AS this editorial is being written, Laguna province is celebrating a major holiday amid the Covid-19 pandemic: the 160th anniversary of the Philippines’ foremost national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.
As this year’s celebration coincides with the start of the campaign period for the 2022 national and local elections, let us revisit Rizal’s words and apply them as we prepare to choose who will lead us for the next three to six years.
Having been brought up in a culture that fostered learning, and due to his travels around the world, Rizal saw the dangers of blind faith and blind allegiance to leaders.
He saw the dangers of a nation whose populace has been taught not only to accept but enjoy their subservience to their masters.
He saw the dangers of a nation who cannot think on its own with subservient people who will just “go ahead” and follow orders without thinking.
His writings reflect his desire for a populace that is not only literate but also critical – a public who can see through flowery words and false promises that had become the norm in our politics.
It’s been said that the Covid-19 pandemic has, to some extent, made Filipinos revisit their choices and realize that choosing our leaders is more than a popularity or vendetta contest.
We have much to learn about how to decide for ourselves and look for leaders who can steer our country to the “inclusive progress” we have all desperately hoped for.
In Rizal’s writings, we can find the answer: “The people cannot expect honor nor prosperity so long as they will educate their children in a wrong way, so long as the woman who guides the child in his steps is slavish and ignorant.”