Life as a jeep

Jeepney has been part of the consciousness of every ordinary Filipino. Unconsciously, it has helped us fashion our philosophy as individuals and as one nation.

Some skeptics would raise an eyebrow and ask the inevitable “Why jeepney?”

Simply put, tricycle and pedicab are not originally Filipinos. And I say that they are not as ubiquitous as the omnipresent jeepney.

On the other hand, though twice the size of a regular jeepney, and thus, could transport greater mass of people, does not strike much relevance in our society. For one, something is not Filipino in the way the seats are arranged. It is smack of formality, and hence, hearty conversations are limited to only a few passengers.

Jeepney evokes a strange brew of emotions in the heart of a Filipino. This has nothing to do with the flashy upholstery of the interior of the jeep, nor the eye-catching signboards, nor the dancing lights on the dashboard. The reason is probably because it has been part of our lives as a people.

I remember, when I was younger, it was vivid how our catechists could even inject some group dynamics which really involved everyone. Probably, as a contrast to the bus, the strength of the jeepney is its weakness. The Philippine jeepney may not be able to transport that much, but it becomes a venue for a more intimate interaction among the passengers.

The article offered a refreshing insight on how jeepney becomes a world inhabited by Filipinos. Let me add some more:

The depth of interpersonal relationship is manifested in a jeepney. How many times do we eavesdrop to conversations—some boarder on intimate stuff which detail the interesting—and at times, gory ones—of lives we encounter in a trip?

But it is also true how we tend to protect our ‘territories.’ If say, some people go beyond the ‘imaginary boundaries,’ consciously or unwittingly, expect to receive some scolding. This is also true when one accidentally (or perhaps, deliberately) sleeps during the trip. Yes, there are good and considerate ones, but there are also those who are snooty, indifferent and seem to be oblivious of the needs of their fellow passengers.

Well. In a jeepney, as in life, there exist good times and bad times.

The God among Us

It was a dusky Wednesday afternoon when we set off to a pilgrimage. The destination was not to the Mother, but to her Son. We were off to visit the Quiapo Church in Manila.

In the very heart of shabby Old Manila, multitude of devotees pray to the Black Nazarene, a 400-year-old, darkened, wooden life-size image of Christ, arrayed in a maroon robe carrying a large wooden cross.

Every time I make my trip back to Quiapo, I cannot help but to fall in a trance since there is something magical about the place.

By this, I don't mean the many medallions, branch from a palaypay tree, quartz in various colors and shapes, and other amulets being peddled by street vendors. Is it because of the potency of the Nazarene statue? I wouldn't know.

But one thing I am sure of is that the fervent religiosity of the Filipinos—manifested in their devotion to the Black Nazarene never fails to conjure within me fertile thoughts about practically almost anything.

But then again, since this paper ought to look into the philosophical dimension of the Black Nazarene to the lives of the many Filipino people, there ought to be opportunities for those.

For now, let me zero in on the religiosity of the Filipinos.

I have witnessed various religious practices held in the various parts of the country. And aside from the colorful pageantry of the celebrations, one thing which never fails to be part of the festivity is the element of sacrifice. Come to think of it, we have dawn processions on Marian feasts; in Holy Week there is Visita Iglesias; during the Christmas season, there are the dawn novena Masses; kilometric processions to be covered; tons of prayers to be recited… my list is legion!

In Cebu, there's the famed Sinulog celebration which endangers the devotees to be in a stampede because of the multitude of people present. This does not prevent the handicapped, and even the mothers with their very vulnerable infants to join the perennial event.

In Manila, the Nazarene celebration, commemorated every year, is smeared with devotees who are injured, or worse, fatalities. The recent celebrations were outstanding since there were no recorded deaths, but an onlooker watching the event from the comforts of his living room will surely cringe acknowledging how difficult it must be to be in the thickness of people praising the Nazarene.

It is difficult indeed.

When we went to Quiapo, I never expected that it would be that difficult. I thought that it would just be a walk in the park since what is so difficult in observing anyway? But when my venerable teacher nudged me to do as what the devotees do, I was incredulous. I thought that it was just an empty proposal. But I was wrong. He was dead serious.

I did not worry about my knees. I'm perfectly healthy, at least, I don't problems in that department yet. But what concerned me was my pants. If I would kneel down on the floor, it would certainly be dirtied. And I don't think that it was a good idea. I entertained the possibility of folding it to bare my knees, but shunned against it. Upon seeing my teacher aiming to carry out the challenge, I didn't have any choice but to follow suit.

I knelt down at the end of the aisle recalling the many intentions I wished to pray for.

Still kneeling down, I moved inch after inch towards the magnificent altar. The first couple of seconds were not really as difficult. But when I slowly felt my weight, and the ruffles in my pants that prick my skin in the knee, I was awaken to the horrible realization that it's not going to be a smooth sailing experience for me.

Soon, it would not just be difficult, but painful. Many times, the thought of quitting kept on visiting me. My knee was aching. I was covered with profuse sweat and I yes, I was self-conscious.

But strangely, there was that force within me that encouraged me to move my knees and let go of the pain. To move on. The thought of Christ who suffered more accepted His mission wholeheartedly, and whose image stand prominently in front, edified me to continue and finish the course. That act of sacrifice was nothing compared to what he went through.

The experience made me encounter that long-standing practice of the Filipinos concerning the image of their God. Not vicariously, but firsthand.

An Absolute Being

The prominent concept of God among Filipinos is an Absolute Being who is able to connect with them. Our folklores from various regions of the country, featuring the encounters of mere mortals to the immortals in order to deliver help or punishment, are not wanting.

God is very much part of their lives.

In the same way, God is the hope of the Filipino people. A Filipino home is not complete without religious articles that remind the membes of the household that of his presence: palaspas branch, rosary, cross, last supper frame, altar, Bible etc. And in times of disasters, do expect that Filipinos make each or any of these religious articles come in handy.

He may be all-powerful, all-loving, and almighty but He listens to the cry of His Filipino people.

In every crucial epoch in the life of the Philippine nation, He is always invoked. That dramatic photograph of nuns clutching rosary, and the statue of the Blessed Mother in EDSA 2 remain to be the best summary of how we live our religiosity to the hilt!

In return, Filipinos have vows. In the mainstream language of the Catholic Church, vows are considered a public declaration that one binds oneself to God by say, living a chaste, obedient and poor life.

For the Filipinos, this may not be so. There is no public ritual in which a community is called to witness one's "pronouncing the formula of profession." However, this vow, a panata, which is meant to fulfill whatever promise one intends to offer as an act of thanksgiving, or as a means to 'negotiate' for an intention prayed.

God worship is deeply ingrained in the culture of the Filipinos. Outsiders could immediately distinguish which one belongs to the category of culture and which falls under the religious department. Closed friends are invited to be their compares once a baby goes for baptism. Notwithstanding whether the prospective godparents are apt to live up to the role.

Hence, the Godparentship does not very well live up to what it is supposed to stand for; that is, to accompany the child to Christian maturity. If this is true with baptism, this is also true with weddings. Filipinos have the tendency to go all the way in spending up to the last centavo to make sure that everybody in the community is fed once a couple decides to tie the knot. And the set of godparents reaches to infinity. Talk about our eagerness to take part in the conjugal development of the newly weds!

It's true that among Filipinos, it is not a matter of question whether there is God. That is mute and academic. But the more relevant question is: who is their God?

It's sad how the worship of the Absolute Being does not go down to the consciousness of the people. This makes us all think and sigh deeply, why our country, which worships a God of ,love is the most corrupt country in Asia.

This question may not find a suitable answer here. But perhaps, it will soon.

In another pilgrimage.

Filipinoness

"The Filipino looks at himself as one who feels, as one who wills, as one who thinks, as one who acts, as a total whole—as a 'person' conscious of his freedom, proud of his human dignity, and sensitive to the violation of these two."

I am borrowing the kilometric line above from Mercado (1976) as he summed up what constitutes a Filipino individual. While it is true that the voluminous sentence does not appropriately encapsulate the Filipino-ness of a Filipino. It is a relatively good identity label to satisfy the question "What is a Filipino?"

The sentence above is of course one of the conclusions he derived from a study he carried out more than three decades ago, when globalization was not an in thing yet and Internet was quite unheard of.

His study paraded an extensive word list that would later direct him in reaching his theoretical assumption that Filipino "like his Oriental neighbors, has a total way of thinking which is non-compartmentalized." This is further strengthened with his critical investigation of the human anatomical nomenclatures of the Filipinos. Although he quickly pointed out that this is "by no means uniquely Filipino."

This concept of a Filipino to see himself as one seamless being is expressed in his very own social life. The wholeness is not superficial. It comes all the way from a Filipino's desire to be whole—in Sam Milby's words "To be complete."

This wholeness has been very much expressed in his dealings with other human beings in the realm of his very own society. The religious rite of Baptism for instance becomes a communal celebration by making sure that practically the entire neighborhood could take part of the banquet.

However, his assumptions as regards the Filipino identity, despite his transparency in making his readers informed as regards the research methodology he used brought out more haunting questions than pacifying answers in me.

Now that we have at our fingertips the "elements of Filipino philosophy," what comes next? More than thirty years ago since they had been carefully thought of and enumerated, did we become better people? Will this translate to a developed Philippines?

I know that it is important to make us conscious of our roots as a people. Not merely because of any sentimental reasons, but simply because this trait forms the kind of race that we are.

With the diverse influences passed on to us by other countries, it is wise to hold on to our basic identity as a people. This awareness leads us to value these characters greatly and not to throw them away especially because we owe our future generation some explaining if we end up becoming Filipinos-that-we-are-not thanks to the guidance of the Western culture.