Revisiting BINANGONAN TOWN FESTIVAL '64

I am entrusted with a copy of the most treasured writings of my late uncle, Norlito Ison Cervo. We quite value his works as we were all aware of how he dedicated his time and effort in all his writings about the history of Binangonan. Moreover, it was his utmost wish to let the future generations of Binangonan to know about our beloved town’s beginnings and history.

Last night, as I was browsing through his old stuffs, I came across a copy of the “Town Festival ‘64”. What the heck is that?, a question that you might ask. Well, “Town Festival ‘64” is actually the 1964 Binangonan town fiesta souvenir program. Yes, the stuff was published more than four decades ago! Anyway, way back then, Binangonan observes a separate town fiesta every last Sunday of February.
The publication contains Binangonan: An Outline of Its History and Hypotheses and various other interesting articles which were all written by fellow Binangonan people.

As I scanned through the old pages, I came upon the Viewpoint section and an old adage flashed into my mind: “History repeats itself.” Is that for real? Come to think of it, the stuff I was reading was, in fact, published a couple of years before I was born. Yet, ironically, I believe it is nothing different at all from the sentiments which, I think, common Filipinos harbor even nowadays.

Well, to understand what I am talking about, following is a copy of the Viewpoint section of the 1964 Binangonan Town Fiesta Souvenir Program, as it was written by Judge Nestor C. Rivera.


Viewpoint

The Rich and the Poor
by Judge Nestor C. Rivera

I went today to the San Lorenzo village. I noticed skyscrapers and air-conditioned houses. It is not the Philippines shown on advertisements for tourist attractions. It is a veritable haven of the fortunates far richer than the paradise that Adam and Eve sup­posedly once enjoyed.

Then I came to think of the Filipino masses. Not so much of those minimum-waged laborers, because laborers are perpetual indispensable elements of society. We cannot live without them. They have to toil. But I think of the barrio folks - those in provinces dis­tant from Manila like in the Bicol region and in the Visayas. I read a recount in the papers that there are those barrio folks who have not possessed even a single centavo for years - they live on barter of vegetation crops for their meager and measly indispensables. This condition of our poor Filipinos makes the Philippines a special heaven of moneyed people - foreigners and natives alike. They can buy Filipino souls, property, and services, for almost nothing!

Avarice is a perpetual human instinct; but it is good to temper it with conscience - equity with our blood brothers begets equity from our Creator. More over, if the rich enjoyed the company and services of underfed, unhealthy and filthy laborers, how much more will they enjoy the company and services of healthy and clean toilers! What a difference would it make them your neighbors! Modern science has helped that both rich and poor can now live far hetter than Adam and Eve.

If you love yourself, your family, and relatives; if you love your countrymen - over and above all other peoples - then you will not want that condition of extremes, extreme rich and extreme poverty. My heart bleeds for these poor people, because like Pres­ident Macapagal, I came from among such poor people. Of course, I may be rich some day and will thus be­long to the favored group -- the served. But on a wider perspective, we have to look to ourselves and to our future generations. We cannot maintain feudal­ism, whether on land or on money, only to benefit distinct families forever! It is not impossible now that you, the heir of landlords, may have your future grand­children begging to serve the rich in their time.

Government collections (taxes or tributes) were originally for the enjoyment and luxury of the ruler. Then collections were made to support wars of offense and defense, and for peace and order. Then government made collections for use in public works as roads, bridges, schools and hospitals. The government simply collected taxes in the past, because employment was a simple problem of the individual. The individual then could move from place to place to farm, fish, or hunt. Thus, the object of government tributes improved: From the exclusive enjoyment and luxury of the ruler - later to include the expenses for the solution of the problems of the subjects, who pay the tributes now called taxes.

The common Filipino today, walking in San Lorenzo village, in the Escolta, or in the Rizal Avenue, is a lost soul even if armed with diplomas. He is a beggar for work. Though he is endowed by our Creator with some usable assets, brain and muscles, he cannot use them fruitfully except to rob or steal. He does not want to do any of these. He would not be a killer of a Pres­ident Garfield though he cannot find employment. But he goes from door to door, begging for work, and in dire need and despair, as a weekly magazine once edi­torialized, lie jumped with his innocent children into the Pasig River, to die!
Was he not an asset with his brain and muscles? Could not the government use him to its advantage and reap profits thereby? Will the Government simply feed his kind on increased taxes like the EEA depen­dents? Are they not entitled to the fruits of their own labor like the factory workers, with the Govern­ment receiving back its investments? Our private cor­porations, Filipinos and aliens, can invest only by mil­lions. They cannot invest by billions because then they cannot recover back their capital invested within their longest life span. But, our Government gives away, to no return, billions of pesos taxed from the sweat and blood of our own poor people. Like an over-grown child, our Government continues to milk its mother, the poor people, in increased taxes, and it refuses to earn its own livelihood inspite of its almost unlimited power and resources! Will our future children be assets or liabilities of the Republic of the Philippines? Will they simply depend on taxes forever? Must we forever milk the people with heavier and heavier taxes until they collapse? Think this over, and seriously, my friend.***