BY ROMMEL YNION
TODAY, if there is something that the world should give Ilonggos credit for, it is their resilience that has enabled them to rise above mediocrity in spite of the difficulties that have tormented them.
Let’s take a closer look at how Ilonggos have exemplified resilience in the whirlwind of difficulties that engulf them everyday.
From sunup to sundown, they teeter on the edge of darkness, unable to predict if they can seamlessly enjoy light or see it intermittently snuffed out on them as they live through their day-to-day routine, oftentimes just to eke out a living.
But in spite of the unpredictability of their electricity provider, they still soldier on, often with alacrity which borders on the transcendental awareness that all is well since everything seems to end well since time unremembered.
This even as they are not even sure when water will again flow from the tap to quench their thirst, water their plants, and bathe themselves with to combat the scorching heat of the sun in their offices, in the streets outside them, and even in their bedrooms where even electric fans, let alone air-conditioning units, are not guaranteed to work all day.
Employment, too, comes in trickles, if at all. No matter how ear-splitting government has broadcasted the economic boom around them, they are unable to feel it, scrounging around for morsels of odd jobs available to them on the streets, in floundering firms around them.
And as if all these are not enough, they woke up recently to the announcement from city hall that real estate taxes would soon increase by over 100 percent, making an impact on everything they hold dear.
For an astronomic rise in real estate taxes will jack up the rent charges for all establishments, making everything more expensive, including food, beverages, and even the movies they watch not only in movie theaters but from DVD rental stores which would definitely charge more as they pay more just to sustain their businesses.
No doubt it has begun to dawn on them that the much-ballyhooed economic boom is just a mirage probably to hide something that if uncovered, may stink to high heavens, knocking them out cold in a nightmarish slumber from which they can only eke out a prolonged hangover.
Holy of holies, is their city government bankrupt? Drowning in an ocean of debts – thanks to loans from Landbank to finance grossly overpriced milking cows – it seems unable to pay its obligations, teetering on the brink of desperation.
Until now, Ilonggos cannot fathom the enormity of it all. Of the Php 1.101 billion they owe Landbank, Php 719 million went to the construction of the city hall which engineers worth their salt only appraised at Php 300 million. Where did the overprice of Php 419 million go?
Is this right? Is this just? To let taxpayers pay for the kickbacks that meandered their way into the pockets of hyenas in high places?
But still, Ilonggos soldier on, still smiling like Cheshire cats from ear to ear as if nothing happened, oblivious to them all, their energy focused only on their all-consuming need to keep body and soul together to live another day as hopes still beckon for them to work hard for, maybe, a brighter future might meet them just around the bend.
Now, that is resilience in the truest sense of the word, the unwillingness to yield to adversity, come hell or high water, keeping on keeping on until the day breaks and the shadows flee away.
And so, the story of Ilonggos’ resilience continue to unfold, calling the world’s attention to what they consider a well-known fact that in spite of their difficulties, they can survive, thrive, and even prosper. Yes, their resilience is their leverage.
Not only that. They are also highly educated to boot, as shown by their English proficiency, making themselves marketable to call centers which now mushroom all over their metropolis, conquering job markets worldwide which enable them to send much-needed dollars to their city.
Small wonder big-time investors have flocked to Iloilo City because of the Ilonggos’ greatness. For what are investments for if there are no takers? Yessiree, there are takers in Iloilo City because Ilonggos have the purchasing power.
And so, the likes of Manny Villar, Andrew Tan and Injap Sia have taken the opportunity to do business with a people who have what it takes to sustain an economic firmament in which they choose to thrive into the future.
“The overseas Ilonggo workers comprise at least 80 percent of the real estate market,” Injap Sia once said. Mind you, he didn’t say that because of the city government, the real-estate market became mouth-watering.
Therefore, the people who attracted economic opportunities to Iloilo City are the Ilonggos themselves, their purchasing power attributed to their diaspora the world over – not to mention the twin pillars of their character that in no small measure also enticed investors into the city: their education and frugal nature.
Now, it is as clear as daylight that Ilonggos have prospered in spite of – and not because of – their city government which has even made life miserable to them as they struggle to survive, thrive, and even prosper in spite of the difficulties spawned by it.
The tragedy of it all is that city hall has now been trying to take this honor away from them, trumpeting to the world that it is because of it – and not in spite of it – that Ilonggos have prospered. And, true to their subservient form, they just shrug it off and trudge on with alacrity, oblivious to this nonsensical claim to this imaginary fame, preoccupied with their day-to-day business of survival to eke out a living.
So there. Ilonggos have risen Phoenix-like above mediocrity in spite of the difficulties around them. And this nugget of truth must be emphasized for posterity for robbed as they had been already of treasures that rot in this finite world, they must not allow themselves to be robbed again – this time, of the only thing within their hearts and souls: their honor.
For Ilonggos are no different from beautiful women who attract moneyed suitors, ready to do their bidding, alert to their needs and wants, willing to pour their wealth on them as their beauty scintillates on the face of the earth, unmindful of their lot, believing in their greatness, their strength of character, and yes, their resilience.
And this is why investors flock to Iloilo City, not because of its local government, but because of the Ilonggos themselves. Yes, it is just because of them, and not of anything else, that they have risen to the occasion that God bestowed on them: To become heirs of His blessings in this fast-moving and ever changing world./PN
