PARADOXICAL

How Evil Could You Get?

(Notes to self; I hope I am being coherent here.)

The question (posed by C.A.P.) which has been bugging me all week is this: How evil could you be to get there, to that point of no return?

To paraphrase, what would it take for someone, anyone, to cheat willfully, knowingly, in the magnitude of billions in public funds through irregularly won contracts (think rigged biddings and graft money), and the worst part, substandard large-scale public infrastructure that put at risk the very lives of hundreds, thousands, millions of innocent people -- in a country that is prone to earthquakes, typhoons, flooding?

I am asking the question, not to cast aspersion on individuals who have been already judged on social media even without due process (including completion of litigation based on incontrovertible proof), or to pass myself off as holier-than-thou and more popish than the pope. Let's face it: We are all capable of crime, even heinous crime. What interests me at this point is the inner workings or dynamics of evil in all of us (without exception) that enable us to do such deeds.

Now that I have cleared my vision-mission-objectives out of the way...

We can only speculate, but it's good to look into our own hearts, the innate darkness or evil that lurks within. Or let us consciously put on a criminal's mind to begin to understand.

1. The opportunity is present.

A police officer, in a lecture, once said that, "For someone to be tempted to commit a crime, one important factor is opportunity." This one factor -- window of opportunity -- is indeed a most tempting one, a great 'enabler,' what with the culture of graft and corruption long-entrenched and normalized that it would not be too hard for someone to commit the crime.

In acts of such magnitude committed repeatedly (or so it is reported), there seems to be an element of -- I don't know -- guiltlessness? lack of conscience? Why the seeming lack of guilt in people who commit the crime? There must be some other factors or motives that drive the person from within. Let's move on with the investigation.

2. The desire to get ahead in life

Another no-brainer explanation for the conundrum is, of course, plain old poverty, and the desire to win over it. Indeed, if you started out in life as underprivileged, this is a very strong factor.

But what is not as easy to understand is why anyone would desire to get rich so bad that they would be willing to get it done desperately, by hook or by crook? I have no answer at this point. There has to be something with the way the person grew up.

3. Character formation/Personal values

3.1 Popular culture

Maybe the person has watched too many shows like "The Lives of the Rich and Famous" growing up? Or documentaries on the charmed, perfumed life of Hollywood show biz celebrities and old-world royals, and has long fancied himself/herself to be one?

3.2 Envy

Maybe it is just plain envy at work.

3.2 Family values/dynamics

Or could it be that one was formed with such mentality as a child by her parents, that top-of-the-line luxuries are what to aim for in life? That these are 'the life'?

3.2.1 Weak conscience

If one grew up in a religious or God-fearing family, or was educated in a university proudly steeped in Christian ideals, one expects some restraint and a guilt-ridden conscience.

What would it take for someone who grew up knowing his left hand from right hand turn out bad in the end anyway? To be honest, I am not sure. There must be some other factors at play.

Maybe it is, after all, about weak catechism resulting in poor formation of conscience or ideation of sin?

4. Traditional ethnocentrism and status-consciousness

Through the sociological lens, it could be that everything is merely an expression of the innate desire to be of a social status superior to most. Status-consciousness, or maybe ethnocentrism in another guise, is after all but second nature in a culture and society steeped in a traditional caste system of sorts. I mean, isn't our pre-colonial history all about barangays inhabited by the royal blood (maharlika, datus), freemen (timawa), and slaves (alipin, oripon)?

In this view of the universe, getting ahead for those in the upper echelons is a pressing need, not a mere choice, for it is a matter of inter-generational identity, a tool of one's sense of achievement and self-worth as well as a tool of keeping those beneath one's stature to stay put at their place, where they are supposed to be. Appalling, but isn't this what today's Philippine society is all about, to a certain extent?

4.1 Culture of patronage

Another possible explanation emanating from the above is the need to fulfill a social obligation (noblesse oblige) to one's inferiors, and for inferiors to expect it like it's the most natural thing, even though such a payoff needs an unlimited funding source.

(Another aside, if it makes sense: Note our society's double standards: how we despise petty criminals, shoplifters caught in the little mom-and-pop grocer who are battling extreme hunger but not those in designer clothes and business suits or the perfumed set caught stealing huge sums. We see the former as cheap and shameful or shameless, the latter "madiskarte," "maabilidad" in gaming a long-accepted system where everyone is complicit in some way. And this despite the disastrous consequences of bridges suddenly falling down, housing projects crumbling because they are made of sawdust (personally seen this in Pasay City), inner city roads turning into moon craters in a matter of days or weeks, and new high-rises toppling like dominoes while century-old public edifices stood unperturbed (e.g. 1990 Baguio City earthquake). Our society has long been conditioned to accept the status quo, that some people are "of the manor born," "with a silver spoon in their mouth" at the moment of birth, and some people are poor by birth and must stay so to keep things going. This way, we rarely question whether one's incredible wealth is (a) indeed a blessing from God and something one worked hard for or (b) ill-gotten.)

5. Obsession

If someone wants it so bad, by hook or by crook, or by whatever means possible, there must be something else at work. The problem lies not in wanting to get ahead in life or wanting to get out of poverty, but in having an unmoderated greed, an irrational level of it.

I think it takes some kind of obsession, if not addiction, to want more and more and more of a good thing, whether worldly wealth and adulation ad libitum, ad infinitum.

Could it also be that extreme deprivation was a source of traumatic wounding in one's childhood that one is driven to compensate for it throughout life, to an exaggerated extent? Could the person be merely, er, healing their inner child? But note that an element of trauma is that the sufferer is unconscious of how the trauma controls him and his day-to-day thoughts and behavior. This is how obsession works.

People like me who have a tendency to hoard and collect stuff for whatever reason can totally get this. "I have to have that rare stamp from this obscure country." "I ought to have this particular variety of plant -- I don't care how ugly it looks, I must have it or my collection won't be complete." "I need to taste this type of obscure dish because I have never tried it before." "I must acquire that painting by so-and-so, or I would be dissatisfied with my lot."

These must-haves and should-haves become toxic when they serve no clear meaning or deep purpose, except that there is a compulsion that must be expressed or satisfied, an itch that must be scratched, or else...

This level of compulsion, coupled with other factors, I figure, is probably what makes insatiable greed possible in anyone of us. You must be someone who is unjustifiably "matindi ang pangangailangan" to want to be in that place.

5.1 Megalomania, Self-delusion

The sense of entitlement drawn from such obsession must be another instigating force. Maybe the person believes he or she is a king or queen in a previous life (as believers in reincarnation put it), thus the irresistible urge to be one, to act like one?

5.2 'Yabang' (Something to boast about)

Maybe it's all about yabang, that very Filipino desire to show off or boast about something, whether justified or not.

5.3 Kleptomania

An extreme reason would be because someone is battling the disease of kleptomania, a phenomenon -- a senseless itch -- I have yet to research on. (I mean, why would you feel compelled to steal a random item like a nail cutter in the store when you don't even need one because you already have a dozen at home?)

5.2 Possession

Another extreme reason is demonic possession, as can be gleaned from an interview with the exorcist Fr. Jocis Syquia, i.e., when someone refuses to admit large-scale embezzlement of public funds because he/she is possessed by the devil.

***

Before this homily of mine turn into a Criminology 101 lecture, let me ask, by way of ending, as a premature point of Lenten reflection: So, which evil are you guilty of? Which evil are we coming from?

posted by Resty Odon  # 2:15 AM 0 Comments

Lessons from a Town Quiz Bee

I was recently tasked with making questions for a municipal-level quiz bee in time for National Tourism Month 2025. Since it was 'right up my alley' and definitely my idea of fun, I gladly took on the task because it was instant research work for me. For sure, it would answer a question that has been intriguing me: How much do today's schoolchildren know about their own town?

I've heard that history has been scrapped as a subject in secondary school and college, and I wonder whether the move was misguided or what. But I've known all along that local history and traditional culture are never taught at all in schools in any level, and it strikes me as odd. This ensures that residents, especially children, will never get to know about their own place except through daily contact with townmates and the kind of local media they consume in their own respective bubbles.

So, while formulating the line-up of questions for the easy, average, difficult, clincher, and tie-breaker rounds, I asked myself: "If you are a Bayambangueño/Bayambangueña, what are the things you ought to know about Bayambang?"

Basic things first, of course: Do you know anything about its history? Then when was it founded? Who founded it? What was the town originally called? Wasn't it part of a bigger town -- which town? Wasn't it a town that used to be this big -- which several towns now used to be a part of?

Do you know any of its earliest freedom-fighters? Who are the historical figures who set foot in this town and did something historical?

Now, on to basic geography. Do you know how many barangays comprise this town? Are you aware that it is further divided into a number of districts -- how many? Let's check your random knowledge: What is its northernmost barangay? Its southernmost? Did you know that you need to cross two other towns to get to this far-flung barangay? Crazy but true! What is this barangay called?

Let's take a look at some of the oddities. Did you know that there is a chapel in this barangay dedicated to, not saints, but to Adam and Eve and features an underground altar?

Let's move on to things that are quite unique to the town: What dance has been invented in this town? The town is considered to be the best maker of this fermented fish dish -- what is it? What other local delicacies do you know? How about the little, often-ignored arts and crafts and traditions that you should take pride in or at least be curious about?

What is the town's patron saint? When was its parish church founded by which religious order?

Which schools are the town's oldest? What years were these educational institutions established? What were they called back in the day?

Who are the some of the top educators who grew up in, or trace their lineage to, this town, and what were their contributions? Have you heard about this lady recognized as a national scientist who hailed from this town? Have you heard of this famous brand of local shoes made by someone from this town? Who is considered "the father of Philippine cycling"?

Are you updated on local current events? Do you know anything about the town's current leaders and their remarkable accomplishments? Have you heard about this farmer's app? Have you even heard about this old bridge named after this famous personage? Bayambang is known for what two Guinness world records? Did you know that the town now has a central terminal? An unlikely development: Did you know that it has a dairy farm? Where? A tertiary hospital? Where? A "prayer park"? Where is it located?

What is the name of the highest accolade the town bestows on its resident-achievers?

I was saddened to know that our participants know only a few of the things I thought they should know, but I was not surprised.

However, I am glad that, although most of the brightest kids in our town are unaware of the things they should be aware of, there are some kids who do. Maybe they truly know these things, or could it be that their teacher-coaches did their homework and were good at coaching? I am not sure.

Without proper knowledge, healthy pride in one's own roots is not possible, sources of inspiration are utterly lacking, and treating one's own town and people like dirt is normalized.

Main lesson from the quiz bee: Local history, local public libraries, local museums, local media, local publications, local-level preservation and promotion of history, culture, and arts... These are all essential to the life of a town and nation. Don't minimize, shrug off, and spit on these things, for that would be sociocultural suicide. That is why, like they say, invaders are essentially iconoclasts: they always attack and systematically destroy one's native culture first if they wish to eliminate an entire group of people or at least their sense of self.

Drat, how did I get there? It was, after all, just a frigging quiz bee!

posted by Resty Odon  # 2:06 PM 0 Comments

Shaky Month

October has become such a shaky month this early. My usual droll, even facetious, self would have said the Philippines is like Shakey's pizza and we are back to the late '80s dancing to "Shake, Body Dancer," but no, earthquakes are no laughing matter. It leaves us shaken, both literally and figuratively, and a strong one can be deadly.

While areas of Luzon were reeling from massive flood from the quick succession of typhoons ('Mirasol,' 'Nando,' 'Opong') together with the usual habagat (monsoon rains) that makes everything sopping-wet, a 6.9 earthquake shook up parts of Cebu Is. and another, far weaker one in the Taal Volcano area. The ancient church of Daanbantayan was in ruins, and the McDonald's Bogo City branch ended up like a crushed tomato. More than 70 people died including athletes practicing inside a gym or dome of sorts with one man pinned down, meeting misfortune in the twinkling of an eye.

The quake in Bogo was reportedly caused by a previously unidentified fault offshore connected to the Philippine trench.

The morning a day before that, our roosters at home crowed one after another nonstop for about four hours straight. It was unprecedented, something that struck me as abnormal, unusual, unprecedented (can't decide which word is better). What a curious coincidence, together with the sudden appearance of earthworms and centipedes here and there in our yard. Other residents' accounts echoed the same experience with their dogs, cats, cattle...

The next few days would prove the roosters and other creatures right, because an intensity 4.8 earthquake shook Baguio City and La Union and the next day an intensity 7.4 temblor would indeed shake the shore off Davao Oriental, then another one with an intensity of 6.7 or something struck exactly the same area. (I learned that earthquake intensities can be downgraded afterwards upon review.)

These earthquakes, of course, caused widespread anxiety, panic attacks, and trauma. (Being a constant sufferer of these maladies, even for a laughable intensity 1, mainly due to the ensuing reaction from equally panicky people, I feel that I am not too abnormal, after all.) Then there's, of course, the appalling destruction of public infrastructure, especially the sudden discovery of those built with subpar quality, and the sudden obliteration of private properties, especially those otherwise charming homes built out of decades of sacrifice of Filipino overseas workers -- all erased, or in journalese, "gone in a jiffy."

The omnipresence of CCTVs has magnified the documentation of these tremors and ensuing chaos and destruction.

I suddenly recall that, on October 2, a massive fire engulfed a district in Davao City and another fire broke out in CDO. Then I saw someone's post showing three rows of photos showing massive flooding in Luzon on top, earthquake destruction in the Visayas in the middle, and large-scale conflagration in Mindanao. How... inspiring.

Life is indeed such a frail, fragile, and fleeting thing: here today, gone tomorrow. Through these shaky shockers, may we all find some meaning, something profound, from deep within us.

And may everyone and everything that fell down from these puzzling tragedies get back up and rise up quickly, or soon, in every possible way.

As for those who sadly perished... Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine. Et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

posted by Resty Odon  # 3:42 PM 0 Comments