Hopelessly old hat

The intention is noble, that is to feed those in dire need and to give chance to others who would like to extend their help in this trying times. There are some things however, that we need to consider when giving help.

Community pantries had become the trending activity in various places all over the country. It started in Maginhawa, Quezon City and the trend snowballed into community activities involving the government and the private sector who wish to involve themselves in giving help to others.

The idea is to make resources mostly basic food and some necessities available for some and for others to put in their share, making it a cycle of getting and giving. The resources somehow need to be regulated. Those who get some should not take it all. They should only get what they need and not what they want.

For those who give some meanwhile should give the quantity they are capable of giving. They can give as much as they can depending on the size and generosity of their hearts. These are the two basic rules.

For every rule there is a violation however. A group of women in Pasig City got all what is laid on a table in a community pantry. Canned goods, trays of eggs and a lot more got into the hands of the women who were caught "attacking" a pantry that is intended for the poorest of the poor.

The women's foray was caught on a video camera and its clip was posted on social media. Unaware of their being caught flat-footed, the women looted the goods as if it was already armageddon. They earned bashes in the end.

The women, when interviewed on tv news, expressed their apologies while justifying that they also distributed to their neighbors the goods they ransacked. Still, their act was violative of the pantry principle.

Here is a famous movie and tv actress in Angel Locsin organizing a community pantry coinciding with her birthday celebration. Aside from the fact that one can get basic necessities for free, her presence as a popular personality was made a magnet that attracted a number of people queuing.

Locsin's feat was likewise bashed instead of earning praises since people were let to be uncontrollable and violations of health protocols were observed such as the absence of social distancing with some caught not wearing face masks and shield.

Worse, a person died while lining up to get a share of the actress' activity. He lost consciousness, perhaps due to hypertension and the stress of having too much people around, taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The actress made a public apology on the demise of a family breadwinner who wished to have a share on Locsin's pantry.

Pantries should be regulated or monitored by government agencies particularly local government units. Authorities should be mindful of the possible violations of people organizing these activities and the beneficiaries who tend to forget the protocols that still do exist.

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We live in a thoroughly and deeply authoritarian society. Truth, no matter how baseless, is what the person in authority says. In societies of this kind such as ours, stability is assured by people’s obsequiousness to authorities that brook no contradiction.

In our homes, parents are always right. Not because they are but merely because they have authority over their children. They decide on the child’s profession to pursue often without regard for inborn talents their child might want to optimize.

In our schools, teachers are always right. Education authorities are always right in mass producing schooled-but-not-necessarily-educated children with the same lessons for all without regard for individual proclivities. Diploma, not education, is the goal; and if you want it, you must answer exam questions exactly as teacher instructed you.

In our mostly Catholic churches, priests are always right. Not because they are but because they claim to speak for God. Their moral truths can be contradicted only under pain of hell-fire.

(Bishop Broderick Pabillo has no moral platform from where to condemn the evils of President Duterte’s dictatorial style. Authoritarianism in Church, where bishops function as veritable feudal lords in their respective jurisdictions, is worse than in government. It is the foundation on which our authoritarian culture is built.)

In business firms, owner-managers are always right. To attain industrial peace in the workplace employees must not question the former’s decision on wages, working

conditions, above all their profits.

Finally in government, the President is king of the country, the governor of the province, and the mayor of the municipality or city. Nothing moves unless the mayor on the municipal, the governor on the provincial and the President on the national level approves it. You know the rest of the story.

Authoritarianism kills the critical thinking and creativity of a society. No wonder Philippine society manages only to move sideways but not forward.

Authorities in the home, school, church, business and government are not always the most intelligent, the most creative. Like in government, they are in authority often because they are rich and can afford our expensive elections.

An authoritarian society perpetuates itself. Its homes, schools and churches cannot possibly produce anything but leaders with king-sized egos and followers with pint-sized courage to contradict their leaders.

The youth must get out of our backward authoritarian structures at home, school and church and go out on a limb to introduce forward-looking socio-political structures. The current ones are hopelessly old hat. leaves, bonuses, and lack of share in company