Acknowledging the past... It should be done, right?

I once encountered a student who told the class "I don't care much for the events of World War 2 because my parents and grandparents weren't involved so we don't ever talk about it." I was shocked to hear this, but more so saddened. To live your life with only the knowledge of what's in front of you, never curious or caring about your heritage... Isn't this how history is forgotten?

I've been reading a lot in the past few weeks about the Philippines. As I dig through articles about the Marcos era, I encounter so many present day articles written because of his controversial life, some including slurs and name-calling of either supporters or opposers, heavy biases, propaganda, and anger... Oh the anger! It has been difficult for me to understand. And it indeed causes me concern (and even anxiety) about the future of the Philippines and of the Filipino (by nationality or heritage). 

This essay by Rio Renato Constantino has been probably one of the better things I've read in the last few days. It is subjective, opinionated and passionate, yet there is something about it that captivates me in a positive way. Could it be that I've read so many "articles" with slang and swear words, attacks on one kind of person or another, that I lost hope in the sanity of the Filipino people? Perhaps. Mr. Constantino writes with a clarity that I think many of us need to find again. 

 

Thank you, Mr. Constantino, for showing me, and other old people like me, that your youth will not dictate your intelligence and your respect for Filipino history. As long as young people like you continue to open your minds, are aware of what is happening around you, and never stop thinking, you will surely be a beacon for the future. Happy belated birthday. 

http://interaksyon.com/article/131426/essay--dissonance-and-the-marcos-burial-issue

Here goes nothing!: Politics. Philippines. I have no idea. Yikes.

As a child, my understanding of my heritage was simple. My best example is about food. Since my mom is Filipino, and she cooks food, anything she makes (including perogies or cornbread) I considered "Filipino food." Ah, silly, simple, young me.

And then I reached grade 4. We had to cover current events in class. I had no idea what that meant. I watched "Kids news" on KVOS12 at almost 8am every weekday morning before finishing breakfast and heading to school. They reported mostly about positive events, and sometimes community events. I felt like I was always in the know for local news. But school-worthy current events had to be bigger than the puppy parade happening this coming weekend. So I asked my parents to help. I ended up reading an article about the former Filipino president Ferdinand Marcos and some of the many bad things he'd done. I can't remember the details. All I understood was that this type of person should have probably not been the ruler of a country. I had a hard time with the article. I did poorly for my report. I thought it was because I wasn't really a Filipino. I struggled to understand Canadian politics, so Filipino politics was surely too advanced for me. And of course, my only connection to the Philippines were the long distance phone calls my parents would have to make at odd hours of the day... They would speak in Tagalog or Kapampangan, but talk more loudly and slowly than usual so I could catch on to the conversations. I probably only understood 50% of what was happening. I ended up being quite discouraged about my heritage. Can you blame me though? My parents left that country for a reason. I often heard it wasn't a safe place to raise a family. So I was not in a rush to learn more, or even to try and prove them wrong.

Fast-forward to today. I'm an adult. I read the news all the time. I do my best to understand all sorts of politics. And yet, I feel just as confused as I was in grade 4 when it comes to the Philippines. Again. 

I know I don't know enough about my heritage. I strive to learn, but it confuses me endlessly. Lately, I see my Facebook feed split over the politics in the Philippines. And of course it's about my first ever current events subject matter, Marcos. Those of you like me know it's tough asking any grandparents, parents, aunties or uncles about the Marcos era. There's too much emotion tied to their generations and his reign. It's pretty tough to find legit articles to read too. I feel like there's no such thing as writing without a bias when it comes to the Philippines. 

My need to understand is driving me to redeem my fourth grade self and do some independent research on Marcos. I already gathered why people don't like him. But I would like to read for myself why he was so ethically and morally unsound. I will also search to understand why there are people who like him. I'll eventually look for archives and microfiches at the library. For now, I'll dig online. 

This article I found was originally published in The New York Times in January of 1986 by Jeff Gerth. It talks about Marcos' wartime role in the Philippines, and how it was all discredited. It's long and thorough. It only tells part of what his controversial life was about. If you read it, let me know what you think about it. I haven't read anything as informative as this about Marcos before so I'm quite happy to now have some of this info in my brain. 

http://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/23/world/marcos-s-wartime-role-discredited-in-us-files.html?pagewanted=1