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Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. ******************************~ Abraham Lincoln
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Things got worse from the last time I was here. Uglier and nastier sides of the issues on national negligence and sell outs and buy outs have become the subject that pervades the air. Why on earth do we let this bunch of childish, self-indulged, selfish, et cetera (on the negatives) people lead us when they only think of their pockets to fill? They only think of their futures to secure, their wealth to grow, and their names to behold! They even sold this country to the big-footed chinkies and our souls to the bow-legged domos!
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This country is in the middle of a chain of stinking crises and despite massive media campaign on the blatant lie called “Dama ko ang pag-asenso (I can feel the progess),” dressing up its outer visage would not help a bit. That blatant lie alone cost millions but the true score was not addressed, let alone any positive outcome on the ad achieved. Eight out of 10 Filipinos doubt government claim of improving economy.
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From the national broadband scandal everyone knew only months after it was already signed for execution (I wonder why even the lawmakers did not thoroughly investigate on its merits before it was set to motion. We know many were willing accomplices, but what about the rest? This is too much slack in conscience among our leaders! What a shame!) down to all the other scandals that cropped up afterwards, we can see a pattern of strings of scams that come out one after the other because of misuse and abuse of power and influence.
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Strings, as they always come in series ― successive-compulsive; persistent-consistent ― that once is not a done deal, albeit questionable, illegal, and unconstitutional; there is something hideous that previously made it possible and something in the future that will keep the wheels of greed grinding. And the mother of all scams, to our unanimous national chagrin, is that we would wake up one day and see the Red Army marching along our streets while our national conscience is under contract with JPEPA (this link provides tons of information on what each Filipino needs to know).
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How daring of a hope must one muster in order to see beyond all the ugliness painted on our faces as a people made corrupt by the outright corrupt practices of our conscience-deprived leaders? How daring of a voice can one have when in mid-sentence one will be slapped with charges on libel or be viciously warned or scared?
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Save for a few good men and women (are there still some left after the walkout?), the people in government are exceptionally good liars. They are justly paid for lies to stand out as truths.
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This country is sinking midway into an ocean of ugliness, pretension, betrayal, bribery, and dishonesty. When the people have lost faith in the very institutions set up to protect them; when bribery is the standard operating procedure for a Filipino to start his small business; when skinny children and wobbly folks aimlessly roam the streets, begging for anything that will clink in their plastic glasses; when students on their way home, on a stroll, will be dragged by a speeding car loaded with snatchers; when former cops rob banks or seek ransom for the son or daughter of some rich clan; when pensioners do not receive their pensions for six months, and so on … These are all injustices taking place like they are part of our culture.
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Our silence strengthens them. Our passivity makes them confident all the more. Our hubris revives their rage for greed. By the minute.
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We must go back to being the keepers of each one. We cannot allow daily injustices to take us over. We cannot allow our conscience to just sit by and wait. We are the brave breed, we must act so. This government is not for the few; but for the people. It is not by the moneyed few who decides on what deals to make. The government is of the people who fear God and respect the motherland, not its opposite.
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