When I was much younger, January 6 used to be a holiday. thus, all children — Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and other faiths — looked forward to this extra holiday. The Feast of Epiphany, also called “The Adoration of the Magi,” was better known among children as the day of the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men. we Muslim kids who studied at the Notre Dame schools of Mindanao knew the story of Caspar, Melchor and Balthasar, three wise kings or “magi” who followed a bright star on the night when Jesus Christ was born. on January 6, the magi found a child in a manger and gifted the baby with gold, frankincense and myrrh.
These days, January 6 is just another day. my young nieces and nephews don’t pay any attention to it. Caspar, Melchor and Balthasar are remembered only in Christmas carols, their wisdom forgotten.
Growing up in Jolo, Sulu, we Muslim kids used to go caroling house to house with our Christian friends. Christian and Muslim households would give carolers candy or money — never mind if we didn’t really know the words. we used to sing “Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Bertingbertingberting!” (At that time, Berting Labra was a famous movie star — we thought the song was about him).
These days, no kids are out on the streets of Jolo after 6 p.m. — even during the Christmas holidays.
Happily, the kids of Zamboanga City still enjoy their Christmas holidays, caroling and having a fun time at the Paseo del Mar beside Fort Pilar. Mayor Celso Lobregat had successfully transformed what used to be a feared dump into the city’s favorite recreation area by the bay, where locals and tourists can enjoy the fabulous Mindanao sunset while eating barbecue and “knickerbocker” (a mouth-watering but calorific concoction of ice cream, fresh fruits, gelatin).
We spent part of the holidays with family in Zamboanga City, which now proudly calls itself “the only Latin city in Asia.” (Never mind that its symbol is the “vinta,” the colorful sailboat of the Muslim Tausug, Sama and Yakan from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan. Never mind that one of its delicious sweets, which is being marketed as the “Zamboanga roll”, is actually a delicacy of the Muslim tribes known as “ja” by the Tausug and “lokot-lokot” by the Sama.)
Why is Zamboanga City calling itself a Latin City? because the Zamboangueños speak Chavacano (pidgin Spanish). even the Tausug, Sama and Yakan who have settled in Zamboanga City speak Chavacano.
Official statistics show that the city population is predominantly Christian (70%). however, Muslim residents say that their population is over 40% and growing. They fear that their growing numbers is responsible for the increased discrimination against them.
Adding fuel to the engine of discrimination is the fact that all the warlords and political kingpins of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan own residences in Zamboanga City, bringing their bloody conflicts (known as rido) and political troubles to disturb the peace and order of the city. many spend more time in Zambo than in their own municipalities. In fact, if ARMM Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman wanted a quick meeting with the local government executives of the island provinces, he just has to go to Zamboanga City, go to the coffee shop at Garden Orchids Hotel, text the executives, and he will have a quorum in a couple of hours.
Mayor Lobregat has tried to ban the warlords and their armed followers from carrying guns while in his city. After all, who can tell whether the armed goons belong to a mayor or a crime lord? In many cases, is there any difference? however, he had little success.
Last November, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo strengthened the mayor’s hand by ordering the strict implementation of the gun ban in ZamboanWga, which has suffered from a series of bomb explosions. While the military has often quickly attributed these to terrorists, many residents believe that the attacks are linked to blood feuds between political enemies and warlords or attempts at extortion. ?(Did it work, Sec. Jesse?)
Sigh. Where are the wise kings when you need them?
Frederick the great is supposed to have said: “a crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in.” a crown, to him, could not even protect his head from the elements. This from one of the most famous European monarchs, known not just for his military successes but for domestic reforms that made his kingdom of Prussia into one of the most progressive and powerful European nations in the mid 17th century.
Frederick II was an absolute ruler, known as an “enlightened despot,” but regarded himself as merely the “servant of the state.” It is ironic that an absolute despot like Frederick II would think of himself as first a servant of the state while today’s democratically elected servants of the state act like absolute despots. How did that happen?
In today’s remaining monarchies, the crown is still inherited, with clear lines of succession. Political power is still passed on through bloodlines. even in the Philippines, where we have sultans and datus, power — such as it is — is still inherited. but, unfortunately for them, their crowns carry no political weight.
My generation has witnessed the fall of many royals, shown to be corrupt and without wisdom, not worthy of the bejeweled crowns they wore. Unfortunately, we have also witnessed the rise of a different breed of royalty: political kingpins who have established their own dynasties. In today’s democracy, the crown has been usurped. our weak democratic systems have made it easy for these new lords to rule. In the Philippines, elections in more and more areas are held to put in place the annointed sons, daughters, spouses, brothers and sisters of reigning lords.
How did we come to elect for ourselves our new despots? Well, we do know that there can be no tyrants where there no willing slaves. At the end of the day, citizens in a democracy must bear part of the blame when we allow political leaders to crown themselves and establish their dynasties.
Someone said, “a crown, if it hurts us, is not worth wearing.”
I guess that only applies to normal people. The new breed of kings would respond: “No pain, no gain.”
Ah well. Would that I could go back to my childhood days when Muslim kids could go caroling with their Christian friends in the streets of Jolo and sing, “Berting, berting, berting!”
But I now live in an age where a president can be arrested, charged with plundering the coffers of an impoverished country and where the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, appointed by her, can be impeached for bending the law to protect her and her people. What interesting times we live in!
And so, welcome 2012! may our leaders wear crowns of thorns and feel each bite of each thorn deeply, that they may remember that they are servants and not tyrants. but may we have more reasons to laugh and less cause for tears!
And, for all those who remember the three wise men, Caspar, Melchor and Balthasar: happy Three Kings!
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