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A Boholano View by Jose V Abueva Our Visions of Society, State, and Good Governance Since 1987 I have been writing and speaking about this subject because many Filipinos lament that, as a nation we, Filipinos, have no vision and ideals. In fact, we have them. They are largely contained in our 1987 Constitution. Unfortunately, it is true that our leaders rarely point out to the people our constitutional visions and ideals—to give us a common sense of purpose and direction. And our students are not learning about the Constitution as they should. For these reasons, we cannot fault many among our people for assuming that the visions and ideals do not exist. What we often hear, read and witness are stories of people in government and public life that deny our national visions and ideals and violate our laws. Our Constitutional Vision of the Good Society and Ideal State and Government. “We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order (1) “to build a just and humane society”; and (2) “establish a government that shall embody our ideals, promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity the blessings of independence and democracy---under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality and peace, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.” (Preamble.) (3) “The Philippines is a democratic and republican State. Sovereignty resides in the people, and all government authority emanates from them.” (Art. II. Sec. 1) (4) “The prime duty of the Government is to serve the people.” (Art. II. Sec.4) (5) “Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all time be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.” (Art. XI. Sec.1) “Good Governance.” These concept and ideal of Filipino democracy have emerged after over 13 years of authoritarian rule under President Ferdinand Marcos. Blending Filipino and international ideals, we understand “good governance” as manifesting these features: (1) people’s participation in free and fair elections and in policy and decision-making made possible by an open and accessible government in a free society with vigilant, competent and responsible media; (2) responsiveness of the government to the needs and demands of the people who are informed, empowered and enabled to express their will to their political leaders and civil servants; (3) transparency and accountability of public servants in response to the citizens’ will and their right to know (“the truth” in governance) as the sovereign in a democracy; (4) honesty and fidelity of public servants and the certain punishment of those who are abusive and corrupt; (5) efficiency and a sense of urgency in the exercise of power and authority to make the best use of scarce resources, including time especially; (6) effectiveness in providing the needed public services, solving problems, and achieving goals, all for the common good; (7) the protection and enhancement of human rights and the fulfillment of social justice; (8) achieving ecological integrity and sustainable development; and (9) realizing “Pamathalaan,” the indigenous Filipino vision of governance: “dedicated to the enhancement of man’s true spiritual and material worth”…”through leadership by example, reasonable management, unity (pagkakaisa) between the governors and governed, and social harmony based on love (pagmamahalan) and compassion (pagdadamayan). (Pablo S. Trillana III. The Loves of Rizal, 2000. p. 179.) A Vision of an Ideal Future. I have composed verses, a poem if you will, regarding a vision of our future as a nation in the global community. It is largely based on our constitutional vision and ideals but I have elaborated on them. (Read left column first.) Building “The Good Society” We Want | United under God, we shall develop citizens and leaders who love our country, and trust and challenge one another to solve our problems and achieve our goals. | In our quest for “the Good Life” we shall focus on the poor and powerless, the excluded, exploited, and oppressed. | | Upholding truth, honesty and excellence, we shall work together for the common good of all Filipinos at home and around the globe. | We shall achieve our vision of “The Good Society” through good citizenship, leadership and governance in inclusive democracies. | | For, conscious of our roots in Asia, we are a Global Filipino Nation committed to the well-being, security, and advancement of all our people—and humankind | And responsive, effective and accountable institutions that enable us to satisfy our needs and fulfill our lives as individuals and as a nation. | | We want to be free and peaceful, united in our diversities, egalitarian, prosperous, life-sustaining and nonkilling. | As well shall we do our share in shaping a just, humane, and nonkilling world, and safe,sustainable environments. | | | In sum, we want a Global Filipino Nation that is God-centered—whose people love and care for one another near and far. |
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Refusing to Hate: Jose Abueva--Former President of the University of the Philippines |
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 26 July 2010 |
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Refusing Refusing to Hate: to Hate: Jose Abueva--Former President of the University of the Philippines (From an essay series by Daisaku Ikeda in which he reflects on his encounters with various world figures.) October 2000 SGI Quarterly More than half a century ago, a 16-year-old boy was rowing a boat in search of his parents, who had been taken prisoner by the Japanese armed forces occupying the Philippines.The boy's father, Teodoro Abueva, had refused to cooperate with the invaders of his homeland, and became a member of the anti-Japanese resistance. The boy's mother, Nena Veloso Abueva, was the head of the Women's Auxiliary Service in the resistance. Teodoro and Nena had three daughters and four sons. The boy in the boat was their second son, Jose.The Japanese military had been hunting Teodoro for more than a year before they captured the Abueva family. They separated husband and wife and tortured them, and the children were forced to listen to their parents' agonizing screams. Then the soldiers took Teodoro and Nena away, freeing the children.Later, as news of the American recapture of the Philippines spread, Jose, together with a cousin, set out in a boat in search of his parents.It was to be a sad journey. They landed at the town where the family had been taken. Praying that by some miracle his parents might still be alive, Jose searched for a clue to their whereabouts. He heard rumors of people who had been killed and hurled down a cliff, and was advised to start his search there. As Jose came closer to the cliff, he heard more stories of resistance members being executed on a nearby hillside. But still he refused to believe his parents were dead.He climbed the hill. The sun shone down fiercely from a cloudless sky. He walked into a clearing with some bushes beyond it. Suddenly, an acrid smell hit his nostrils as he came upon an executioner's handiwork. He saw a soiled white shirt with blue stripes and immediately recognized it as his father's. Then he saw a piece of his mother's brown dress. He also found fragments of rosaries and belts that he recognized as having belonged to them.Despite the horror of the experience, Jose didn't cry. He was so emotionally and physically drained, tears would not come. When he noticed his surroundings, he was looking to the shining sea stretching toward Mindanao. Thoughts of what had happened to his parents flooded his mind. They were martyrs who had fought for their love of freedom and their love for their country. For that they had been tortured and killed, and this was the hill where their lives had ended in such a cruel sacrifice. He heard that the bodies had been left there for more than a week, exposed to the elements and wild animals.Jose gathered his parents' remains and got back in the boat. The sea of his homeland was almost blindingly beautiful. This was in the autumn of 1944, and the Allied forces under General MacArthur had already landed on the Filipino island of Leyte on October 20. Jose's parents had been killed on October 23. For them, the liberation of the Philippines had literally come moments too late.Jose Abueva, who later became president of the University of the Philippines, kindly wrote down for me his recollections of that time, under the title "Our Family Story of War and Peace, Love and Remembrance." He comments: "Although this story happened half a century ago, it is indelibly etched in my mind. I will never be able to forget."But when Dr. Abueva spoke at Tokyo's Soka University in April 1990, he showed no trace of bitterness: "My parents were killed by Japanese soldiers. But none of us seven children bears any hatred toward Japan. I like the Japanese. And I believe the people of Japan and the Philippines share the same love of peace."I was amazed: even through his extreme suffering, he has maintained his noble beliefs. Truly he is a greathearted person. What a contrast he presents to those who murdered innocent, decent people.In sharing his recollections, Dr. Abueva also observed: "For many years Japanese leaders stubbornly refused to admit, and apologize for, the grievous wrongs they committed in the countries they invaded in World War II. Japanese history textbooks have purposely concealed the truth, or justified the wrongs. Fellow Asians were outraged by the insensitivity and dishonesty of the Japanese. How could they gloss over the sordid truth that so many had witnessed and endured, recorded and remembered?"After the war, the orphaned Abueva children pulled together to take care of each other, growing into fine adults. Jose studied at the University of the Philippines and then the University of Michigan before eventually becoming a professor at his alma mater in the Philippines."The great irony of my life," he remarks, "was my recruitment to serve as head of the United Nations University at its headquarters in Tokyo." For nearly eight years he lived with his wife and family in the country that had murdered his parents. All that time, he was an ambassador of friendship, with a heart as boundless as the sea.When he came back to the Philippines, he helped Corazon Aquino in peace talks between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). In 1987, he was elected president of the University of the Philippines. "Throughout history there have been many leaders of war," he declared with great passion, "but there have been few leaders of peace. I am determined to help change this."The University of the Philippines is the country's top school, and its graduates are destined to become leaders in all fields of society. But Abueva was concerned that the students should also be aware of their duty to society, and have the willingness and enthusiasm to lead the way in finding solutions to the problems that confront their country. It is his firm belief that a university must, above all, deepen students' quality as leaders for the service of their people and country.Dr. Abueva told me that when he became university president, what had saddened him most was the decline in enrollment of students from poorer families. To rectify the situation, he instituted a policy by which students of wealthy families paid higher tuition fees to subsidize those of poor students.As president, he put special emphasis on the creation of a "House of Peace" for international exchange: perhaps a crystallization of a youthful vow to work for peace. He has even invited exchange students from Soka University to his private residence, and has always been extremely kind to them. He believes that building deeper relations between peoples is even more important than focusing on relations between governments. In particular, he sees youth and cultural exchanges as vital currents in the great flowing river of peace that he is determined to create.During Dr. Abueva's distinguished career in education, he has served in posts around the world, including Nepal, Thailand, the United States and Japan. His fond memories of his loving parents have sustained him wherever he has gone. Whatever he has achieved in his life, it started with his climb up that hill on that fateful day. He has been utterly devoted to peace, determined to keep others from experiencing the kind of tragedy that he did.[Courtesy, October 2000 SGI Quarterly]
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Last Updated ( Monday, 26 July 2010 )
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About JVA 
