Dune is science fiction’s analogue for Lord of the Rings. I often think of the Philippines in terms of Frank Herbert’s Dune. It is an epic set in a feudal future where an aristocracy control planet of fiefdoms. It is a story of Paul Atreides, heir and scion of House Atreides. At its core, what is Dune if not a tale of how corruption and division led to the fall of an Interstellar empire? It is a beautiful, complex tale that weaves politics, religion, ecology, technology and humanity together unlike any other.
It is characteristic of good myth that one “sees” connections where there shouldn’t be. Dune won a Hugo Award in 1966 yet we can draw parallels to it. How the Filipino, in many ways is like that Fremen in the desert with their religious fatalism and fragmented society. How the Fremen of the deep desert distrust their City-based brothers and sisters. Can’t we draw parallels too between House Corrino and the Arroyos and the Landstrad and our Congress? How we cry out “Mahadi! Lisan al-Gaib” How often do Noynoy’s supporters think he is that voice from the outer world that would save them from the Harkonnens? How running for higher office is a trap for an Aquino? For better or worse, how often have their family been drafted for a cause?
The themes are familiar, don’t you think?
If you’ve read Dune, you would know this. Leto Atreides looked out a window into the desert with his son, Paul by his side. Tired and exhausted, the Atreides Red Duke felt like an animal trapped. And he pointed to a Green and Black flag and spoke these words:
“To hold Arrakis,” the Duke said, “one is faced with decisions that may cost one his self-respect.” He pointed out the window to the Atreides green and black banner hanging limply from a staff at the edge of the landing field. “That honorable banner could come to mean many evil things.”
Would an Aquino be faced with a similar choice? That to achieve all that which this country needs— to wage a battle to wipeout corruption, must he do evil things to achieve it?
So something was troubling me. Why are people up in arms against Recto joining the Liberal Party? Yeah, there is something “morally wrong” with it.
But I have to ask you these questions:
1) Would you choose to cut off your arm, just because you hit your brother with it?
“Do you think you could lift your hand against me?” Paul asked. Stilgar began to tremble. “It’s the way,” he muttered.
“It’s the way to kill offworld strangers found in the desert and take their water as a gift from Shai-hulud,” Paul said. “Yet you permitted two such to live one night, my mother and myself.”
As Stilgar remained silent, trembling, staring at him, Paul said: “Ways change, Stil. You have changed them yourself.”
Stilgar looked down at the yellow emblem on the knife he held.
“When I am Duke in Arrakeen with Chani by my side, do you think I’ll have time to concern myself with every detail of governing Tabr sietch?” Paul asked. “Do you concern yourself with the internal problems of every family?”
Stilgar continued staring at the knife.
“Do you think I wish to cut off my right arm?” Paul demanded.
Slowly, Stilgar looked up at him.
“You!” Paul said. “Do you think I wish to deprive myself or the tribe of your wisdom and strength?”
In a low voice, Stilgar said: “The young man of my tribe whose name is known to me, this young man I could kill on the challenge floor, Shai-hulud willing. The Lisan al-Gaib, him I could not harm. You knew this when you handed me this knife.”
“I knew it,” Paul agreed.
Stilgar opened his hand. The knife clattered against the stone of the floor. “Ways change,” he said.
2) On the question of morality, people want to refuse to wall ourselves up from outside forces because the latter worked for GMA. Isn’t it better to turn that weapon against others? isn’t it better to take that weapon before someone else does? 
In the eternal words of Sun Tzu: “Thus one who excels at employing the military subjugates other people’s armies without engaging in battle, captures other people’s fortified cities without attacking them, and destroys other people’s states without prolonged fighting. He must fight under Heaven with the paramount aim of preservation. Thus his weapons will not become dull and the gains can be preserved. ”
If one considers Recto and Santos-Recto as captured force that is now for the Liberal Party, would that make you more comfortable?
As I’ve mentioned in previous entries, the battle for 2010 is much larger than simply winning the election. Anyone alienated is one more person who could be an enemy. Recto and people like him— are mistrusted by a lot of people. We think he and his kind are like Yueh (and like Judas), forever disgraced because he betrayed the Atreides. In our case, because he betrayed Filipinos by siding with GMA.
It is either take that small victory or risk letting Recto and Santos-Recto’s influence to go to someone else, not just for May but post election day. It would be foolish to turn away people who want to join the campaign. With all the small victories the Liberal Party is making, it is fast becoming the next Lakas. Is it better to absorb them and preserve the party’s strength than to chop it off and let others have those spoils? If Recto and Santos-Recto had gone to Villar, do you think it would have made winning 2010 that much easier for Noynoy? Who else can help him carry vote rich Batangas?
Do not forget we are at War. We might find that yellow banner, like that green and black rag to be bloodied and dirty before the six years of an Aquino presidency is over. So what, I ask, if the conditions for victory are achieved? Recto is not Yueh, and we have bigger battles to fight before the war is over.
* * *
Mike Gonzalez (TheCoffee) published the image of Ralph Recto under Creative Commons and used here based on that.
Popularity: 1% [?]
There may be Fremen here but they are Fremen that do not love their own culture.
cocoy,
I think you are stretching when you need not. The personalities and their moralities are unlikely to change, they just pass through, fundamentally ineffective at doing the practical things necessary to remove corruption from the structure of things. Until a presidential candidate is shouting “Justice” from the rooftops, and means it, via fair, efficient courts, nothing CAN change. How can it, when the right people are not punished? So Dune, Alice in Wonderland, pick your unreal world . . . it’s here.
Joe
*Nods* at “Until a presidential candidate is shouting “Justice” from the rooftops, and means it, via fair, efficient courts, nothing CAN change. “
Why bother to think of analogs to fiction, when reality is already reality. Just look around, just read.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20091123-237934/Wife-of-gubernatorial-bet-35-killed-in-Maguindanao
Lito H,
This type of act can only done by the, Bureaucratic Insider a well organize government to form a Dumbasses of Filipino Constabulary to plot an horrendous crime such as this.
Wake up Philippines, this is your world. Do something about.
It is time to take serious responsibility of our Government.
We the people can change this.
We must act, and let it be known, that this whole Stinking Dung has to change.
We must and for the betterment of our Filipino lives.
We will find out who these people are.
We will cut off their right arm, for the killing of the innocents.
Let COMELEC know, that this would a moral thing to do…!
[These are the words that are written]:
“Since then, its membership was enlarged and its powers expanded by the 1973 and 1987 Constitutions. The Commission exercises not only administrative and quasi-judicial powers, but judicial power as well.”
“In its latest decision upholding the Commission’s assertion of authority, the high tribunal affirmed the exclusive character of its power to conduct the preliminary investigation and prosecution in cases involving election offenses (People vs. Honorable Enrique B. Inting, Judge, RTC, BR 38, Dumaguete City, et al, G.R. No. 88919, July 27, 1990).”
Please, COMELEC, exercise these Rights and Punish those who breaks the Law.
Bit of a stretch with the Dune, we’re not that important to the Universe.
I don’t really see it as a war. As Sun Tzu says all war is about deception. Sun Tzu’s war ideals is contrary to the ideals of Democracy and to every form of morality.
It is not a question of morality. It is a question of
political expediency that Recto and Vilma Santos jumped over to the
Liberal Party. Forget about the Intergalatic story Dune.
People with no Principles, jump over the political fence. They find
the Grass is Greener on the other side. No priciples, idealistic or
pragmatic. Their loyaties are their STOMACHS. How they can find to win in the next election. Then, continue to deceive people like us.
WE ARE JUST PLAIN SUCKERS. THEY ARE ALL SCAMMERS.
During election season the motto guiding everyone will be “Pragmatism going amuck.”
Elections is a form of civilized warfare to gain power. When Cory was alive and she saw the need to fight the government she did not hesitate to take to the streets. However she could not get many of the people today gravitating to Noynoy to follow her.
We elect our autocrats every six years. All the minor autocrats know they will have to reposition themselves and bet on who will take the crown.
The one who they perceive will take it all during the last month of campaigning will win the crown. That is when the real shifting will occur. The locals will send the signals during the closing days on who is the more likely to win. The candidate with the most effective communication systems in place will triumph.
Elections are not about ideals and principles. It is simply about fear and greed. Right now there is this underlying fear that we are a ship in tatters without a captain. Every candidate wants to become the pied piper.
One thing we have to thank GMA for is taking this country to the depths of hopelessness about the role of government in the scheme of things.
At a time when effective governments are holding the global economy from disintegrating we are seeing what may be the final disintegration of the Philippine government.
Hence we are looking for mythical personalities to save us.
Why aren’t we talking about Maguindanao? Too real for you people?
The savagery that was shown in yesterday’s mass murder — Unbelievable. Para nang Islamic iraqi-on-iraqi mass killing ang Pilipinas.
Hindi, iba yun. Some people are just sociopaths, kaya lang doon, mga sociopaths autoridad, at may lisesnsya pa galing sa Malacanang. Dapat buwagin na ang ampatuan clan na yan. Tapos palitan ang pangalan ng maguindanao. I-occupy. Now if the ampatuans become terrorist, let them, let them eat wild chicken and pick wild gabi for breakfast but we cannot allow them to get fat on our money and legitimize them based on our laws.
Warlords against warlords with Islamic tolerance for mass-killing both by warlords and their soldiers. Malas na lang ang mga sibilyan (tulad noong mga media na nakisakay sa convoy).
Parang sa Afghanistan — maraming warlords kakuntsaba sa corruption ni Karzai. Sa Iraq, ganoon din!
I disagree, since the husband allowed them to go. If they thought this was the natural thing for warlords they wouldn’t have sent them without an escort.
Good point. Sa ngayon, one side pa lang ang walang problema sa mass-killing.
Tingnan ang next chapter kung matutuloy sa “an eye for an eye”.
Lito H,
Dahil kasi, puro mga Muslims sila. OK lang silang pumatay nang mga tao.
Atsak,a mga partner sila GMA, okaya buong malacañang.
Sa COMELEC wala silang problema. Dahil din sila.
Si Gibo, OK din sila!
ok lang ang “eye for an eye”, “ear for an ear”, or “tooth for a tooth”.
Pero huwag namang kunin sa mga taxes na ibinayad ko ang sweldo ng mga warriors nila.
Lugi naman ako riyan.
Tsaka, hindi kayang ipitin ng gobierno ni Pres. GMA ang mga Ampatuan maski kung sila ang nagpapatay sa grupo.
Kasi nandiyan lang sa tabi-tabi si Garci.
What are you guys talking about. What I mean is that the difference between bandit-terrorists and these people is government support. Without recognition from the government they’d probably take to the jungle too like the Abus.
Saddam Hussein reincarnated!!!
BrianB,
“Too real for you people?”
Right, you got it. How is it possible to write about something that is beyond comprehension?
I am confident that government leaders and the general population will fail to make a connection between the cheating they engage in and the bestiality of these killings. I am sure they will feel no sense of responsibility for helping to establish the social tenor of “getting away with it” that pervades Philippine society, the cheating, and the unending abuses of law and fairness.
I want to hold my tongue because it is not for an outsider to do the dirty work here. But I will pose the question: Do you see the connection?
There is an absolute and far-reaching breakdown of the distinction between right and wrong throughout the Philippines, and a startling absence of a common-hero’s determination to live by what is right.
Right, it is the poverty. That’s why everyone cheats. And besides, every one else is doing it.
Well, I further ask, if you aren’t a common-hero, one who strives to do what is right, not what is easy or to one’s personal benefit, what are you?
When Filipinos have had enough of lawlessness and the underlying shame of being a “cheating” culture, they will demand better behavior from their countrymen . . . everywhere, not just Mindanao. They won’t just say, “tut, tut, pity”, then go out and connive a self-serving deal. They will demand better of their friends, of businesspeople, of teachers, ferry operators, LTO, DENR and Customs hooligans, their senators and representatives, and of others they meet, who cheat.
It is all connected.
It’s the culture, stupid.
Joe
This is the worst atrocity that can be connected, directly or indirectly, with corruption.
Some of the victims had their heads crushed by vehicles. They must’ve been tortured as well. Filipinos, all of us, are too primitive to sympathize with people we perceive as others. I remember Jim Paredes and Cory marching for peace in Israel and peace in Iraq, but what about Mindanao? We’re all animals for letting this happen.
Don’t be naive Brian. There’s a warlord culture in them Maguindanaons. The Ampatuans delivered the goods for Gloria back in the 2004 elections with the most able help from Garcillano.
We cry out for justice for the victims and we are expecting the police and the military to be able to contain the armed-to-the-teeth Ampaws.
Gloria commands the army and the police. Will she have the will to go after the Ampaws without fearing a blackmail to expose their election scam back in 2004?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Connie-Brizuela/658191613
If moderator will kindly remove the above. Wrong person:
http://bulatlat.com/blog/2009/11/24/rage-against-impunity/
Recto is not Yueh? Ano daw?
Randy David made a good point in his column last Saturday that it’s incumbent on the Liberal Party to explain to their supporters why administration stalwart Recto was admitted to the party. Several days have already passed and still no word from party officials, except for these lame sci-fi/fantasy parallelisms from Noynoy apologists.
Oh yes, LP campaign manager Florencio Abad said something about a “healthy debate” between “idealists” and “pragmatists,” that they underestimated the depth of Serge’s discontent with the direction LP was taking. Other than this oblique reference to the party’s in-fighting, LP has so far failed to explain how Recto’s admission fits in with Noynoy’s putative New Politics.
LP’s silence only seems to confirm that this New Politics is nothing more than the same, old tune of trapoism riding high on empty Yellow sentimentalism.
THIS IS WORSE THAN ONDOY! YOU PEOPLE, WAKE UP!
Let them kill each other. If they massacre each other. The Warlords
are done. The Warlord problem is partly solved. To go there and act as a referee is not good for anybody’s wellbeing.