Politico et Santa

By Rolo B. Cena
The Gulf Files
Dumaguete Star Informer
19 December 2010

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – The word politics comes from the Greek poli, meaning “citizen”, and the Greek suffix -ics, which connotes a body of facts or knowledge. Literally, the word “politics” means knowledge of being a citizen.

If I may define the word, it will be done aptly with one word: Art. And The Encyclopedia for Philippine Arts published by the Cultural Center of the Philippines categorizes arts in eight forms: Visual Arts, Films, Theater, Dance, Music, Architecture, Broadcast, and Literature.

In the mind and eyes of a child, only one art exists: Santa.

Politics is Visual Arts. Politicos simply love to stone-carve their achievements through the vehicle called schools, public edifices, churches, roads and bridges. They fancy too much on building schools purportedly to educate constituents for the fabled “brighter future through world class education” sans the relevancy these politically built academic structures serve. They paint with pastels walls that have been dividing Filipinos, walls that even the EDSA Saga failed to topple down. They capture images of the multi-faceted political arena and post them to websites, social networks and pages that have been ornamented with their biases and prejudices.

Writing defines politics with sense. Political Literature expresses twists and turns that Political Visual Arts don’t. Laws are written whether or not it serves the majority, or whether or not with purpose for the majority. It is re-written after vividly seeing one consequence after the other sans the wit to comprehend. Streets and structures, offices and functions are named and renamed to establish a niche in the pages of history; to register their own cliché in the trash bin of Political Literature. This art is the body and soul of politics.

The end product of Political Literature is either Films or Stage. Magnificent politicos love to make films out of what was written to portray roles like The Hacienda Luisita Story, The Ampatuans, Morong 43, Suu Kyi, NBN ZTE Deal, the Melo Commission, and the Hello Garci Scandal. Politicos have the passion to re-make classic films like Vizconde Massacre in the hope of twisting the original twist to garner innocence to live happily ever after and put The Jessica Alfaro Story to waste. Whether depicted on Films or brought to life on Stage is a choice. Undoubtedly, politics control the masses through these avenues. Most often than not, political actors produce films or stage plays that essay the modern-day colored biography of Andres Bonifacio cum Emilio Aguinaldo customized to depict the self-serving and socially ruined political platforms these political parties have created.

And as the tux-robed politicos walk the isles of executive and legislative houses, they deliberately control the artistic soiree performing the centuries old it-takes-two-to-tango political dance steps only the classic South American duo Juan and Evita Peron masterfully and artistically donned so far. As of even date, no one has ever performed The Last Dance to retire gracefully or has executed with flair The Last Waltz to be in the House of the Commons thereafter. Even National Artist for Dance Leonor Orosa Goquingco will never appreciate the steps these flat-footed politicos introduce. Seriously, Political Dance is actually what a troubled socialite and a self-declared statesman do when he is in Rome.

Surely, Mozzart, acclaimed to be one of the greatest musician-composers who have ever lived, will disagree with the mischievous Filipino politicos’ claim that their own musical pieces are better than his’. When Barry Manilow announced that he “write the songs that make the whole world sing,” the whole world listened and repeated the rhyme after him. When our maestros kept on singing the same old song that already sounded like unwanted hullabaloos, nobody dared to; instead, the entire Filipino community switched off their stereo sets and composed their own. Truly, I will appreciate if their songs are archived; let alone time classifies them as classical arts or not.

Politics is by itself Architecture. The platforms these machineries carry are architecturally designed in such a way that no space and money go unutilized. In fact, our Political Architecture projects a design that most of the proceeds in the sale of these animals disguised as pork in a barrel are safe-kept in the pockets stored in house closets. If Leandro Locsin, the greatest poet of space and National Artist for Architecture were alive, surely he will condemn himself for making Architecture his passion.

Undeniably, whatever is written, filmed or staged, broadcast media gets into the way. For what is the most effective medium of catching the sixty-minute spotlight if not through this? Everyday in the shop floors of these one-hundred-million-Filipino-made houses, all forms of hodgepodges are broadcasted live. Not only this, all the politically flavored and self-assessed from-the–bottom-of-the-heart assistance, nuisances and commentaries are broadcasted live via the country’s top terrestrial giants.

Politics and Santa: The only difference lies in the truth. Politics lives in the mind; Santa does not. For a child, yes, Santa lives in his heart.