Four legs good ... two legs even better

Honest to goodness, the first book I ever read from cover to cover was "Animal Farm" by George Orwell ... and that was at age 17. A little too late for the achievement but nonetheless, a very significant event in my life.

Now that I look at the last few paragraphs of that book ...

He had only one criticism, he said, to make of Mr. Pilkington's excellent and neighbourly speech. Mr. Pilkington had referred throughout to "Animal Farm." He could not of course know-for he, Napoleon, was only now for the first time announcing it-that the name "Animal Farm" had been abolished. Henceforward the farm was to be known as "The Manor Farm"-which, he believed, was its correct and original name.

"Gentlemen," concluded Napoleon, "I will give you the same toast as before, but in a different form. Fill your glasses to the brim. Gentlemen, here is my toast: To the prosperity of The Manor Farm! "

There was the same hearty cheering as before, and the mugs were emptied to the dregs. But as the animals outside gazed at the scene, it seemed to them that some strange thing was happening. What was it that had altered in the faces of the pigs? Clover's old dim eyes flitted from one face to another. Some of them had five chins, some had four, some had three. But what was it that seemed to be melting and changing? Then, the applause having come to an end, the company took up their cards and continued the game that had been interrupted, and the animals crept silently away.

But they had not gone twenty yards when they stopped short. An uproar of voices was coming from the farmhouse. They rushed back and looked through the window again. Yes, a violent quarrel was in progress. There were shoutings, bangings on the table, sharp suspicious glances, furious denials. The source of the trouble appeared to be that Napoleon and Mr. Pilkington had each played an ace of spades simultaneously.

Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.

The Philippines has turned out so much like "Animal Farm" ... Mr. Jones, Pilkington and other human farmers that very much represents "foreign" forces ... the pigs like Napoleon representing our very own "government" ... the dogs representing the military and police force ... the work horses like the Overseas Filipino Workers ... and the sheep representing the complacent and unthinking majority within the citizenry.

Indeed, the foreign oppressors our parents and grandparents fought off are back ... except that this time, THEY ARE NO LONGER FOREIGN ... the pigs are truly walking on two and have now become more equal than the others.