Two faces of the Filipino elite

WHEN a public official excuses the inefficiencies of his departments (past and present) by stating that all these can be improved but not corruption, one recalls the Lord Jesus berating the Pharisees who looked down on the poor sinners while they, supposedly pure and immaculate, lorded over all of them. In fact the sinners they were referring to may not be sinners since the Pharisees had no proof, only allegations and suspicions. Statements like what I heard can only come from individuals who throughout life have been indoctrinated with the thinking that they are a breed apart from the ordinary because of family wealth, family connections, and family status.

These people are quick to consider those who from poverty have improved their condition as having done so only because of corruption. In fact their treatment of their staff reflects this attitude, a carryover of how they treat their servants in their homes. As they rise up in the hierarchy of government service (not public service), their sense of righteousness and “know it all” attitude is heightened, making them unpopular with those they come into contact with.

I remember the story of a friend of mine, 70 plus in years and having served in a high position in a government financial institution, being told by one of these anointed few, “Stick with me, you will go places.” It must have not occurred to him that he was insulting this well-respected civil servant who had served the country well. But that is the problem of these types of people; they cannot empathize with the conditions of others. The truth is, they really do not care for the common masses. Their interest is only in the votes they can get.

I was told by a friend of an incident involving this kind of person, who was talking with a well-known foreign media person and when the media personality introduced his companion, a Filipina who now occupied a high position in the media organization, this government official just continued talking to him without even recognizing the Filipina. After he left, the foreign media personality told the Filipina, “I thought he would have been proud that you, a Filipina, had gone up in our organization and at least recognized you”. But that is the problem with these kinds of persons; they think the whole world revolves around them. They also give importance to foreigners, especially Americans, rather than their own fellow Filipinos.

But there are also other Filipino elites who are the opposite. Their philanthropy is real as they have not and will not go into politics. They do good works with the common people without taking on the “saviour” personality. They take time to sit down with the community to find their real needs and come up with collective solutions. They are sensitive to the feelings of the people around them. While having been born with the “silver spoon,” they were brought up to respect the dignity of others. They are genuinely loved by all those whose lives they have touched for the better.

There are also Filipino elites, who started poor but through their hard work and industry have become rich and can now be considered as part of the Filipino elite. They focus their advocacies on helping the poor get a good education, provide meaningful job opportunism and room for advancement, and create a supportive environment for the community. They shun public exposure but their good deeds are known and appreciated by those who know.

The Filipino people should clamour that the “good” elites should enter public service and run for public office. Otherwise, the country will get stuck with the “wrong” elite who, proclaiming to the world their “honesty,” will by their inefficiency and ineffectiveness make the Philippines retrogress.