The other day I heard on the radio how Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye made statements against Senator Mar Roxas who was criticizing the administration's zealousness on the recent strengthening of the peso.
Roxas, in an earlier statement said that the strengthening of the peso and rising stocks are basically meaningless if they do not translate to lower prices of goods and services.
Arroyo administrative champion Bunye said that to say these progress indicators are insignificant would be in effect undermining the contributions of the Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), who through their yuletide dollar remittances significantly contributed to the improving peso to dollar exchange rate. Bunye goes on by commending the OFWs who due to their sacrifices and contributions are now regarded by the administration to be our nation's new brand of heroes.
Quite honestly, I've always had trouble understanding that phrase, "Ang Mga Bagong Bayani ng Pilipinas" ("The Modern Day Heroes of the Philippines").
How are we defining the word "hero" when we say Modern Day Heroes?
Please don't get me wrong, I have a great amount of respect for our countrymen and women abroad. I have relatives and dear friends who because of circumstances are forced to leave friends and family behind to work overseas. I admire the courage it took to make that decision and the inner strength it takes to face the everyday challenges and hardship of being apart from everything that you hold dear.
It brings to mind a line from one of Emily Saliers' song that cuts deep in the reality of what is "starving the emptiness to feed the hunger".
I am not smart enough to point out all the ironies here, but if OFWs are now regarded as this country's new brand of heroes, does that follow that what Jose Rizal stood for was the old way of looking at things?
How are we defining the word new when we say New Brand of Heroes?
Rizal studied abroad so that he could come back to the motherland armed with knowledge. Some OFWs enroll in crash courses (and even earn entire college degrees) so that they could actually work abroad. Rizal died fighting for our country's freedom. OFWs are dying slow deaths from the harsh realities they face daily from being away from loved ones.
I do have relatives and friends who are working abroad because the opportunities here are less favorable and I actually have more friends who are presently gearing up to join this exodus. In a perfect world, we would all be staying here in the Philippines to physically be together during the weekends or at the very least during the holidays, instead of just sending postcards, pictures and virtual greetings in the form of chats and emails.
If you've ever missed someone in your life you'd know how that kind of thing just sucks like an industrial strength vacuum cleaner!
Maybe it's just me, but if I am forced to leave my loved ones behind to toil in a foreign land because my government lacks the initiatives to prevent me from ever leaving in the first place, I would find it condescending to be called a hero for my contributions to the peso exchange rate.
I think it's beyond idiotic to send a message across our strong and able workforce that to be regarded a national hero these days means having to work abroad and send dollars home. That may sound too straightforward, but what else are we really saying?
You've all seen the statistics and documentaries and probably even heard first hand stories of how our professionals are choosing to go elsewhere. With how the information is sometimes processed its ironic how something meant to be eye opening may perhaps be even damaging. People realize how it blows to make a living here, so they are lured by the prospects abroad, and the government rather than solving the problem of losing the workforce, sugarcoats the issue by referring to OFWs as heroes.
It's sustainable development in reverse. Never mind the decreasing workforce and the brain drain, the peso is stronger than ever!
Is the strengthening of the peso good? Definitely. Is working abroad a bad thing? Absolutely not. Our countrymen and women abroad are hurting; they've sacrificed a great deal to be apart from friends and families. If they had a choice, they wouldn't be where they are now. With all the lying, cheating and corruption in the government, I think this entire hero branding is just being too patronizing.
Our fellow Filipinos working abroad are indeed heroes, but not primarily to the country, nor to the administration. They are heroes to the friends and families they left behind. A role they shouldn't have had to play if only the government does what it's supposed to be doing. If we are to call them heroes simply because they strengthen the peso through remittances, then I think we have a terribly screwed up concept of what this country regards as heroism.
