What – no Formspring weekly post? Fortunately I was able to find a topic I could dig deep into that was more interesting than Formspring questions.

It started with this inspiring video:

But then some people not only took it out of context, but also took offense.

Qualifications

First, to point out what should’ve been obvious; Prof. Monsod was targetting a very specific demographic: particularly those who’s educations were heavily subsidized, ¹ In the case of the video, every UP student hehehe and yet immediately left the country after milking the school for all its worth.

So in case it wasn’t obvious, if you didn’t get any “special financing” (scholarships, etc.) for your education, then you’re not the type of person she’s referring to.

And yet, as my friend would say: Bato bato sa langit… ang tamaan… TARGET! a lot of people apparently were “hit” by this… and it’s either because they forgot to notice the context of the lecture, or if they were, in fact, the kind of people Winnie described.

My Take

The funniest thing about all this is that I personally am not one of those people who are, as they would say, “proud to be Pinoy.” At best, I don’t regret being Filipino… but proud? Hardly. I just can’t bring myself to feel that way given all the stuff I’ve been seeing over the years. ² And the Manny Pacquiaos, Ondoy solidarity, etc. are not nearly enough to compensate for all the fuck-ups we’ve been through (and caused) as a people.

Having said that, I find it very amusing that Filipinos living overseas take offense with any statement that questions their “patriotism.” Sometimes I’d like to say “you know, you don’t have to pretend that what you’re doing out of the country is truly so you can help THE country.” Come on people, let’s call a spade a spade.

Yes, you send money/support to your families (or your favorite foundation/cause) – anyone could do that regardless of nationality – it doesn’t make you special – and it certainly doesn’t let you off the hook if you took advantage of a subsidized education. Rationalize all you want, but at the end of the day, you chose YOUR life instead of your country.

And here’s the kicker, while choosing that way is indeed unfortunate, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. The difference between me and these “affected people” is that I can admit my preference. I can admit that given the choice, I would leave if it meant getting a better future for myself (and my family’s).

But make no mistake, I’m owning up to that decision; that I choose my happiness over my country’s welfare – and in saying that, I don’t feel the need to explain myself even if it means being branded as a “traitor.” Because you know what? Maybe I am one! I’m not really bothered by it – what will bother me, is if I don’t provide for my family – what will bother me is if I’m unhappy with my life.

Call it selfish (it certainly is) and I’m guilty as charged 🙂 I wish these defensive people would do the same; it would certainly get a load off their chests. Stop pretending you actually care about the country when you certainly don’t prioritize it.

As for me, I couldn’t care less about talk of patriotism. To me, ultimately, we aren’t any better than other countries the same way they aren’t better than us. People are people PERIOD. If I’m proud to be anything, I’m proud to be human – or more importantly, proud to be me.

So, does that mean you’re on the OFWs side (albeit in a roundabout way?)

It depends on the context. One big caveat has something to do with how they acquired their education.

If they financed their education themselves at full cost, I believe they have the right to do whatever the hell they want to do and go wherever the hell they want to go simply because they paid the “premium” (i.e. full cost) to decide as much.

However, if their education was subsidized by a scholarship, or by the state – then I believe that it’s common courtesy to be indebted to said school/state. And that’s when Professor Monsod’s argument becomes inescapably true.

There are so many analogies that show this “sentiment” at play. One is how carriers subsidize their phones. You have the option of getting a carrier-subsidized unit for a fraction of its true retail value – but you’d be tied to the service for a certain period – until you essentially pay off the “debt.”

Or in relationships… actually let’s not get into that – but I’m sure you already know what I mean 🙂

Or how about training in a job; the reason some jobs have bonds is because they invest on you as an employee, and it would be a waste of investemnt if you spend money on an employee who’s just going to leave you as soon as they get the “training” and go to a higher paying company.

Education is just the same, the principle behind scholarships/state subsidies is that the school/state recognizes an individual’s potential and is willing to invest on them. They expect you to use what you have learned for the betterment of the country. Let me repeat that because it sounds mildly important; the betterment of the country.

Call it unfair, but the fact is that more is expected from people who take advantage of scholarships/government subsidies simply because there is no free lunch… and their education is essentially “on loan” – and if you choose to “loan” from your country (i.e. the state/taxpayers) then you better believe that you are indebted to your country.

But what about “paying it forward?”

Ah yes, that seems to be the magic bullet all the overseas people use to justify their decisions. To a certain extent, it is a legitimate claim. Like the doctor in the article; she certainly has probably “saved lives” through her education.

But it’s really not that simple. ³ And again, this is all assuming that you had a subsidized education The fact that the state invested in you means that it was expecting that “paying forward” to happen in local soil. In the case of a doctor, the expectation is not only to save lives, but to be the catalyst that would nurture more doctors to improve the medical system in the country. – why in the country and not anywhere else? Because the Philippines funded your education – so why should it not be the one to reap the benefits? That’s what it means to invest in someone. Christ, even Jesus “invested” in humanity because he wants us to go to him eventually. ⁴ Not Buddha, not The Flying Spaghetti Monster, not Allah, HIM No, it’s not an unreasonable expectation to have!

But the system is so corrupt, etc.

Another argument is it’s such a waste for their talents to be used by a system that’s so utterly broken – when they can be so much more productive elsewhere. Again, this is a perfectly legitimate stance to have. In fact, that’s exactly how I feel hahahaha!

But again, assuming your education was funded by the state, then you have more of a responsibility than people like me who paid the full cost of education. While we both can certainly leave, but people like me have more of a right to do so because we’re not indebted to anything – we paid the premium for our passage. ⁵ And before you start trolling on that statement, take note that I actually still live in the country Can you say the same for yourself?

There was one comment from the article that pretty much sums up what people should’ve taken from the lecture.

The video made me realize that indeed I owe my country more simply because I was educated through taxpayer’s money. That, I think, was the point she was driving.

Yes, the system is indeed broken, but have you ever stopped to think why the state invested on people like you? Maybe, just maybe, the school/state was investing in you so you yourself could be the solution to fixing the broken system. And we all know that could only be accomplished if you’re actually in the country.

And I believe that Prof. Monsod said exactly that in her little speech.

At the end of the day

If you don’t want to be subject to this “guilt-trip,” then there’s an easy solution; PAY THE FUCKING FULL COST OF EDUCATION UPFRONT (or later with interest – because that’s just how economics works). Or if you must “loan” get it from a bank, or a person and not from the schools/state (i.e. subsidies/scholarships). Otherwise, shut your trap and accept the fact that you are not the patriot you think you are – by any stretch of imagination. The sooner you can accept that about yourself, the less guilt you’ll have to worry about (and the less offended you’ll probably be) 😉