I pity the soldier

across the street from camp aguinaldo (the HQ of the philippine armed forces) one finds that there are several, perhaps a dozen, lending and finance companies having offices in the buildings opposite the base. i always pass by that street whenever i go to the office and everytime i do so i always think of how debt-ridden our soldiers must be.

with their meager salaries, they and their families often times seek the help of these companies when they find themselves in dire financial need. now i'm not condemning these companies for their services, they have legitimate services and often they become saviors, but i wouldn't be surprised if those they've saved become unhappily dependent on them.

i really pity our soldiers. they have specialized skills but their salaries are less than that of those unskilled filipino laborers who find themselves working abroad. this is the state of the filipino soldier, a member of the one of the most advanced armed forces in asia in the 50s and 60s, but currently the lousiest.

the root of the problem i think is that filipinos are not proud of their armed forces. i also believe that a great number of us are still suspicious of the military especially when they recall its role during the martial law era. they have lost respect for the institution. my generation perhaps never had respect for it in the first place, unless one belongs to a military family. so the bottomline is that we instinctively reject the military while demanding it to do its job of helping and protecting us. we refuse to supply it with respect and support yet we expect it to be modern and professional while performing extraordinary tasks.

a country's military institution, i believe, should reflect the best of what that country is all about. if one considers this, then the filipino will continue dissing and abusing himself as long as he does the same with his own boys in arms.