Best-selling American author Dan Drown, in his latest novel Inferno, described Manila as the ‘gates of hell’—particularly emphasising “six-hour traffic jams, suffocating pollution, horrifying sex trade.”
Inevitably, this has earned a fury of backlash from patriotic Pinoys in defence of the Philippine capital city. Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Atty. Francis Tolentino, in an open letter to Brown, expressed his concern on the description, saying it failed to capture the good heart of the Filipino.
Netizens were likewise shaken. Even popular author Paolo Coehlo came in defence of the Philippines, tweeting “Dear Filipinos, your souls lead to the gates of heaven.”
Incidentally, incoming Mayor Erap Estrada used the dirty, derelict, polluted image of Manila in his election campaign ad — a patama to the incumbent government of Lim and earned him the mayoralty seat.
This brings to question: Why prosecute Brown? Because he is a best-selling author with a wide readership and we are afraid that the image of the Philippines will be tarnished among the global community? What do we think are we then — Paradise?
So why do we tolerate the same downbeat description in our films and celebrate their international recognitions? Sebis (Brillante Mendoza) Maynila sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag (Lino Brocka), Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (Chris Martinez)!! Poverty Porn! (Lourd de Vera has its spot on.) Even our teleseryes are set in slums, and we consider it art. But art imitates life. In literature we call it realism — a movement that speaks of how works of literature, fiction in particular, tends to mirror social realities. But the truth hurts, especially if we have a huge EGO.
In Tagalog, we say, “Bago mo pansinin ang kapintasan ng iba, manalamin ka muna.” We are angered by how we are described in a best-selling book, but we were damn proud how Bourne Legacy portrayed our slums, only with a consolation of a beautiful Puerto Princesa in the closing credits.
We can be proud about the Philippines, and we should be. We are in all ways a beautiful nation. That is a fact! But we have flaws, we must accept them also because they are real. And maybe Brown thought our flaws were a good material. That is, to turn something unsightly into the level of a literary masterpiece, a possible part of history: Art is not always the puffy clouds and serene seas.
Maybe this part also scared us — that many will look at us in a bad light. But who knows they (foreign eyes) become more curious about the Philippine and go visit? Bad publicity is still publicity.
When they come, the more that we need to prove ourselves and what beauty there is in our beloved nation. This is the challenge: to change our negative reputation not by changing other’s perspective but ours. We can prove them wrong only if we want to. As they say, reputation is what others think about us and integrity is what we really are.
After all, whether we are in hell or in heaven is our choice, our own a state of mind.
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