Letter to the Editor

Dear Sir:

Mr. Alexander L. Lacson’s piece OUR ENEMY ( PDI, Nov. 30, 2008 ) is another reflection of why we are the Sick Man of Asia.
He says that during the Spanish time, the face of our enemy was very clear. It was the Spanish conquerors and the rulers of our country. They used force and violence against our people, raped our women, stole our gold and spices, exploited our natural resources.

But today, Mr. Lacson says, our enemy is the “trapo” in government – the mayor, the governor, the congressman, the Cabinet secretary or department undersecretary, the president, the senators, etc.

I ask: aren’t those leaders in our government products of La Salle, Ateneo, University of Santo Thomas, Letran, San Beda, Mirian college, Assumption college, Asian Institute of management, etc. etc. including the University of the Philippines that produces men like a Marcos - a Jesus-loving, God-fearing Filipino leader?

Indeed, in this poor and backward country, we are all born ignorant, not stupid and corrupt. We are made stupid and corrupt by education.

Millions of minds are distorted and hearts twisted with false beliefs during the formative years in school. All for the sake of having faith in the next world to come, and to have faith also in the next country to go to in order to earn a decent living. What keeps us Filipinos stupid and corrupt? Isn’t it glaringly obvious that decent growth as a people and decent development as a nation can only be the result of a decent system of education?

A decent life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. It has nothing to do with prayers to God to give us this day our daily bread, and to lead us not into temptation? Isn’t it tragic enough that we Filipinos are winners in the rat-race for eternal salvation, but are poor losers in the race for human civilization under a better system of education?

To teach Filipino children in school to reach for fantasy solutions to real life problems is the worst possible training Filipino children can have for their outreach toward emotional growth and intellectual maturity – indeed, for love of fellow-citizens and for love of country.

The success of Christianity in the Philippines is our one and only real enemy. Its basic teachings in the schools, colleges, and universities have always shaped the Filipino mind and molded the Filipino heart to live faithfully as the poor victims, but never as the healthy masters of religion in our own country.

If there is purpose to life that purpose must be that we should leave this world a little better than we are born into it, especially in the humanitarian sense, or there is little reason for our having lived.

Yours sincerely,
Poch Suzara
Chairman
Center for Inquiry, Philippines
Dec. 2, 2008