Two words for a rude crowd

By Mariano A. Santos

Publisher/Editor

Let us hand it to Illinois State Senator Dan Rutherford (R, Pontiac) for his no-nonsense response to a pesky and nagging problem of the Filipino American Community. Last June 12 at the dinner celebration of the Philippine Independence Week Committee (PIWC) at a ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Rosemont, the Filipinos unsavory habit of talking all at the same time was put in an embarrassing spotlight.

A couple of minutes into his message as the event’s keynote speaker, Mr. Rutherford forcefully told an inattentive, rude and noisy audience of 800 attendees to “stop talking.” One of the guests recalled that the State legislator then turned his attention to a group of cackling women and curtly told them, ”If you want to talk, there is the door, go out and talk outside.” (Or words to that effect.)

(I requested the PIWC Chairperson, Ligaya “Joy” Manuel if we can view the video coverage of the event and our request was not yet granted as of press time. Mr. Rutherford was kind enough to provide a gist of his speech, which was not available as a full transcript.)

The outburst was justified.  It silenced the crowd who had to literally be forced to listen to the senator’s message, which was actually substantive, and perhaps the only relevant part of the evening’s program that seriously honored and understood the significance of the Proclamation of the Philippine Independence of June 12, 1898.

Mr. Rutherford came out as one who is genuinely interested in the welfare of the Philippines and its people especially those Filipinos who call Illinois their adopted home.  He talked of his numerous trips to our homeland as a businessman and trader and as an eco-tourist who scuba-dives and enjoys the beautiful country like the Apo Island, which he reminded the audience was replicated in a multi-million permanent exhibit at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium.

He also traced the changes made in our historical tradition of celebrating our Independence Day. He shared how the US leaders respected the nationalistic assertion of a young republic struggling to shed off the vestiges of colonial influence.  He recalled that the Philippines had celebrated its Independence Day on July 4th, from 1946 to 1961, and in 1962, then President Diosdado P. Macapagal led the rewriting of history by mandating June 12, 1898 as the Philippine Independence Day.

Mr. Rutherford made an interesting recollection of the fact that no other than US President John F. Kennedy led the American people in sending a congratulatory message to the leaders of the US former colony in Asia.  Furthermore, Mr. Rutherford made a commitment to help the Filipino community in their immigration needs which he noted as not as equal as those enjoyed by immigrants from other nations.

He cited the example of Filipino immigrants who have to wait up to 22 years to get reunited with family members whom they petitioned to join them in the US—much longer than other immigrants who have only to wait half that time or less. There are other important matters included in his message that could have been otherwise ignored or lost in the din of useless chatter of guests who were obviously clueless on the true significance of the occasion.

It was surely not our proudest moment. Filipino Americans can afford to show off their accumulated wealth by donning their fancy and expensive barongs and ternos bedecked, of course, with pricey sparklers.  They may even show off their flawless skills in dancing the rigodon—a pitiful legacy of our colonial heritage.  But our lack of proper manners betrayed our lack of priorities and correct appreciation of our struggle for freedom.  More so, our inability to tackle serious issues about our state of affairs shows absence of our commitment to achieve genuine independence for the Philippines.

Yes, while the audience was silenced by the reprimand of the keynote speaker who demanded to be listened to, one would think we also learned a thing or two about good etiquette.  In the matter of an hour, the PIWC audience was even noisier and ruder when it was the turn of the new Consul General to give his remarks.  Too bad, hardly anyone that night cared to take cognizance of what he had to say. Hopefully, Ambassador Leo Herrera Lim learned fast on what he is up against in his new tour of duty.

Next time, there are two words that can actually do magic for the Consul General if he wants his message to get across.  They are:  Stop Talking!•