TODAY IN PANAY NEWS.... WORM’S EYE VIEW: The Ilonggos Up Close November 28, 2014 MANY have asked this writer why this corner doesn’t see the light of day as often as they like, having been accustomed to it coming out thrice every week for the past six months. And since I believe that honesty is the bedrock of integrity without which writers cannot survive, I have always given them an answer that reflects my perception of reality. Truth to tell, I have been struggling to write about my thoughts on Iloilo politics because I have been afraid of Ilonggos’ reactions to my writings again which have often caught me flat-footed. There are two things which lately have hogged the headlines to which I have responded with some scathing columns: 1) The alleged overpricing of the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC); 2) The role of Manuel Mejorada as the accuser of the revered Ilonggo Senator Frank Drilon. Sad to say, after writing about my thoughts on these matters, I have received unsavory comments from fellow Ilonggos which have somehow diminished my reverence for them. It took time for me to let their thoughts sink into my mind which has been accustomed to sensible ideas. Clothed with venom against Mejorada as the accuser of Drilon whom they seem to revere unconditionally like a demigod, their opinions simply floored me. I mean, what is wrong with Mejorada accusing the Ilonggo senator of wrongdoing as long as eventually the Ombudsman can prove him right? Isn’t this a free country where as long as we don’t violate the laws of God and man, we are supposed to be deemed alright? Haven’t we seen the Ombudsman cases Mejorada filed against former congressman Augusto Syjuco which now have landed on the Sandiganbayan? If Mejorada has been a liar, why has these cases prospered? Does it follow then that years later, when Drilon is already in retirement, these cases Mejorada filed against him will also surface as full-blown Sandiganbayan cases? As they say, the world is round. Whatever goes up now will also go down by virtue of gravity. Isn’t this an immutable law that even defines the universal order? In the same vein, if Drilon is in power now, is he not destined like other powerful men before him to meet the same fate? What makes Ilonggos think that, in their eyes, the world will continue to be stuck in a state of suspended animation? Is this a propensity on their part to live in a bed of neuroses in which illusions define reality? But strangely, Ilonggos don’t even bother to ponder on any of these questions, hell-bent only on demanding for the neck of Mejorada who called Iloilo City the “bird’s nest of corruption.” And in the aftermath of this hullaballoo over such a “sweeping” statement, Mejorada got slapped with a resolution filed by the city council declaring him “persona non grata.” Although we don’t have time here to discuss the legal points of this city council resolution, we can only wonder why the council had to go to such extent without first weighing the matter considerably. The Ilonggos’ behavior reminds me of the Dark Ages where heretics were burned at the stake for their public pronouncements that ran counter to traditional beliefs of their time. Who knows, the assumption that Drilon is squeaky clean and Iloilo City corruption-free may just be shattered by “heretics” like Mejorada freeing us from ignorance and “superstition.” How Ilonggos have allowed their thinking to be insulated from reality has boggled my mind. They seem to be averse to any form of idea that may contradict their age-old assumptions. Haven’t they realized that the world was once believed to be flat until a heretic proved it to be round? History tells us that we cannot be so absolutely sure of anything until empirical proof establishes our beliefs on unshakeable ground. And mind you, I cannot just imagine again the backlash against me after readers read the previous paragraph I just wrote. Truth be told, this is the kind of fear that has gripped me as an observer of human condition especially in Iloilo City. Up close, Ilonggos have generally become prisoners of their own illusions. This may be good news to some, especially those who just want to exploit them, but certainly bad news to others who only want to awaken them to the truth that will set them free.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 20:53:24 +0000
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