How do we get to the stage that Japan, Singapore and Malaysia are in? This seems to be the question that is bugging everyone. We want our country to be at par if not better than they are in terms of economic prosperity.
True, it would be nice to live in a comfortable house (as materials are cheap to buy and land is easily purchased), to have food to eat (as the transport of food sources and food crops is free care of government and so the restaurants, canteens and domestic cooks can whip up recipes cheaply), to have public and private schools with libraries open even at lunch time (UP closes its libraries at lunch at a time when more students could possibly avail of their services especially when cramming for an exam while public libraries have antique books proliferating in their shelves), to travel all over the country (and not having to queue up for cheap tickets which run out easily during promos), to cheaply watch the movies at anytime (especially for senior citizens who are relegated only between opening and 5pm and, AND ONLY ON MONDAYS AND TUESDAYS in Quezon City, the richest city in MetroManila or the whole Philippines? I think Mayor Bistek, a movie actor himself, should make his administration the greatest by giving seniors the best time of their lives through being able to watch the movies on any day and at least once a day throughout the year.)and many, many more.
Yes, we can dream, can't we? But at the rate the propaganda machine of PNoy is working, it looks like we would be snailing through the economic road. Just look at this: he hires new people to certain posts. Then the next day, he is reported to be approving increases in fares and other things in order to beef up the budget.
What the people deduce here is that PNoy needs the money to pay his people, who by the way were very visible during his campaign. And so one plus one equals two. The government becomes an elite (a term given by a musician to me) group of people whose roles in the political campaigns now give them the prizes for having worked their b___ off to get him victorious.
Now that is really very bad sequencing of government actions. How could he possibly earn better the favor of the people if this is the kind of propaganda that will be dished out in public?
I remember when Cory was president and she had to ward off several coups d'etat in order to maintain peace and stability. Now the people are allergic already to any form of militaristic changes in government and so they refuse now to be dragged into the adventures of the putschists. However, this time, under PNoy, the coups, in the form of gangsterism, is being cooked up and served everyday, in the papers, in media.
What do we get from this? Well, PNoy has been labeled weak in reining in the crimes, but who should really be in charge of maintaining peace and order -- are they not the police and the AFP? Does this mean that these two institutions do not have the right appointees who can carry out that mandate for the people? Is it time to make an overhaul of these institutions?
For being critical (on an occasional basis) I still get harassed and last night I was just at the police station reporting a perpetrator of sexual harassment while I was inside a supermarket paying up. He sidled up to me and brushed my left chest which underneath I had covered with my chaleco.When I looked at him, he was pretending to be counting his money in his wallet. But I still felt the disgusting act and so I reported the guy to the guard after which we hauled him off to the police station.
I talked to the women's desk officer in private who then asked me how the incident happened. Then she informed me of the steps that would be taken: both the perpetrator and I would be brought to a hospital to be given a medical check-up, then to the court for an inquest at 11 pm. It was about 7:30 pm then. I demurred and said I would just like to have this case be blottered. And so the incident was put down in that huge journal, kind of generic reporting, but I made a more descriptive narration in order to make it truly a historical document.
But I think the worst now comes to victims of harassment like a famous actress. The media mentioned her name and actually even that of other victims -- whence this should not be done at all. The victims are now marked for life in public consciousness and the psychological scars they suffer from might be difficult to obliterate.
Why does it take so long to resolve or even handle cases of sexual harassment? Is there not a way by which this could be done in 30 minutes? I think the people lose interest in reporting crimes because of the time it takes to handle them at the police.
What am I saying here? Crimes are part of a society the institutions of which are not respected by some sectors. The police and its ability to handle minor and major crimes are not taken seriously. (By the way, while I was there at the station, a woman came in to say that her celphone was snatched while she was about to pay her fare inside the jeep. The police mentioned a group of boys, and she said yes they are the same in terms of looks. This then proves that the criminals go on and on with their "job" without a definitive sanction, or without being arrested at all.
An uncle of my children was General Crispin de Castro who started the Philippine National Police in the 70's. He was a no-nonsense military man who insisted on right makes might. I would say that he was able to institute discipline in the ranks then but those were the days leading to martial law, and Marcos had appointed good men and women then who would give him a semblance of being a powerful leader for all time.
Today, we are faced with the greater problem. not of joining the Asean for that continuing race to prosperity, but with making the people, deviants and non-deviants believe that this government is the best we can have. How do we do that? Every government agency must have an internal videocamera that will check on the activities of the employees, which will be monitored by a group or several groups with high moral standards for governance. (A concerned citizen mentioned that even inside toilets there should be cameras. ("Doon nga ako hiningan ng 20 million nung BIR, e. Nanginginig pa yung hinayupak na yun." she said in bland anger. This is an alarm to Ms. Kim of BIR how she will divest the agency of scalawags and professional mulcters.)
Now what does belief in this government entail? It entails respect of the human rights of the people first of all, foremost of which is the right to live under an equal society -- equal treatment of everyone, regardless of status in life, regardless of sex, skin color, age, and belief.
Let us paraphrase now the quote:
What does it profit a people if they gain the whole world but lose the essence of their soul?
painting by oscar bento "amanece la meseta II"
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