Denial in the Philippines

The massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao this week was so atrocious and senseless that Globophobe feels compelled to post a comment, something that we have not had much time to do of late. Among those killed were a dozen journalists. This has made the Philippines the most dangerous place in the world for reporters. The slaughter will be a shameful blot on the image of the country for many years to come. At this point, given the country's track record, the likelihood of any real justice for those who were murdered is very low. In this society where the politically and economically powerful enjoy impunity from the law, maybe some underlings will be found guilty, but the masterminds will probably get off - or be put in a jail where they live in comfort. After all, despite the plundering of the nation by its leaders since the beginning of the republic, few if any have actually paid for their evil deeds. To quote Tennyson, we are "a savage race".

But as Globophobe frequently says about revelations that are not in fact revealing, this is not news. Philippine politics is all about clans, families that claim mayorships, governorships, congressional seats and even the presidency as their birthright. They may wish to serve the public but to them, public service means that they must get a cut. In many cases, these potentates rule through the barrel of a gun, or more likely semi-automatic rifles. They maintain private armies and think nothing of wiping out adversaries large or small. They are warlords in a semi-feudal society.

The elite in the Philippines - the technocrats, the business leaders, the educated middle class - is in denial about this very dark side of the nation. They see the progress the nation has made in recent years and believe that the country has left its brutish past behind. A few years ago, when Globophobe used the term "semi-feudal" to describe the Philippines in a published article in a regional news magazine, we received a phone call from one of the top business tycoons, a US-educated denizen of Forbes Park, who proceeded to give us a tongue lashing for using that word. But how else can one explain a heinous act such as the Maguindanao massacre?

Time has come for Filipinos to stop denying that this darkness in our society exists or that there is nothing that can be done about it. Hold the country's leaders accountable. Keep putting pressure on them until there is real justice in the land. The people have to turn their backs on those who deny and those who do not deliver. Put a stop to the reign of political dynasties and rule by guns, goons and gold. The first step: end the denial, admit the problem, and cease the idle resignation. Something can be done and has to be done now.