Re: Pinoy Eh Editorial
Your Editorial in the last issue of Pinoy,Eh! flayed Fr. Arana, the spiritual
leader of the Filipino community for many years, indiscreetly. I found that piece of journalism repugnant, insolent and no
taste at all. This kind of character assassination should not continue with impunity, in a united community like ours.
I believe that the issue resulted from PCC’s relentless pursuit to have
a community centre realized at the expense of his credibility. I feel that whatever Fr. Arana has done, it probably was due
to memory lapses, something unintentional,yet he was vilified by those mawkish desperados.
Fr. Arana is as human as anybody else in this community of so-called Christians
who are supposed to be understanding and forgiving, and lest we forget, he is not infallible and neither is he a paragon of
virtue .
The Editorial alluded to the misconception that the community had been awaiting
the results of PCC’s offer to lease the convent...something which has always been talked about yet nothing has been
recorded as to the actual desire of the community to have a center..of course, it would be nice to have our own center as
most Filipino communities in the surrounding cities have, but not to the extent of brazenly critisizing some of our leaders
if our desires are not realized..
The community center in Tampa, Florida, is a beautiful piece of architecture.
It was finally realized after more than fifteen years of sacrifices by the leaders of the community...I can appreciate the
time and effort that our leaders are doing to have this dream come true but time is imminent..though at this time I feel it
is far-fetched, hopefully, a community centre would someday arise in our surroundings.. that centre in Tampa was originally
a swamp area, minus crocodiles, which was solidified by all hands who availed themselves..the same is true in Ottawa, where
our leaders are trying their best to have it realized but not any sooner than we want to..
So, we should stop bickering and criticizing people if our desires are not immediately
met..obviously, this is inherent as part of our culture where we have internalized the habit of blaming ang criticizing each
other instead of supporting and uniting together..it has been part and parcel of subjugation we tendered to from since the
time of colonialism..let us examine and be true to ourselves..we tend to blame and criticize one another but why is it that
we cannot argue when we deal with white people..how is it that we cannot dispute, we cannot argue, we cannot bargain, nor
negotiate with them...how is it that we always bow down and say amen to them yet we tend to quarrel with our kababayans...my
friends, it is not the end of the world yet and maybe it would be a better tomorrow if we just wait...our impatience has only
exacerbated an already corroded irreverence to a leader of so many years now..
Flavio Gomez, September 4, 2007
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The editorial referred to by Mr. Gomez does not criticize the hard-working
leaders of this community. It simply denounces Fr. Arana ‘s handling of what now seems to be a poisoned "lease offer"
of the Assumption convent. The blatant disregard of the will and hardwork of the community leaders involved in the ‘offer’
had to be put into perspective. Honest, selfless and hardworking community leaders’ effort to serve their kabayans should
be rewarded and not brushed aside.
Unfortunately, Mr. Gomez, in his attempt to come to the succor of Fr. Arana
seems out-of-touch. As if PCC wrote the editorial, he accuses PCC of vilifying Fr. Arana because of its "relentless pursuit
to have a community centre realized" which in the first place, according to him, is a "misconception" because it is "something
which has always been talked about yet nothing has been recorded as to the actual desire of the community to have a center."
Founded over eight years ago by some of the community’s well-respected
leaders, PCC has been front and centre of the initiative to build a community centre to serve the growing Filipino-Canadian
community in Ottawa. Raffles and other funding drive projects that have been supported by hundreds if not thousands of our
community members have been held raising the significant amount that PCC has now in its bank account as community fund. Yet,
the person writes that this community does not want such a community centre?
Not content in calling PCC mawkish desperados, in pontifical fashion, Mr.
Gomez castigates the Filipino, flogs his very own people for its ‘subjugation’ by the ‘puti’ colonizers
from the likes of whom he says "we cannot dispute, we cannot argue, we cannot bargain nor negotiate with". How in the gallant
history of the Filipinos did the likes of Andres Bonifacio and Gabriela Silang figure eminently as shining examples of how
the short, brown man who wielded nothing more than a ‘bolo’ stood up and fought the ‘puti ‘ of the
letter-writer.
Here is the typical example of the notorious ‘alimango’ of the
Filipino society. Not only does he not support his community leaders’ efforts to serve this community, he even chastises
them if not outright ridiculing their effort.
EDs
