Commentary : Pride Draws Filipinos Homeward

For years, I, like many of my Filipino-American friends, hated President Ferdinand E. Marcos for what he did to my country. But although he has left the Philippines, serious problems still remain, now that the sweet aroma of political and democratic victory evaporate.

President Corazon Aquino faces a $30-billion national deficit, insurgents from the extreme left, restitution to jailed victims and their families, and the task of dismantling a deep-rooted crony network.

Foremost in the minds of Filipinos in Orange County and abroad is how to recover some of the wealth stolen by the Marcoses. If the Filipinos can recover at least half, then the United States would not need to increase its economic and military aid package to the Philippines.

We are a religious and compassionate people; maybe that is why we have successfully averted a bloody civil revolution. Yet, a very large number of Filipino-Americans also believe in justice.

I have been asked, “Now that Marcos is out, what happens?” I don’t know. It’s an uncertainty that baffles me. On a good note, however, many of the flights from Los Angeles to the Philippines are now filled with Filipino-Americans eager to help rebuild the Filipino economy.

It has been said that you can remove a man from his country but you can never remove the country out of a man. That phrase summarizes my feelings as I intently watch the events in my beloved homeland.

Like many immigrants before me, I, too, came to America with borrowed money. I had courage, determination and hope to find the American dream. I am married, and we have a daughter, 9. I like my Fountain Valley neighbors, pay a hefty mortgage.

My wife and I are considering going back to the Philippines temporarily. Perhaps we can sell our large home and live in a small condominium to help ease the financial loss. But such a step would be worth it.

In addition, many of my friends are talking about returning--temporarily or permanently--to the Philippines. Some, like Ramon A. Alcaraz, former commodore of the Philippine Navy and a resident of Orange, already have left. This is a proud surge in balik-kalayaan trips (return-to-freedom homecomings). This can only lead to significant investments in the country by Filipino-Americans and American businesses.

Filipino-Americans can effectively lend a hand in economic development to help the Philippines catch up with the progress experienced by our Pacific Rim neighbors.

(An economic revival can also help kill the communists, or mosquitoes as I call them, because communism, like mosquitoes, thrives in the dark).

There are positive signs. Max V. Soliven, publisher of the Philippine Daily Inquirer in Manila and a compatriot of mine, told me that listed stocks on the Manila Stock Exchange increased almost 20% the day after President Aquino was sworn into office. Also, Aquino seems to be uniting the country.

It’s with sadness that I realize the decline of the Philippines during the last few decades was a result of the Filipinos’ lackadaisical attitude, indifference and complacency toward change. But last week’s turn of events has rekindled my belief that the Filipinos are capable of great change.

Mabuhey (Long Live) Philippines!