Proem

Culture is defined as the sum total of the ways of living built up by a group of human beings, which is transmitted from one generation to another.

History tells us that the culture of the Filipinos is composed of the pre-Spanish Southeast Asian ways, the Spanish culture, and the American culture.

The Japanese have built up their own culture and assimilated the culture of East Asia. The Japanese monarchy is the longest dynasty in the world today. Only one family has occupied the Japanese throne for almost two thousand years now and the monarchy became the unifying force of Japanese culture.

Similar Situation but Different Reaction

Last Wednesday, September 12, 2007, the Sandigan Bayan pronounced Ex-President Joseph Estrada as guilty of the crime of plunder. Coincidentally, in Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced his resignation in order to take responsibility for a scandal-scarred government.

In the Philippines, no President has ever resigned to take responsibility of the scandal in the government. In Japan, any slight hint of scandal can cause the Prime Minister to resign. Sometimes they even commit suicide or "seppuku" as an honorable way of erasing one's shame. In the Philippines, the President will stay on as if a scandal of humongous proportion is not important. The question is, why is our reaction different from the Japanese, the British, the Europeans, etc. who will resign?

Is It Religion?

The Philippines is one of the two Christian countries in Asia (The other is East Timor). Our religion follows the Muslim-Christian tradition. In these religions, martyrdom is a virtue. The maxim "No retreat, no surrender" is a desired trait. If you surrender or give up the cause, then you are viewed as a traitor.

The Japanese has the Shinto and Zen Buddhism. These religions have no concept of God. Its equivalence of God is nature and the Universal Intelligence. The greatest emphasis is in ethics. You must behave honorably or else your next life will become miserable. In the culture that they developed, accepting responsibility for the failure of subordinates is viewed as honorable and a way of manifesting that the leader is sinless.

The Filipinos have a different view. If the leader accepts responsibility of the failure of subordinates, then the leader himself is also guilty. So the "honorable" way is to fight it out to protect your subordinates. The last line of our national anthem emphasizes it by saying "Ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo (To die because of you)." It is a distorted interpretation of what Jesus Christ said, "No man has greater love than this, that he gave his life for his fellowmen."

Is It the Spanish Influence?

During Spanish times, the Governor General will face the "Residencia" at the end of his term. It was a kind of court to be headed by the incoming Governor General to investigate the out-going Governor General for corruptions and other misdeeds done during his incumbency.

The result was not a clean government but a more corrupt government. The Governor General would steal more in order that he will have money to bribe the judges, pay the penalties, and still have some money left for himself.

Given the present situation in the Philippines, it is more probable that this Spanish influence is what is being followed in the Philippine culture. The ex-President has already been sentenced as guilty of the crime of plunder but the present government is still wrack with scandals involving money of gargantuan proportion. What do you think will be the purpose of the huge ill-gotten wealth? For sure they would not bring it with them to the grave or to whatever place in the afterlife.