Never say ‘move on!’

IT HAS been widespread in social Media in the past few days the phrase “move on” by Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos to those criticizing her family to move on from what happened in Martial Law. This remark has gained a lot of support from the family’s advocate and a lot of dismay from those who understand the outcome of their family’s administration.

I chanced upon a schoolmate who gave the same remark in his post in social media, “move on.” At first, I do not know how to feel about it. But at the very least, I felt insulted and annoyed at this remark. While everyone is entitled to say what they want to say, I felt that the remark is rather insensitive and egocentric. Let me give you some of the reasons why.

To start with, saying “move on” is a complete and utter disregard of how other people feel. Even if a person did not feel the atrocities of the Marcoses, these people who agree to say the same remark do not have any ounce of right to stop me and the others to feel bad because in the first place, I would not feel this pain and anger if not for their family. Likewise, they do not control how and what I feel. Yes, when someone says “move on” it is disrespecting me since he or she does not acknowledge where I am coming from.

But okay, as a devout Catholic, other people are trying to question my practice of faith because of my inability to forgive. However, how am I going to forgive someone who does not have any remorse or sense of apology in their hearts? Is apologizing difficult? Does being humble take too much of their effort or pride? It is not that we do not have the heart to forgive, it’s just that maybe others do not have the plan of asking for forgiveness to start with.

One cannot move on with baggage. There are so many unresolved issues that needs to be settled before we can move on. Having issues hanging around does not do anything to lessen the many negative feelings felt by many people.

Writing this article is not my way of wallowing in the past. This is my way of making sure that the next Filipino generation would know and understand their history because there are some evil forces who are trying to revise the integrity of our past.

Instead of telling me and others to move on, which stops conversations, discussions and interaction,

it is better to initiate avenues where we can talk, listen, and understand each other. Instead of telling us to move on, they have to know where we are coming from and have concrete sincere efforts to make up with the nightmare that the Marcos family started. Instead of telling us to move on, I wish they have the humility to accept the fact that they have hurt certain people and while we cannot bring back the past and fix it, we have the opportunity to make things right or at least better.

The Marcoses should not be prescriptive on how we should feel or how things should be done because not anyone is like them. In this diverse, or should I say, divisive country, we should have less of moving on and more of listening, discussing, empathizing, acting together, and humbling each other. We cannot start over again, unless we face the savage and dark chapter of our history that led to a lot of people hurting, not just physically or emotionally, but also economically or financially. People can only move forward unless we move backward and settle it.

The Marcoses should pave the way for us to move on. Saying, “move on” does not provide us a clear picture of how to do it. It only shows that they are fed up with a lot of things as much as we are fed up with all the political garbage that rots every system that we have and continues to make us backward in all aspects.

As much as we deserve a better government, we also desire to have government officials or critical citizens who would create a culture that has the humility to be accountable to their actions.

When Imee Marcos said move on, the solution is outside her! To put it bluntly, she is saying that I am the problem, that we are the concern. Just to make it clear, it was her family who started it. It is not just the sin of her father, it’s the sin of her clan. And please do not give me the reasoning that she was young then because like any individual, she did not have the moral courage to go against the grain.

She should not tell me to move on unless she moves back and cleans her own garbage. I heard that there are several cases against her. Before she asks us to move on, I think her family has more and better things to work on.

— Samuel Macagba III