Accents By Julia Carreon-Lagoc

Are you racist?

The General Luna-Valeria overpass seems to be the preferred sleeping quarters/temporary residence/choice hotel of the ati or the aetas as our Philippine History books would call them.

Last Wednesday on my way to the Provincial Capitol for the ARM rally (Arroyo Resign Movement where my husband Rudy is a convenor), I climbed the overpass to be confronted by an ati , a boy about five years old, a can in hand. I dropped a one-peso coin, thinking that I was not abetting beggary what with devaluation and inflation, not to mention the menacing e-VAT yet to come. The short wall of the overpass provided a cozy, if precarious, protection for the baby who was fast asleep. The mother said the child is a year old. I asked where they are from. “Alingao, Maras.” Maras? I got Guimaras after two or three repetitions.

Huddled on the other end of the overpass were more atis , but you know how to cast a blind eye in cases like this because you're in much hurry, but also because you are short of money yourself. I walked away with the thought that this is a problem of the National Commission for Indigenous People to worry about, and descending in the overpass, I mentally sang the song taught us in grade school: “Negritoes of the mountain, what kind of food do you eat, Negritoes of the mountain?”

Then and there I realized that unknowingly we can be very racist. As if the atis came from some dark forest, strangers to the food that you and I partake. Who composed this song? Why did our not-so-fair-complexioned, rather kayumangging kaligatan , teachers teach us this song? Well, that was some five decades ago, and our dear teachers, having known better by now, must have already consigned this racist of a song into the garbage bin, or we ourselves have grown in humanity, having realized the folly of our prejudices.

As I've said, the ati problem is with the National Commission for Indigenous People to do something about. Anyway, a thought to salve the conscience. Let me then pass on this story that dismisses color as of no account and makes us grow in our basic humanity in the family of humankind.

It came in an e-mail sent by my cousin, Dr. Irma “Mimi” Gedang, a veteran of Medicins sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) serving in many a war-torn Third World country. Mimi whose breadth of tolerance and humanity I have yet to equal. One who volunteered to serve in a borderless world that does not discriminate race, creed, color, and nationality.

The story is titled The Racist :

The following scene took place on a BA flight between Johannesburg and London. A white woman, about 50 years old, was seated next to a black man. Obviously disturbed by this, she called the air-hostess.

“Madam, what is the matter?” the hostess asked.

“You obviously do not see it then? You placed me next to a black man. I do not agree to sit next to someone from such a repugnant group. Give me an alternative seat."

"Be calm please," the hostess replied. "Almost all the places on this flight are taken. I will go to see if another place is available." The hostess went away and then came back a few minutes later.

"Madam, just as I thought, there are no other available seats in the economy class. I spoke to the captain and he informed me that there is also no seat in the business class. All the same, we still have one place in the first class."

Before the woman could say anything, the hostess continued. "It is not usual for our company to permit someone from the economy class to sit in the first class. However, given the circumstances, the captain feels that it would be scandalous to make someone sit next to someone sooooo disgusting."

The air hostess then turned to the black man, and said, "Therefore, Sir, if you would like to, please take your hand luggage because a seat awaits you in the first class." At that moment, the other passengers who were shocked by what they had just witnessed stood up and applauded.

Mimi's e-mail goes further: This is a true story, which is not usually told. If you are against racism, please send this message to all your friends, please do not delete it without sending it to at least one person.

Mimi ends with words to live by: "Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand." (Comments to lagoc@hargray.com )