NOT only is she a woman of sense, she is also 100 years old — that’s Pura Santillan-Castrence; she recently came out with a book called "As I See It: Filipinos and the Philippines."
She was a pioneer career diplomat, retiring as Assistant Secretary for Cultural Affairs and Information with the rank of ambassador. For a long while she was UNESCO Philippines in the eyes of the world.
In Australia, she still writes for the "Bayanihan News." Although "legally blind," there’s nothing sightless about her insights into our character and culture.
Here is a sampling of her commentaries.
"The Filipino, besides being macho and a laugh-provoker, is also a get-alonger. He looks the other way when his companion behaves dishonestly or commits illegal acts. The Filipino must get along (pakikisama), hence graft and corruption continue to enslave the land."
Of religiosity: "What seems to be the trouble with the religious concept of a number of Filipinos is that they put more importance on the trappings rather than the practice. Therefore, moral imperative is not part of their nature or culture. They are religious, but they are neither just nor compassionate. These qualities are the essence of moral imperative."
Of communication: "Developments in communication and information have ironically brought about human alienation and isolation. One cannot help asking if science and technology could stop opening doors or, at least, slow down a bit."
This is so because "Science, in challenging Nature, causes Nature to retaliate. An instance is global warming. Genetic engineering has troubled many a serious-thinking individual because of its dangerous potentialities and possibilities."
What I find most charming, however, is her dictum on silence: "Often the only answer, the only real answer to questions of life lies in silence. Hence, probably the quietness of contemplation expected of certain religious orders, the quietness of many philosophers, even the oft-repeated common description of praise for a man: The silent, strong type. (Not all silent men are, of course, strong or meditative. In some, silence is due to simple stupidity or dullness.) It is, however, the voluntary self-inspired silence that I am talking about."
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