The Birth of the Filipino Dream in 2016

By: Joe Mauricio

 

2016 is the birth of Filipino Dream. — a dream of a land of Paradise or Shangrila, in which life should be better, richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunities for each achievement and achiever. It is difficult for Fil-Am middle class to interpret adequately the Filipino Dream, and too many have grown weary and mistrustful of it.

It’s not a dream of luxury cars, big houses, and higher wages, but a dream of Filipino social order in which each man and woman shall be able to attain the fullest stature of which they are innately capable of, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of circumstances of birth or social position.

Some say that the Filipino Dream, like the American Dream counterpart, will become that pursuit of material prosperity (that people work more hours to get a bigger house, fancier cars, the fruits of prosperity for their loved ones) but will have less time to enjoy these prosperities. Others say that the Filipino Dream is beyond the grasp of working poor who must work more hours or possibly two jobs to insure their family’s survival. Yet other Pinoys look toward a new Filipino Dream with less hours on financial gain and more emphasis on living a simple, fulfilling life.

Famous author and playwright ThomasWolfe said, “To every man, regardless of his birth, his shining, golden opportunity….the right to live, to work, to be himself, and become whatever thing his manhood and his vision can combine to make him.” The Filipino Dream will lure thousands if nations to its shores, a dream of material plenty, though doubtlessly counted heavily.

The Philippines is more than that. It has a dream of being able to grow to the fullest development as man and woman, unhampered by barriers which had slowly been erected in the older civilizations, unrepressed by social orders which had developed for the benefit of classes rather than for the simple human being of any and every class.

The Philippine scholars should explore the Filipino Dream theme in the careers of numerous political leaders, including President Noynoy Aquino, Vice President Jejomar Binay, Mar Roxas, Chiz Escudero, Senator Miriam Santiago, Washington Sycip, and many others. Chinese origin but turned to be a Filipino nationalist and patriot, Sycip actually can be called the Father of Filipino Dream amongst this group.

Sycip (one of the founders of Sycip, Gorres, Velayo, worldrenowned accounting firm in the Philippines) continues his Filipino Dream that started after World War II–that the country could stand up to the rest of the world and fully realize the opportunities of integration, cooperation and complementation. He said, “All of us should think and act more Filipinos.” He loves the Philippines so much that he devoted his time and passion to educating the youth of the Philippines. He further said that, “Countries that spend more on education usually have the faster growth. Students should be encourages to get into sciences, mathematics, physics, enginerring, medicine and management, that the rights of individuals should be secondary to the rights of the country.”

Journalist and educator Lawrence W. Reed, on the “True Meaning of Patriotism…” I subscibe to a patriotism rooted in ideas that in turn gave birth to a country, but it’s the ideas I think that of which and when I am feeling patriotic. I am a patriotic American because I revere the ideas that motivated the Founders and compelled them, in many instances, to put their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor on the line.”

If the Philippines will soon experience the Filipino Dream, things must be handled with caution.

“If a nation expects to be ignorant-free, it expects what it never was and never will be, in a state of civilization,” (R.W. Reed).