This was what I wrote for the Column Writing competition of the Philippine Information Agency Basic Journalism Seminar at Iloilo City about a week ago. All details were only based on what I had in mind, on what I have already heard even before we came to the event and not on research. Heck! We didn't have enough time. But, anyhow.. This was promising, or at least they thought at that time.
Hodgepodge
Now who’s the Boss?
By Coleen Edrea F. Ematong
He rallied the nation with his battle cry “Kung walang kurap, walang mahirap” during the May 2010 elections over a year ago. He seemed so determined to get rid of the existing crocodiles and pigs that fed on the funds of the government. He had organized a Truth Commission, uprooted a bunch of government officials and replaced them with those people whom he trust, went out of his car along a busy street in New York to buy hotdog, and implemented the Wang-Wang Policy which is among the most mentioned word (or is it even a word?) in his entire speech. It’s been a year however, and reading his prepared speech for his second State Of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 25, I can say that he hasn’t learned much in his first term of service.
President Benigno Simeon Aquino III (PNOY) said that his critics are right, for him, eliminating the corrupt government officials is indeed personal. I admire the president for having said it but, then again, I couldn’t help myself from remembering the promise he made in front of many excited Filipinos who watched his inauguration as president a year ago. He said that the people are his BOSS. But by the looks of it, he is his own boss.
On the same day of his SONA, student activists and various rally groups all gathered to protest about the budget cuts and deprivation of ‘quality’ education from a number of Filipino youths. League of Filipino Students (LFS) activist Patz Ombion even shared that instead of doing something about the state of education here in the country, the government under the reign of PNOY even allowed budget cuts which is the decrease of the budget given to non-performing (low performing) State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) to increase the budget of those performing (high performing) SUCs.
If we think about it, this budget cuts is totally unfair because every Filipino has a right to quality education and decreasing the budgets of schools that are considered non-performing isn’t really the best way to make this nation a nation of well-educated and able people.
I may be one of those who stood up for PNOY during his campaign for presidency but I must say that he has forgotten about us, being his boss just as quick as the year went by. And as I watch more youths quit school, I could only ask silently, now, who’s the Boss?
*****
The controversy about the church being one big corrupt institution took its roots right from the time when the country’s national hero Dr. Jose Rizal was writing his first two novels. Even I, though brought up by religious grand-parents never really doubted that there is corruption in the church. However, dropping the bomb about the donated cars and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) anomalies right at the time when the religious leaders of the Catholic Church are very firm in going against the proposed RH Bill is obviously a diversion tactic of those politicians who thought of embarrassing the bishops to make the people see that their ‘beloved’ priests are nothing but imperfect as well.
Seriously, could there be anything lamer than what they thought of?
Exposing the flaws of those bishops who, in their despair, accepted and even asked for cars from the government because they really need it in their ministry anyway did nothing but only show that nobody in this messed up world is perfect. There are only those who could commit a mistake out of need and those who could deliberately do wrong things out of want.
But just like what Sen. Miriam Defensor- Santiago said during the Senate probe on the involvement of the bishops on the PCSO anomalies, “KEEP THE BISHOPS OUT OF IT!”
*****
I live somewhere in the east of Bacolod so I don’t frequently pass by the road where the first ever skyway in the city is being built. But when I passed by that road on my way to our publication’s printing press, I was appalled. Had I not seen the skyways built in Manila and Iloilo, I would probably just admire the infrastructure but sadly, that’s not exactly what happened.
With the length of the skyway, it seemed to me that the traffic would only be minimized at one end of the skyway since private and other smaller vehicles would pass by the infrastructure only to face a much worse traffic at the other end. If its length was made to reach from the Ramos intersection and end just beyond the factory of Pepsi Cola, it would probably be of help lessening the road congestion. However, by the looks of it, this skyway is only another not-so-useful-infrastructure-built-for-the-sake-of-building.
It won’t really do much help with the traffic but, it did help politicians in showing the people where funds go: to some crappy skyway, where else do you think?
*****
The College of Engineering Society has recently launched their Zero Styro project which aims to lessen trashed styrofoam in the school campus by encouraging students to have their food eaten in the foodcourt instead of taking them out and having to place them in a food container which is of course, made of styrofoam. Engineering Society president Rupert Simeon also suggested that if the students really don’t want to eat inside the foodcourt, they could still take their food out even when placed on plates and then just go back afterwards to return them.
I was very much willing to support this project so as I paid for my lunch, I instructed the lady in the food stall not to place my food in the Styrofoam anymore. I was proud of myself at that instant but when afternoon came, I chanced upon the trash bin near our publication’s office and saw just how full the bins were. I was upset.
I know everyone of us has principles and each of us has the right to choose whether we should support a particular project of some school organizations or not. But then again, this Zero Styro is not just ‘another’ project. It is a step being taken by its proponents to somehow help in saving the environment and if not, at least slow down its destruction.
Seriously, would this feat really be too hard for us to do?
After all, saving our environment is not just an advocacy; rather, it is everyone’s moral responsibility.
