‘… sometimes all it takes is one brave soul to spark an outcry and miracles can happen.’
IN 1974, Jimmy Carter released an autobiography entitled “Why Settle for Less? Why not the Best?” as part of his campaign to win the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination and the elections of 1976. The title was taken from questions posed to Carter as a Navy man by the US Navy’s Chief, Admiral Hyman Rickover. The question stuck with Carter for the rest of his life, and it became a motivating force for him during his four-year term of office and his over 40 years of public service after the White House.
I’ve often thought of those words, especially in the context of the Philippines. But I always come away with the sinking feeling that we as a people are happy to settle for less.
This manifests itself in many forms. There’s the “Pwede na ‘yan” attitude. There is the “Everybody does it anyway” point of view. And then there’s the resigned “Only in da Pilipins” statement we make when faced with a “kapalpakan” that would not be tolerated elsewhere.
A lot of instances of “settling for less” can be found in the public sphere. One of my favorite examples is the world-class (I am being sarcastic here) state of our roads — city streets as well as national highways. Driving can be a hazardous activity in the Philippines, especially at night when you need to traverse roads that are poorly lit and poorly constructed, not to mention maintained. You can be driving easily down the road and then bam! You hit a pothole deep enough you can see China at the other end. Or you need to swerve dramatically to escape an electric post or a tree that was paved around by the contractors, rather than moved or removed. Warning signs are hard to notice in the dark; the lines painted on the pavements cannot be seen and there are no inclines at critical bends of the road that keep a speeding vehicle from careening off the highway.
There’s also the annual “repair” of stretches of our streets that many suspect is a scheme for contractors and policymakers to earn a little something regularly.
Why does this happen? Because we let it happen. Because we accept it as “part and parcel” of life on our islands. Because raising alarm bells and protesting can be a tiring (and dangerous) job — you can lose your job, your business, or even your life if you cross the wrong persons. And you’re not sure you’ll accomplish anything for your effort.
And because, I suspect, our DPWH Secretary does not drive around at night, on his own and without a driver. Seeing for himself what driving on our roads late at night feels like.
So why speak out?
Because settling for less also has its price. And sometimes all it takes is one brave soul to spark an outcry and miracles can happen.
So, should we continue settling for less in our public affairs?
