The Grandest of Them All: Bayanihan and Pagpapatulóy from Illustrado
By Aby Yap
Yes, they’re BIG words. And let me tell you, one is heavy and the other is expensive. (How else would you describe carrying a burden as large as an entire bahay kubo and preparing an instant feast for a guest, respectively?)
Wait, am I hearing “overrated” and “over!” too? Cynics, say all you want. One adjective these words are NOT, though, is passé. Lipat-bahay trucks might be the sensible mode of relocation today and Pinoys might have become more kuripot as we go through tough times. But bayanihan and pagpapatulóy are ours to keep and celebrate — and yes, they make people all around the world fall in love with the Filipino over and over again.
Isn’t it grand?
Bayan + Bayani = Bayanihan
Perhaps everyone would agree that what happened during the famous Ondoy and Yolanda episode was the biggest bayanihan exhibit in the country since the 1986 People Power revolution (please, just the orig EDSA phenomenon). Right before our eyes were people from all walks of life helping one another to literally and figuratively stay afloat despite the tragedy, swimming against the tide of hopelessness, and rising above it all. Professional tambays devising a plan with barangay tanods to rescue the drowning. Luckier residents splitting the little bread they had with families stranded on roofs. Ballroom dancing amigas foregoing their sessions to clean up muddied homes. Barkadas rummaging through their wardrobes for clothes they could donate. Facebook mainstays doing an unofficial count of their missing contacts (who says all they ever do is play Candy Crush?). Kapuso and Kapamilya silently declaring a truce over their ratings’ warfare (finally!) to launch a fund-raising crusade.
So, are you done humming “What a Wonderful World?” Now, before you even think of it — wishing for a disaster or a dictator all year round — just so Filipinos can become united every day of our lives, why don’t you shake that bootie and shake off those nega vibes? Then look around and you’ll see that bayanihan need not have a melodramatic backdrop every time.
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