prosperity of investors in Subic and Clark may have yet to trickle to the masses. At least now they are certainly more than just rest-and-recreation areas for foreign trops or glorified brothels.

As if icing on the cake of remembrance, a day after last 9-11 and that Sunday noontime TV show, this man of letters, a supposedly respected literary authority, wrote this in his column for another paper:

“I was visited by an old Asian friend who lived here 10 years ago. I was floored by his observation that though we have lots of talented people, as a whole, we continue to be shallow.

Recently, I was seated beside former Senator Letty Shahani, PhD in Comparative Literature from the Sorbonne, watching a medley of Asian dances. The stately and classical Japanese number with stylized movements which perhaps took years to master elicited what seemed to me grudging applause. Then, the Filipino tinikling which any one can learn in 10 minutes; after all that energetic jumping, an almost standing ovation. Letty turned to me and asked, “Why are we so shallow?”

Yes, indeed, and for how long?”

Erich Fromm says that “To respect a person is not possible without knowing him; care and responsibility would be blind if they were not guided by knowledge.” To tweak this a bit, I say that to respect a nation is not possible without knowing it.

I think this man of letters who wrote the lines I quoted above actually lacks knowledge enough to respect his own people. He offers not knowledge but a mere label in that piece. Pray tell, friends, what is “shallow”?

Filipinos have been accused or labeled of being many things: indolent, a people with a damaged culture, “baduy” and, now, shallow. Mababaw.

No! A people who can stand up to a military might and a hegemon that is the US and still prosper in those former US base areas are not a shallow people! We are not, whatever that denigrating, condescending term means, shallow. Perhaps our elites, like our man of letters, are.

Elaine Sihera says “Respect is demonstrated by our actions, not our words... And when those actions are absent, especially at a trivial or simple level, there is also a distinct lack of respect.” She says that six concepts constitute respect: curiosity, attention, dialogue, sensitivity, empowerment, and healing. Says Sihera further, “If we are not really demonstrating those six concepts in various ways, with regards to the one we say we respect, we are not showing them much respect at all.”

I think even the so-called learned of this country still have much to learn. They need to learn to respect their own people.
Respect comes not with shallow labelings but with deep remembrances of both tragedies and triumphs. Let us remember 9-11. But let us not forget 9-16.

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