What's in a name?

Democracy is not about numbers only. Before it was branded as “the tyranny of numbers”, it was believed to be a formative social dynamics— a system which is based on values.

Equality is a basic premise of democracy.

Equality enunciates that every person has a voice in public discourses. The “one man-one vote” equation symbolizes this principle. Every vote counts and weighs as much as any other vote.

Consequently, no name enjoys undue preference in a democracy. The market place of ideas is conceived to avoid the grant of special privileges for any person, group or interest. In this sense, democracy is impersonal; it cares not for what a name stands for. All persons, regardless of their beliefs, color, ethnic or racial origin, gender, economic interest or political status, are all the same with respect to rights and obligations. Names are inconsequential because they cannot make any dent in public processes.  

However, this is hardly true in societies where special privileges for certain groups are not uncommon. In a highly divided society, names signify more than what their nominal letters could convey. Names acquire a context and content because of the inequities prevalent in existing societal systems. A person’s name symbolizes the social and political powers that he or she exerts in private and public spheres. In turn, politics becomes a game only for big names, people who control much of the economic, political and social forces of the society.

So what’s in a name in the Philippine context?

Since Philippine democracy is dysfunctional, it is always dominated by dynastico-personalist politicians—power-holders whose aims and strategies are not consistent with the common good. In this light, a name may signify decay or greatness depending on the manner by which a person conducts himself or herself in public and private spheres. 

A person’s name signifies decay when it contributes to the decline of the civilization and the prevalence of deprivation and poverty. On the other hand, it is synanymous to greatness when its holder does good things, whether big or small, which help society to move towards greater freedom and prosperity.

A name may mean the continuing control of a political clan over public power and the society’s resources. It may also signify the subordination of public interest to the interests of few families. It may stand for the dysfunctional social and political systems that exclude people from the right to participate in the charting of their own destinies. This is the content that certain names may have acquired in the context of the Philippine society today.

On the other hand, a person’s name may represent the resurgence of greatness. It may spark the restlessness of many and trigger the movement for hope. It may refer to the champion of people’s dreams and serves as inspiration for them to dream some more.

Certain incidents may catapult a person’s name to greatness, and thus, represents the triumph of good over evil. For instance, a heroic death can make a certain name popular and help others associated to it rise to power. Sometimes, altruistic gestures may give a person’s name some claim to the memories of younger people. An idol’s name, revered for the great feats that its holder may have accomplished, would ring for decades before a reckless generation consigns it to oblivion. These are only few instances when people become worthy of the names that they have inherited from their forebears.

The answer is obvious but difficult to say. We all know what it is but don’t want to say it for fear of its consequences. And so, the question remains: what’s in a name?