Challenge for the Filipino Patriot

According to a friend of mine,

Colleagues, former classmates, fellow Filipinos!

I have been thinking of
speaking to all of you for the past weeks but I somehow thought that what I am
about to profess will be taken for granted or with much indiscretion. I don’t
want to sound presumptuous or pretentious, knowing that I was such a nonsense
livewire in our 4C5 (UST Journalism Class ’95) days, somebody who did not even
know the author of “A Season Of Grace” (NVM Gonzales and not MGM) and quivered
at the mere mention of our dean’s name.

So I swallowed everything, the
words that were supposed to be uttered, including my rotting pride.

But
this sad reality haunted me night and day; it even followed me in my nightmares.
I became immobile in my lethargy as this cowardice suffused my being thinking
that a speck of sanguinity still flickers in not so distant corner. I was wrong.
The flickering I saw emanated from this frustrating mirror called conscience,
flashing a dejected reflection of myself.

I then realized that it is not
some kind of magic force, a spell, not even acknowledgment that compels me to
remind each and everyone of you who are now all working in the media as artists,
writers, reporters and PR practitioners of what you can do or possibly
contribute. As far as I know, most of you are successful in your chosen fields
and enjoy the fruits of your triumph. I could name a few but I believe there is
no need for that since we have maintained a special complicity with one another.

I’ll go straight to the point. We are all witness to what is happening
in our country—heading to perdition. This is because of some government
officials, particularly administration congressmen and the president who are
making a mockery of truth and justice by doing everything to stop the
impeachment proceedings. Yet these traitors have the face to appeal to the
public on national television call themselves patriots, the so-called champions
of the constitution. They are no more than a vicious thief, a scoundrel who
profited in the name of patriotism.

These men have no principles,
morality, decency and ethics, only a price. As Oscar Wilde says, “Patriotism is
the virtue of vicious.”

It is now the time for us to make a stand.

I admire the students of the University of the Philippines and other
universities and even those anonymous people who courted death and stigma by
making a stand on the issue of electoral fraud and impeachment. They trooped to
the streets, inside the congress and to unsuccessful rallies to express their
views. I also admire the reporters of ANC covering all the hearings in the
senate and congress by making it so obvious that they are for the truth. I am
not saying that you all abandon the sybaritic comfort you all enjoy now and go
to the streets. All I’m asking is that we take a stand now, whether you are for
or against the ignominy of truth, of justice. We have to have a stand since most
of us have the capacity to do that in a diplomatic way. You may ask why should
we meddle or the least, care about it. YOU and every Filipino living in this
jaded expanse called Filipinas are in jeopardy. Do this not for yourselves not
for anybody but for our children and our children’s children in the future.

The revolution of the mass has failed long time ago and might fail again
should they try anew. It is because they do not regard them as threat to the
power, they are all dispensable. It is the elite that they are afraid of. We
journalists, the harbinger and guardians of truth belong to the elite. It is us
who must now lead the revolution—since truth is at stake now and its upholding
is the price to be won.

It is not primarily the uncovering of truth or
some self-satisfaction that nags me to speak to you this way. It is DUTY that
decrees me to do this. Duty to my country and my children; though it may have
conflicts with our beliefs or with others.

We can make use of these
e-groups (internet) to share the sentiments of our brave fellows in the streets
and in the congress to make the truth come out. Thus give a special purpose and
significance to our e-groups. We cannot be neutral on this issue because this is
between right or wrong, moral or immoral, truth or false. We can all contribute
to make a change and give truth and democracy a voice. After all, truth is,
above all, justice. Time is an enemy and life could be ephemeral, the world will
not wait for us.

Let me quote you an excerpt from a novel of "Apo."

"...They lied to us in the newspapers, the books they wrote for us to
memorize in school, in their honeyed speeches when they courted our votes. They
lied to us because they did not want us to rise from the dung heap to confront
them. We know the truth now; we have finally emptied our minds of their lies,
discovered their corruption and our weaknesses as well. But this truth as
perceived by us is not enough...we must destroy them..."

Until people
like us (the media) do something against the predatory schemes of this present
administration the road that will lead us to that Primrose path will soon vanish
with slime and we will be left with no choice but to wallow in its embrace.

Let us not bury our heads for the truth is right in front of us. We have
to act NOW!

We hold in our hand the pen which is mightier than the sword
to slay the cruel beasts in our society. Use it. As the old Ilocano saying goes:
“Inlayat, Intagbat.”

Are you ready for the revolution!

- Toro (N.A.L.)