A Rhetorical Question on Self-Identity

It is still what you do that defines you, not what you were born to be or what you think you are. That is my belief.

In our HS email group, I posed the following after lazily toying around with it in my befuddled mind:

“Please allow me to ask a rhetorical question. This came to me after hearing many long-time expats declare that they will never forget their being Filipino regardless of their long absence from the old homeland.

Here goes.

Should one still consider oneself Filipino in spite of the fact that not only is one living outside of the old homeland, but also because one has no desire at all to return and live in the old homeland?

If the answer is positive, what could be the qualifications or reasons why one would think so?”

Now I had premised that it was a rhetorical question for two reasons. Because then it would not require any answers from those who may find it uneasy or queasy to be answering such a personal question. And secondly, because a rhetorical question is also a device used or proffered as proof of the negative.

And indeed, that possible confusion surfaced as gleaned from this second reply:

“A minor point but I thought a rhetorical question is one that doesn't require an answer. Perhaps rephrase the question. Or do you actually have more than one question? “

My retort to this then revealed my latent position of trying to prove the negative. That indeed, it is difficult to continue to consider oneself a Filipino when not only does one not live in the old homeland, but one has no desire at all to live in the old homeland in the foreseeable future.

But the first response did make a qualification on the last issue:

“As for me, I belong to the second group, no desire to return to live there--under the present conditions: political, sociological, health and safety. I also have my only extended family here. But I would love to return and live there under a different set of circumstances.”

Which qualification could be interpreted as tantamount to having no desire at all to return in his lifetime, since meaningful changes on the factors enumerated could not possibly occur within that time frame.

And I promptly replied:

“That's exactly what I want to find out. What expats mean when they make that statement. Of course, it has to be with things that can change. With ethnicity, there is nothing one can do to change that so that is out of the question. Loyalty could be one, but your actions would belie its veracity if you not only not live there but have no desire either to live there. Your old memories will be Filipino because you can't dismiss those. Love for the old homeland? But how expressed?”

The following came from two of my most astute classmates, who coincidentally are also both in the medical profession and incidentally were also both valedictorian and salutatorian in our HS graduating class:

“To answer your question,” when does one cease being a Filipino or whatever & become another “is when that person actually says so when asked - for whatever reason he /she may have at the time.

BTW, granting when viewed under the microscope your genes may not change per se, your environment, experiences, interactions etc may have affected your general being in such a way that the "gene" factor no longer carries much weight in the equation because different variables have ' diluted ' you.

Further, the point of metamorphosis, if you will, occurs when the resistance to such 'dilution' reaches critical mass & gives way to quiet surrender. How's that? You confused yet?”

“Your having dual citizenship is a practical matter that I myself am considering. It doesn't make you acquire a split personality or being ambivalent about it. Our genetic makeup is always Filipino and that cannot be changed by living abroad. By coming to the US, you have widened your perspective of the different types of cultures that in turn may have caused you to lose focus on your inner self. Listen to your heart and you will get your answer.”

“OK, then you and I are like Chameleons - we change colors depending on what the situation calls for- a practical adaptive mechanism of survival. It doesn't make a Chameleon any different from a Lizard. By way of historical comparison, think of the Japanese-Americans who were interned in California during WW11 because they were considered Japanese when actually their true allegiance was to America. Their true nature was still Japanese; or for that matter, the Japanese Senator from Hawaii who fought as an American soldier in Germany, or the Tuskegee Pilots who were branded as 2nd class citizens while fighting for America. They were Afro-Americans but still their nature and culture were still Blacks and yet their loyalty was as Americans as any Whites. Like I said, what you think you are comes from your inner self, not because of the dual citizenship. Hope these examples put your mind to rest.”

But I had decided to be stubborn and tenacious and thundered forth with this reply:

“One’s actions would not jibe with one’s protestations. Re genetics, I agree we can’t change those but many African Americans have ceased to consider themselves Africans, just Americans – and they do not live in Africa and have no desires to live there. So the question is at what point does one ceases being one and becomes another.”

What do you think?

A Catholic Defined

From CatholicVote.com here's a video to see before November 4th comes:

Who's Your Choice For VP?

Let' start with this one: the current Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, who is Republican.

There are now voices coming out from the blogosphere for drafting her as VP to Sen. McCain.

Is she any good, aside from the very pretty face?

Listen to an interview with the Washington Post:


Very refreshing views on public service, coming from a former beauty queen. She was Miss Wasilla in 1984.

And was a hoopster, too, according to this news item:

And she was a local girl: daughter of a popular local teacher and coach, she was a one-time Miss Wasilla and, in a basketball-mad town, was practically canonized as the point guard for Wasilla's 1982 girls' state championship team.

Why I Am Voting For Sen. John McCain

The distinct advantage of being a registered Independent is the relative freedom one enjoys in being able to stay above the petty partisan fray, and the unimpeded ease with which to survey the entire field of candidates unhampered by any partisan commitment. Nothing beats being an Independent over being a partisan, whichever side it may be including in those pesky minor parties.

Thus, when this election cycle started to churn early since who knows when, l literally played the field like a reluctant but discriminating debutante, with only one restrictive caveat. Regardless of the outcome, I was not going to vote for Sen. Clinton. Having insufferably wriggled through the eight years of Bill Clinton and including the intervening years leading to this, my personal disillusionment and disdain for them are still haunting me, so no member of that Clinton family will get my vote.

As reported earlier during the much-ballyhooed Super Tuesday, I detachedly enjoyed the electoral process voting only on the ballot initiatives applicable to our city and county. It felt so good and serene going through the motion. No knotty hand wringing on whether this or that candidate would be the better alternative, no second thoughts whatsoever, just enjoying the nice summery morning of that Tuesday.

But this seeming nonchalant impartiality did not prevent me from carefully, and with serious purpose, sweating over which candidate in my personal judgment should be the next president of this great nation, given the unusually multitudinous and varied challenges that will be faced by a new incumbent, both domestically and globally. In a perfect world, it would have to be somebody with extensive critical and useful experiences in public service, or absent that, verifiable critical experiences in the private sector in capacities where high leadership skills are tried and tested, and performance measures are results-oriented.

Running through the Republicans’ slate of potentials, Romney was my early favorite, easily qualifying in my own personal base minimum qualities for the next president. Accomplished in business and government, he exuded a demeanor of quiet confidence and subdued pride. And as bonus, he presented a very likeable and admirable external persona – articulate and eloquent speaker and likable overall demeanor. A nice fit for the presidency. And add to that the fact that for me he was not your typical politician, long on bluster, quick and easy high-minded but hollow talk, and does not come across as a public servant but some authority figure who rules based on their own intractable points of view. Romney in my opinion did not personify that image. His being steeped in spirituality because of his Mormonism may have had some influence on this. Even his many kids exuded that same bent.

Unfortunately, not enough people thought similarly as me, so he had to bow out early from the race. And this he did with grace, a sense of purpose, and dignity, and for this I added more points in his favor. Maybe next time, Guv.

I too looked over the initial lengthy list of Democratic candidates, skirting aside the early front-runner. Obama then seemed the least likely suitable candidate – young, untried, and inexperienced. He gained prominence only in the 2004 Senatorial race besting a last-minute Republican filler. He was early on dismissed as an “empty suit” but very articulate, eloquent, oratorical, and his speeches high up there among illustrious pieces in the world of semantics and polemics.

So from that initial lengthy list, I focused instead on Gov. Bill Richardson, who came across as no rabid and flighty ideologue and equipped with good credentials and varied experiences, both domestic and international. His being Hispanic also unduly ingratiated him to me. But he never did become a 1st tier candidate, easily outstripped and outran by the likes of suave but too-stilted J. Edwards and a fast rising Obama. The rest of that field was very forgettable, ranging from some being too fringe to those being too much of a political haymaker quick and good with political rhetoric and nothing much behind it.

As the campaigns ground, the chaff was slowly being sorted out by the potential voters, edged out of the contest and eventually dropped by the wayside. As the electorate, we ended up with narrower choices on both sides.

Thus, on the Democratic side, since I had from the get-go eliminated Clinton, I now have to hitch my wagon with Obama as his party’s nominee. Obama is not only a fitting candidate, but can also be formidable given his native talents at oratory and his unique physical looks and origins. He definitely could make a good president. Except, not now. He needs more years to hone his skills and maturity at governance, since so little is known about him and how he will respond to a host of uniquely demanding and globally impacting situations and problems. Additionally, the added years hopefully should also help to dull somewhat the youthful over-confidence and unlikable arrogance being displayed by him and his elated campaign, including his well-schooled wife. There is a sense that they would like to present themselves as messianic in their quest of the office, like only they can bring the people to the Promised Land. And in the process, there is also that humdinger of an implied claim that the country is doing so badly in most respects, that it desperately needs their extraordinary skills and powers to bring about change, and at this stage, simply change for the sake of change. Thus, please Sen. Obama, tread back to the drawing board and recalibrate some of your messages and attitudes. And over time show us your presidential caliber and legislative mettle at your important work in the august Senate.

Truly Obama is a very inspiring youthful public persona. Thus understandably many impressionable folks, young and old, longing for some form of quick deliverance, identify with his noble and almost holy messages. But governance should be more than just adulation for a gifted messenger. That messenger should also come across as one speaking with authority. For this it is required that one possesses the crusty but solid hindsight of an older statesman, with uncanny abilities to exploit from his trove of experiences for use in his governance. And it does not just mean older in years, but older age with respect to the amount of cumulative experiences collected under one’s belt.

Now on the other side, given the lop-sided contest as it now stands, McCain has become the unannounced presumptive nominee, whether Republicans, Independents, conservatives, and every body in between like it or not. To me then, there is only one choice, though not necessary the best ideal choice. It is the only choice. Third party candidate, anyone? After the money-driven Ross Perot historic letdown, who would dare?

So Sen. McCain it is. Congratulations, Mr. President. May you listen attentively to the people for guidance and ease up on your partisan ideologies, whichever side they may belong to.

A Not So Super Tuesday

Today was a day at the polling place. And as has been touted by media incessantly for the last months, today was supposed to be Super Tuesday. The day that will determine the rise and fall of the remaining presidential candidates. Or maybe not. A day when over 20 states in unison hold their presidential primaries. Many eyes will be on California, a very populous state where a hefty number of delegates are up for grabs to the different candidates still on the hunt.

An early sunny winter morning ushered in this Tuesday, a good harbinger for those bent on fulfilling a crucial civic duty – voting for the presidential candidates plus a round of propositions placed on the ballot. Being a registered Independent, I am entitled to vote also on the candidates of one of two parties that allowed unaffiliated voters to participate in their primaries. The two parties allowing this are the Democrat Party and the American Independent Party.

But the surfeit bordering on ennui of media coverage of the different multi-pronged campaigns leading to this somehow turned me out, so I decided that I would only vote on the seven (7) measures on the ballot. Four of them making a tight cluster since they all pertained to Native American gaming issues.

At past 11 a.m., I drove quietly to our assigned polling place. And this being the first time since our move from another county, I had to drive slowly so as not to miss our polling place, which is snugly nestled in a quite hidden cul-de-sac in one of the residential developments here in western Tracy. And so positioned inside a residential garage as to not easily be recognizable until within a distance of a few meters or so.

Anyway the warm sunny day was a good respite from the cold nights we have been experiencing, enough to make me park a little distance away and thus allow the little leisurely walk to the place.

There were three voters ahead of me, and three polling officials to man the precinct. With marked sample ballot in hand, I was out of there in no time. A couple of minutes or so at the most. But tarried a bit in walking to the truck to see if more voters would be streaming in. Unfortunately, no more. The polling place was empty save for the people assigned. And I saw one precinct watcher leave in her vehicle, to lunch I had surmised.

It did not look like it was primary/election day. And driving to another section of Tracy to do some errands, the same observation prevailed. No signs of excited activity. I thought maybe later when people have gotten out of work that’s when most will attend to this important civic duty.

But for my purposes, it did not seem like Super Tuesday. More like any Tuesday except that the sun shone early, clearly a teasing invitation for people to go out and enjoy its warmth and glow.

To idle the day?

The Ties That Bind

Let’s start with the grandfather’s generation, a native of Michigan, from a small town named Baroda. As a very young man and after having lost a leg caused by a freakish accident, he decides to embark on a long and fateful journey to the faraway Philippine archipelago right after the end of the First World War. Feeling confident and reassured by his acquired skills in accounting even at a very tender age, this young man is bent on trying his luck in a fledgling mining industry in a disparate group of islands then owned and governed as a commonwealth under US tutelage. In due time, he marries a Filipino woman with whom he has a good number of children, and included there is my wife’s mother. And before long, these grown children go their own separate ways laden with their own families. And inevitably their numbers grow. The old man dies and slowly his offspring, registered at birth as natural-born US citizens, start migrating to the US with their own extended families. And that is a short rendition of how my own family found itself carted away to mainland USA.

Our little hometown in Northern Mindanao can be deferred to as an apt microcosm and rationale for this all too familiar phenomenon. A score of US military veterans and civilians came during the last WW and decided to intermarry and resettle in that part of Mindanao. Over time, their families grew. Now many of their descendants, either having retained or elected US citizenship, migrated to the US and resettled with their own growing families in the land of their parents/grandparents. Some decided to stake their future with the land of their birth and are still left out there, earning their living and/or overseeing investments or inherited properties for themselves and their relocated siblings.

What is succinctly described above is not a unique situation for the Philippines but rather common in practically all parts of the well-dispersed country. And it can summarily be explained in this way.

At the turn of the previous century when the United States acquired the entire Philippine archipelago, the uninterrupted inward flow of US citizens to the islands commenced, and has extended way beyond after the US relinquished the islands giving them independence in 1946. With the constant flow left unabated, US citizens have come here for a variety of reasons. More common are either to intermarry and stake their new family lives in the tropical isles many consider very edenic. Or in the past to work for US companies doing business in the former US commonwealth and many had simply decided to stay on.

For their part native-born Filipinos initially during the 40-odd years that the US held on to the islands as a commonwealth, prodded and enticed by the tempting allures of the good life, had migrated to the US mainland and Hawaii in several waves, in the process establishing a firm foothold in American society which continues to thrive and flourish to this day. Again, this exodus too continues unabated limited only by the legal constraints imposed by the accepting country.

So much so that I will stick to an earlier claim that the number of US residents/citizens who are of Filipino descent totals well over 3 million and closer to 4 million, comprising of those who have elected US citizenship, and those who continue to hold on to their permanent resident status; and those possessing visas either for work or as investor, and even those who are technically classified as illegal aliens, possessing expired visitor’s visas.

Over time, a very intricate and at times, unwieldy, network of relationships by blood and/or affinity has developed between the two countries, which alliances transcend beyond the political, social, and even military arrangements carried on by the governments of both independent countries. Though at times, one may be inclined to think after a cursory reading of local media that the Philippines is still attached to a stubborn umbilical cord emanating from the US.

A human network that I believe is impressively more involved and intertwined when compared with the ones developed with the other former colonizer, Spain, which in unforgettable hindsight accumulated almost 400 years of occupation of the islands. One does not have need the results from formal studies to realize the lack of depth and superficiality in the former colony’s ties with Mother Spain, which pales greatly in comparison with the hardy ties developed with the other former colonizer who held on to the islands for less than half a century.

This less known aspect of the US-RP relationship is one not visited much by the current generation of Filipinos, most especially those in media and academia. That undeniably these ties are not only very extensive, but very deep, securely anchored down to the level of the family unit. And thus more meaningful and significant in the long haul.

While it is common knowledge that 60-65% of the current total inward foreign exchange remittances to the Philippines are originated from the US, what is not known is which families are sending these remittances. It cannot possibly be attributable largely to the new “OFWs” (Overseas Filipino Workers) who are in the US primarily as imported pre-arranged workers? There has to be a lot of US-resident families who have extended family members in both countries, thus the remittances simply reveal how income and/or estate are regularly allocated.

This blog entry cannot hope to completely and exhaustively expound on this far-reaching issue. But anecdotal evidences can be applied to sufficiently lay out a firm foundation that when built upon and fleshed out may invariably point to this conclusion.

As first generation US immigrant with over a quarter century of residency, our own immediate family has grown exponentially. Our own kids have intermarried and raised their own kids, with undeniable ethnic and emotional ties to both countries.

And this obviously unstoppable development will continue on, as long as families continue to be regarded universally as the basic social unit.

Because these are the real ties that bind, and which can ably withstand the tests and rigors of time and history.

Dual Citizenship: Boon Or Bane?

This loaded question is obviously directed at the USA, which traditionally has been regarded as “a nation of immigrants”. And which continues to be so to this day. Currently, as many as 10% of the present US population are foreign-born, that translates to almost 30 million residents.

There are presently 93 countries in the world that allow some form of dual citizenship or multiple citizenship. This includes the US, and such countries as Canada, France, and Switzerland.

Of the top countries sending immigrants to the US, most of them allow dual or multiple citizenship; and very prominent of this would be the southern next-door neighbor Mexico, which also accounts for the large numbers of illegal immigrants, which numbers have been extrapolated from a low of 12 million to a high of 20 million.

So what?

Nothing, if not for a score of troubling developments that are now menacingly staring at and threatening the very identity of the nation.

Maybe never in its short but colorful history has the US been faced with very complex and divisive issues that are challenging the very fabric that has been holding together this very diverse amalgamation of people from all over the world. Thorny issues that strike at the polity’s core psychological, cultural, social, and political traits that taken together identify one as an American.

The very large issue of illegal immigration is one such issue that appears to have no short-term resolution that will placate enough of the populace. The present proposal being hotly discussed does not even merit the unanimous approval of those groups representing the illegals, yet clearly it favors this huge group; and some even speak about disguised amnesty being earmarked somewhere.

And there are other equally loud signals that to a thinking person demand some attention and analysis. We can discern them from the daily news. One comes to mind which is the pervasive anti-America feelings and attitudes espouse by those we voluntarily came searching for a better life which they had determined to be elusive in their home countries. And in a country that has been so tolerantly embracing of diversity in its many manifestations, it comes as a great surprise to learn of such negative and ungrateful attitudes.

Yet the particular issue of dual citizenship or multiple citizenship as a probable or possible exacerbating factor in the current cultural and political problems has I believe not been openly and publicly discussed. Even the political hierarchy in the US may be judged to be complicit.

Thus, there is no US provision formally recognizing dual citizenship among its own, but neither is there any prohibition of it, much less any penalties imposed for acquiring dual citizenship. An American will not lose his citizenship if he acquires additional citizenship, like from his old home country. And even if that country may be looked upon as a hostile one, or one harboring inimical positions against the US. The very tolerant attitude of the US is I believe key to this. One senses that the reason may be because collectively the US has guilt feelings not only about what it has done in the past, but also it finds itself required to be sufficiently sensitized about how the rest of the world regard it. This behemoth of a superpower, the lone one at that, instead of flexing its ample muscles appears to favor the “kid’s gloves” treatment, including on its publicly avowed enemies.

But much like the burgeoning illegal immigration problem, coupled with the myriad of global issues the US is invariably entangled, the default position appears to be that it is best that the US assumes more passive and reactive stances so as not to antagonize further the already simmering ill-will many parts of the world have already shown.

Just the same, the issues highlighted above and many more related ones need to be publicly aired and resolved if we are to assure that Americans, both native-born and new immigrants, may be able to distinctly know and define what it means to be American.

Because it appears that at present most everybody is conflicted, not really able to translate to plausible realities what the stratospheric abstract ideas about being American really mean.

One senses for example that in the current milieu citizenship appears to be some kind of undeserved and string-less gift, rather than as panoply of rights and responsibilities that each recipient should be made to know, understand, and practice. Mostly take and no give.


Update:
From an article written by a first-generation immigrant from Hungary, Mr. Peter W. Schramm.

Because America is more than just a place, being an American citizen is different than being the citizen of any other country on earth. We Americans do not look to the ties of common blood and history for connection as people the way the citizens of other countries do. Rather, our common bond is a shared principle. This is what Lincoln meant when he referred to the "electric cord" in the Declaration of Independence that links all of us together, as though we were "blood of the blood, and flesh of the flesh, of the men who wrote that Declaration."

BTW, Hungary is one of the 93 countries that recognizes dual citizenship.

Read the entire article.

Wrapping Up Dual Citizenship

After 140 miles for a total of 210 miles, I was finally done with the chore of acquiring dual citizenship. Yesterday, I took the last leg of the trek that allowed me to be both American and Filipino citizen.










Performed in a social hall attended by over 30 FilAms eager to acquire back lost citizenship, the oath taking was initiated by a consulate official. A light amiable atmosphere enlivened the short proceedings, peppered by some questions from the soon-to-be Filipinos again regarding the ramifications of acquiring back citizenship.

Not lost in the little lecture obligingly given by a consulate official was this little known fact: Renewal of passports in the consulate is done in one day. Applied in the morning and received in the afternoon.

Oh, how many wished transacting with government offices in the old homeland were as efficient and expeditious.

Then it was over. And for our troubles, we received the following documents: A numbered Identification Certificate to be shown upon entry to any Philippine international airport, an Order of Approval signed by the consul general, and last but not least, a written testament of the Oath of Allegiance that we just took.

The last document sent a flash of fearful shivers down my spine, making one feel a little treasonous (or to put it mildly, maybe just a bit unfaithful) knowing that allegiance has already been promised to the adopted country, and which promised commitment has not been renounced.

These cumbersome fears have extracted a personal commitment to blog about the ramifications of maintaining dual or multiple citizenships. So till then.

Disabusing Second-Class Citizen Label

There is a quiet though common perception in the old homeland that Filipinos immigrating to the US eventually are treated as second-class citizens.

One could easily dismiss this as part of an old-wives tale with not much basis in fact, since speaking of current laws and practices there is nothing to suggest that tiers of citizenship are practiced in the US.

A second-class citizen may be generally defined as an informal term used to describe a person, being a member of a discriminated group, who is systematically discriminated against within a state or other political jurisdiction.

But are there so-called second-class citizens in the US? Or do certain Americans treat others as second-class citizens?

I would have no hesitation answering in the affirmative to both questions.

Now, there is continuing discrimination in the US and there are no two ways about that, but it definitely is not state-countenanced nor is it legally embodied in any existing laws. But people being people and man’s innate inability to legislate on what people can or cannot think, certain isolated discriminatory practices continue and will continue to be practiced. But happily, there are many watchdog groups, private and governmental, tasked specifically with making sure that these undesirable practices are not allowed to prosper or fester. And the body politic has been so acutely sensitized about discrimination that it has not been allowed to rear its ugly in public for longer than the speedy haste that vigilant people can denounce it.

So that being set aside, why do many of my compatriots in the old homeland continue to spout the bromide that Filipinos become second-class citizens in the US?

Just the other day, surfing and scanning through a blog authored by a rather intelligent and perceptive young man, deep into political activism, I again ran across this inference, this time that his migrant parents in the US are treated as second-class citizens. And with no provision of any proof for such a damning charge, maybe other than that the parents may consider themselves second-class citizens.

Knowing Filipinos and of course, being one myself, let me advance a couple of possible plausible reasons why migrant Filipinos may have on their own consigned themselves to second-class citizen category.

First and foremost, many Filipinos are not wont to barter away their packaged cultural, social, and personal identities even when they find themselves in strange new places. There appears an almost implacable resistance to part with any trait or quality acquired in the old homeland, in order to begin the process of assimilation or integration in the major culture of the new host country. While a good part of it may be adamant resistance, I suspect unchecked cluelessness, or even misplaced nationalism, may also be thrown into the mix. The lack of dispassionate awareness that certain ways of thinking and acting will have to be exchanged so not only can at least a modicum of social acceptance be had, but importantly so one can be part of and participate in mainstream society and thus avail of the inherent benefits accorded it. Such critical benefits as educational and employment opportunities. Or simply, social acceptance.

Full citizenship does require one to integrate at least, if not assimilate, with the rest of society. And in the US, the presence of many cultural minorities notwithstanding, everybody knows what the majority culture still is, representing almost 70% of the population.

Another thorny issue that may drive Filipinos to count themselves as second-class citizens may even be considered baseless or unfounded. And may simply be a form of cop-out. Many Filipinos come into the US holding temporary or visitor’s visa. They look for and find work, circumventing laws and/or contravening provisions of their visa. Then, they prolong their stay way beyond the expiration of their visa and thus become overstaying illegals, armed with and encouraged by the firm hope that their extended stay could be parlayed into legal status in the future, with able assistance from the number of immigration lawyers willing to handle their case.

In the meantime, their numbers stealthily operate in the shadows of the underground economy, unable to participate and avail of all the benefits available to those of legal status or those here in the country with visas valid for regular employment. And truly, they become second-class, but not even as second-class citizens because they are not.

In this second instance, while this intrepid and most-times selfless measure resorted to, done all for family and loved ones, should be admired, it is still first and foremost an illegal way.

And rightfully, nobody in this situation can have any expectations other than those of second-class status.