Conrad, Not Himself

Never mind that he is understood mostly by the intelligentsia, his thoughts ought to be the voice of an entire nation.

For the longest time, Conrad de Quiros has been the conscience of a country that has lost its identity. Not that one is a substitute for the other, but should we not know what we are, at the very least, we should have an idea what we shouldn’t be. And he has always been there to criticize, to admonish. De Quiros has always been there to remind.

And I agree, we shouldn’t have taken lightly much less with levity, the botched Manila hostage crisis that claimed the lives of 8 foreign nationals. Our reactions have indeed been an indictment of how we have degenerated as a people. Of how we have lost an appreciation for the preciousness of life. But also of how easily we forgive others and ourselves – in that order – for even the most unforgivable of mistakes.

Unlike de Quiros however, I refuse to put the cart before the horse. It would be sheer sophistry to indict a nation and then absolve its leaders. It would be the height of insensitivity, if not hypocrisy, to say that we have grown callous as a nation without understanding how we got there to begin with. It is lunacy to condemn the reaction without laying judgment on the action, or lack of it, that made the reaction possible.

It is not with the luxury of choice that the world looks at us now with disgust. There are no hierarchies to condemnation here. The world frowns at us because of our government’s ineptitude and the blitheness with which we have reacted to both the death of many and the incompetence that made it all a shameful reality.

It is no accident that the words “botched” and “bungled” have nearly become as popular as “jejemon” in the recent week. These words connote a lack or even absence of knowledge: “jejemon” in spelling and grammar; “botched” and “bungled” in leadership and management.

The images of a few among us who had their pictures taken “smiling and preening” at the site of the incident may have become objects of hate, though certainly not as much as that of a President caught “smiling” after and despite what had happened. His pictures not ours, scattered on the grounds where 80,000 Chinese marched.

Filipinos have evolved to smile at the absurdity of life, though often it is not of our choosing, much less doing. Aquino smiles at the absurdity of the situation, though on Monday, it was of his administration’s causing.

If the world could speak our language, they wouldn't say "wala kayong puso," though they would probably think that too. More likely, they would say "ang tatanga ninyo." That, we would have deserved more.

The de Quiros-of-old would have seen this. "Vintage Conrad" would have pounced on this with both savage and savvy eloquence. After all, FVR, Estrada, Gloria, and even the President’s mother, Cory, were never spared from the might of his pen, the surgical precision of his commentary.

But Noynoy, it seems, have become a sacred cow. Noynoy sits in the Palace, partly because of a Conrado de Quiros, just as de Quiros’ brother sits at the SSS wholly because of a Noynoy Aquino.

I hope I can write about other things. I did promise a reader that “’nuff” has been said about the hostage-taking. But garbage accumulates at the Palace faster than they can be collected, certainly faster than we can ignore the stench, much faster than Coloma, Carandang, et al. can (bungle) sweep(ing) them under the rug.

Just yesterday, much to the dismay of officials from our very own DFA, and again concerned leaders from the ASEAN, the President broke protocol by making the announcement that he would be cancelling his trip to Indonesia and Vietnam before his would-be hosts were officially informed.

Again, he is set to break protocol by going to the US (hopefully) to meet (not meet with, but like a fan, “meet”) Obama before he has set foot on any ASEAN nation. All other Presidents, even Cory, have respected that practice. But not this President. Not PNoy.

It must be him being “cool” about the Presidency. It must be him trying to make an identity for himself, trying step out of his parents’ shadow. Frankly, he needn’t have to. Noynoy is no Ninoy, that no longer surprises.

But Conrado de Quiros not being himself?! That shocks. Though mostly it saddens. (DPG)