Filipinos and their lessening love and reverence of the body

The body contains the individual, the soul which together make the unique person, which is a member of a particular country, family, history. The body is sacred, being sanctified by the Son of God Himself who was incarnated to a Flesh and Blood reality while being God as well (an event called a hypostatic union).

The Filipinos have a special relationship with their bodies. They always figure among the most vain. They also figure as among the most connected to family, where even the Filipino Catechism (written 1988) explains that to many the family represents God and God is represented by the family.

This makes it very hard to accept the devolution of this love, this reverence to their bodies, their life, and hence to their families as what had happen in recent extra-judicial killings where the victims are becoming younger and young, more random and their cover-up more blatant and ludicrous.

I can think of three events which prepared for this slide and maybe we can see that they are preventable and can be totally be reversed if one is truly desirous to prevent a dangerous slide into nihiism and destruction.

One post-World War II event that caused a lot of collective grief and a massive blow to the cultural psyche was the Martial Law proclaimation of Marcos and the subsequent human rights violation and plunder that followed. Reaching a crisis point during the return of Ninoy Aquino in 1986, the ruling power had no other strategy but the dirty one they had employed all along. This is not hearsay but well-documented by the Agrava Commission and led to the jailing of many except the highest official. Putting a fall-guy into the person of Rolando Galman whom the military claimed was the assassin but was simply a pawn in their plot to kill Galman and Ninoy at the same time was something that only magnifies their guilt. (In recent cases, it was like the Natalie Holloway suspect Joran van der Sloot who is serving a sentence for killing another girl Stefany Flores admittedly because she searched his computer about Natalee Holloway). This military collusion only demonstrates the complicity and approval of the highest of authorities. So whether or not Marcos or Ver got officially punished, does God not see all that we do? That their lust for power destroyed many a family unit (the economic diaspora is from their sacking of the resources and rebels and desparecidos are an offshoot of their unconscience) is little thought to them and many goverment workers getting extra to get ahead is their legacy.

One other scenario that made Filipinos get desensitized is a natural disaster--Haiyan--with people's contributions. The human toll that were killed by floods do not deserve a mass burial. How many have the WHO announcements on Mass Disaster preparations that advised "Every effort must be taken to identify the bodies. As a last resort, unidentified
bodies should be placed in individual niches or trenches, which is a basic human right of the surviving family members." Sadly as this attempts were being done, scientific staff led by Dr. Fortun and others were turned away and government workers from NBI under Noynoy Aquino's administration decided that mass burials were to be done. Also the distribution of resources to rebuild were hampered by lack of effective systems and possibly corruption. (As this happened in Imelda Romualdez-Marcos's hometown, could it mean anything?) Anything that seemed to have widely acknowledged best-practices were being ignored over simple power play. This would play out collosally in the next level.

The extra-judicial killings of Duterte should be memorable for their brazenness. It should be noted in history that the leaders who make the deadly pronouncement against people (and have their minions act on them) such as the case of Henry II in the killing of St. Thomas Becket, it was the leader who atoned for it. (Henry accepted a public lashing in St. Thomas' tomb.) It is because IF NOT BUT FOR his words, there would be no incitement, no death. If there was no gungho pronouncement of killing suspected and actual drug dealers, there would be no vigilantes, no rouge officers. If he spoke peace, there would be the opposite, but a man who lived by the sword and seemingly unrepentant, will only make matters worse when he is a leader of a country. He will cause bloodshed to his normally peaceable and joyful, family-loving people who despite their poverty and geographic separation is staying resilient. But to add a homicidal curse to every household? As an acquaintances in a prayer group recently said that her amiga's son is friend to Duterte's son and truly he is on drugs. The presidential son is shielded, but all other sons, sons of famers, candy vendors, tricycle drivers, the ones who were both blessed and endangered to stay behind in their motherland is now getting the biggest betrayal of their lives. Just as Marcos was willing to plunder for power, Duterte is willing to kill to sow fear and extend his power.

Which now lead to lessening of the love for our bodies, love for one another, love for our families and country? Leaders who do not care, who do not bring Christ's message of mercy, who have no servant heart. So, take care, to elect. Choose to be the person who will die for others, not kill for more.