Divorce, jeepneys, WPS, America: Filipinos at heart

By Reni M. Valenzuela

No doubt, the United States, together with many other decent, likeminded nations, has a pivotal role to play in solving (for all) the West Philippine Sea (WPS) crisis, even amidst China running amuck in the said disputed body of waters. Wake up, panda!

This is widely seen for the US not only as a big part of the community of nations worldwide, concerned and solicitous about the worsening problem away from their own, but also one that serves as an international police and the nation that bears the most and modernized, mightiest power of them all, militarily.

Sadly, however, the US seems to have grown as a democratic country to become all “republicans versus democrats” in the matter of governance.

Whenever a controversy arises, what usually comes out, flaunted and bannered in their news headlines and in the halls of power (each for their own party) is a brewing/steaming/continuing battle between democrats and republicans.

Earlier, the  US Congress lambasted/chastised  former president  Donald Trump (a Republican). Now, it is President Joe Biden (a Democrat) who is currently being demonized by political evils, facing an “impeachment inquiry” in the same chamber as a backlash. Wretched.

The Americans have apparently become too materialistic and must have forgotten God, consequently. Their country is no longer as great as it used to be (in character, spirit and truth), courtesy of development. Everything about the US government (internally) at this juncture proves to be mostly (if not all) about politics, politics and politics. Hence, what do politicking US legislators and executive (even judicial) officials possess that our leaders can emulate and imitate? Nothing. But with the way things have been going in Philippine politics, you judge, my countrymen.

Oh, the blinding, deluding effects of selfish politics and partisan “public service,” and eccentric imitation. Our democracy is not ours. Let angels be angels. But let demons or  “politics” be crushed in our land and lives – as Filipinos, not as Americans, Chinese, Russians, North Koreans, Japanese Tempura or K-Pop idolatrous hordes and herds.

This is perhaps why we are what we have become as a people (poor, pitiable people) because we, Filipinos, especially our leaders, are fond of imitating other countries and nationalities, and love their culture more than our own.  Worse, we imitate exactly even what is not adaptable to and plausible/workable for our own peculiarity, uniqueness, ethos and situation as a country and culture, and as heroes and ennobles in our own respects and rights.

Ridiculous, in their penchant to imitate, there lingers a pending bill in Congress that aims to legalize divorce in our country a la US. Catastrophe. May I ask, with due respect: Why not legalize abortion too and ban prayers in schools as they did in the US? Do we even wonder why mass-shooting and devil attacks in student campuses there have become prevalent and common occurrences? Ominous.

And what about the countless “broken” American lives that could have been mended and solved but have instead ended up worse in misery – due to their divorce law?