The Ele-VAT in the Room

Credit: UNTV

Philippine politicians are a weird bunch. Take for example Sen. Ralph Recto, who seems to be trying to garner cheap goodwill by authoring a law that raises the tax exemption levied on 13th month paychecks. At face value, the 36.1% of the working force that comprise the non-underemployed segment of that group (presumably those that are guaranteed a 13th-month pay) would be absolutely ecstatic upon hearing the legislative move to take less from their Christmas bonuses.

Seen On Taft Avenue [PSA-cum-Anecdote]

Some random Taft Avenue photo. Credit on image itself.

I finally saw one of those you-bumped-me-now-pay-me scammers in action. I absolutely would've wanted to take some visual evidence of some sort, but alas, I was kinda slow to take my iPod out and the bus kept moving.

And no, I didn't really want to alight because I had an absolutely good seat, which I won't be able to get if I got on the bus from that area.

So I'll just try my best to put the scenario in words.

Country =/= Corporation (Among Other Things)

I actually have no idea what photo to put here, so I settled for
something related to comments. (Credit: AttorneyMarketingProfits.com)

I promised a friend that I'd expound on a general thought I commented on a Facebook post of hers. She originally shared a post from some other guy (see here) where the latter was pretty fed up about how Filipinos were becoming belligerent and disrespectful with their complaints and suggestions, not to mention how they seemed to know better than the president (more on this later). He offered up an analogy in doing so, painting a picture of a company wherein the hypothetical president said the same Aquino catchphrase "kayo ang boss ko" and was now subject to suggestions from every worker under him.

The analogy falls flat for me. In trying to make the scenario more accessible to the poster's audience (I think), he oversimplifies, if not misses, the relationship between a democratic country's government and its citizens.

Filipino Truthers

Credit: Crisostomo Ibarra Facebook page

So I saw this image shared by a friend wherein some lady named Hazel Calandria took a screenshot of a local news program and added text insinuating that the media is lying, complete with jeering remarks about how the body armor and helmet of the reporter are extra props to sensationalize the report.

Honestly, I don't get it. Is she expecting reporters to venture to within a yard of where the rebels are and deliver a whole news segment and risk one, getting in the line of fire, two, obstructing military operations, and three, put himself within distance of being abducted and added to the hostage list?

Surely there aren't any lies being foisted on the viewers because if one had bothered to view the full news segment (I did), one would've seen video footage taken during the day of the reporter and cameraman moving along with some army men while shots are being fired during the day.

Looking Beyond the Pork

Credit: mwebantu

To be honest, I was drawing blanks when I started thinking of a lead-in to this post, so I figured I'd just blurt out what's on my mind:

It's not just the pork barrel.

Most people are simply happy to crucify Napoles, her daughter, and the whole cursed pork barrel provision in the national budget. These are all well and good. Frankly, just the fact that people are talking about it is a big win already for a society that would rather let media personalities handle the discussion of issues while they watch on the sidelines.

Because Sometimes, Nice Things are Found Randomly [The Manila Collectible Co.]

The Manila Collectible Co. building (Credit: TMCC Facebook page)

I love randomly walking in Manila. It's the off-chance of finding some interesting shop or building that keeps me coming back there. It's always-changing (not always for the better, but that's a post for another day), if slowly, and that dynamic nature of it keeps Manila interesting.

Three weeks ago, I was on my usual once-a-week routine. My routine goes something like this: I go to Manila, visit one of the churches there (stay with me here, I don't intend to preach), check out wares in Divisoria, then merrily make my way back home. Sometimes I pass by the ever-reliable Eng Bee Tin store (my preference is the one on Ongpin street).

My Sole Bit About The Elections

There is no salvation in these elections. For sure, there are good candidates, but no salvation. I say this because for all the talk (or the lack thereof, looking at some candidate's track record with debates) about which candidate will bring the country true change, the elephant in the room (a mammoth, even) is that Filipinos themselves do not want to change.

We can have candidates composed of a selection of cloned Mahatma Ghandis, Winston Churchills, Abe Lincolns, Lee Kuan Yews, or whoever passes as a great leader, and we'd still have the same third world country we have now. Why? Because none of those names have surname cachet to Filipinos. We'd rather have tired old familiar names littering our government offices than people with real vision, a proven past performance record, and actually engages people in discussion over issues instead of song and dance.

Hence the surveys showing candidates who hardly have any platform to show for being firmly ensconced in the magic 12.


We blame the government for doing nothing, but we're the ones who wanted that government in the first place. We voted for those people. We fill up the rank-and-file positions in government. We only have ourselves to blame as even with ever-increasing PSE indices and investment-grade ratings, only a small percent of society (and they're already rich to begin with) will ever feel an uptick in their quality of living.

It seems as if we're stuck in a perpetual Homer Simpson-esque train of thought, which goes something like this:

Is it an educational deficiency which leads Filipinos to resort to the same pattern over and over again, ad infinitum? I hope so, if only so that there's still a chance to amend things by improving the educational system. But seriously. If I touch an open flame, I get burnt. Will I do it again? Er, no. It's not rocket science, it's plain common sense. I don't think I'll ever understand why it is so hard for Filipinos to translate the same basic common sense with their voting patterns.

When you go out to vote, vote on issues, vote on platforms, vote on previous track records and performances. Government positions should never be a birthright and should be earned, not granted.

We can't have change if we ourselves can't change. If we can't understand that basic principle, we'll forever be stuck in third-world lethargy, no matter how many millions we get in investment monies and remittances.

The Cake That Wasn't

I had my blog post planned out on the commute home. In keeping with the permeating theme that is Valentine's Day, I was supposed to pose questions about what keeps ladies of today from giving guys like me a fighting chance and all that. I figured my evening to go like this: swing by the local cake shop, get a nice Valentine's cake for the family, then go home to write.

Yeah, I obviously am on my continuing streak of Valentine's solitude. 29 years and counting, yo! :D

No, not really, but what the hell. Credit: DeviantArt

So there I was, thinking of how the post should go (and eventually going another avenue altogether as I ramble on while actually typing) while enjoying a quick snack of street food (tonight's selection was toknene, essentially boiled egg covered in some colored flour batter and fried - I like mine with onions and vinegar) at our local wet market when I saw an old lady of about 75 years of age going around and begging for change from the many people in the busy market.

Now, beggars aren't really anything out of the ordinary in wet markets in Metro Manila. With poverty remaining more or less steady (with slight increases or decreases in the number of poor, depending on who you ask), it's a common sight to see beggars going around public places here.

But, here's the thing. I have a really soft spot for old people.

See? Grandmas are awesome. (Credit: Some Japanese guy's site)

For one, the young and the middle-aged can still find gainful employment, if not now, at some point in the future, granted they apply themselves and opportunities open up. The old people, on the other hand, unless they were able to work long enough and in decent employment to be covered by the pension system or they have family and relatives to lean on, they have little else to turn to in the twilight years of their lives. And, unlike, say, Singapore where local companies are willing to hire geriatrics (you see quite a number of them working as service crews), Philippine companies, no matter how much they say they're for equal treatment of applicants, they're highly discriminatory in hiring service crew members, which is basically the sort of employment that old people can still excel in, barring special talents (i.e. Hawking and the like).

Seriously, I don't even know why it's so important for a service crew member to be single in addition to the age restriction. Is this secretly a personals ad? (Source: Jobstreet)

And on a more personal note, my thing for old people also stem from having wonderful grandparents, one who still lives with us here at home. So I see a bit of them in kindly geriatrics I encounter in my day-to-day commutes.

So, yeah, going back to the old lady at the market, she was gingerly walking to people, lightly tapping them on the shoulder, slowly extending her frail hand palm up, and mustering a weak smile as she makes her plea for change. Tonight, it doesn't seem like she's doing well. Her pleas were met with one or a combination of the following: a withering stare (as if she wronged the people), flat out ignorance (as if she wasn't there at all), and/or moving away from her (as if she had leprosy). I can understand not wanting to give money, but can you at least be polite in saying no to someone who is actually pretty polite herself, even pleasant, in begging?

My heart was breaking at this point.

I don't always give alms to the poor - this is mostly because many beggars here are handled by callous syndicates, so only a small percent of a syndicate-controlled beggar's collection is given to them. This old lady didn't feel like one of those beggars, though - the attempts to be pleasant speaks of a decent person who simply fell down on her luck in life and possibly have no more relatives left to help her.

I dug into my bag to fish for money to give her and found a couple of loose change. The only money I had left were that, a small bill (this is essentially my commute money home), and the money I plan to buy a cake with. I scooped up the loose change, then paused to think.

You know what, it's fucking Valentine's, this old lady has been shuffling around for quite some time begging as people treat her like some diseased soul, and in spite of all that, she still manages to put on a weak, if increasingly pained, smile as she asks for money from the next person she approaches. If no one can spare even politeness and money for her, then I will. She deserves something for keeping dignified and civil in spite of all her troubles.

I muttered to myself, "Sorry family, I love you guys, but your cake will have to wait," then fished out a hundred pesos from my bag. Yes, that is a small pittance (roughly about US$2.50) to people living in first-world countries, but for someone like me who will be jobless in a month's time without any leads on where to next latch on to and in the Philippines in general, it's a fairly substantial amount. And it's even more substantial for the old lady, as that would allow her to at least eat well on a Friday evening, treat herself to something nice this one time and not worry about tonight.

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I approached her and noticed bandage wrapping at her ankles. No wonder she's walking gingerly. It's not just the ravages of time that slowed her, but an ailing injury as well. I tapped her on the shoulder and said "Nanay, ito po." ("Auntie, here" - nanay actually directly translates to mother, but the better translation would be auntie in this case, in the Philippines it's more reverential to the elderly women to call them nanay rather than the local term for auntie, which is tita) as I placed the bill into her hand.

She looked at the bill in her hand and then her face turned to me with a look that's partly relieved, thankful, happy, and, here's what really gets to me, almost into tears. She was smiling that weak smile, only slightly wider this time, and her eyes got misty. I don't know if it's simply because she's overjoyed, or perhaps she's also moved by the thought that someone finally took notice of her, that someone cared for her when she had no one to do so this close to Valentine's.

She kept repeating "Maraming salamat, iho" ("Thank you child") to me and at this point, my heart was swelling with joy, that even with a small token of gesture, I was able to give happiness to an old lady who has close to nothing. I was also getting carried away by her misty eyes, though, as my eyes were starting to wet, too, so I had to get with my commute home. As I said my goodbye to the lady, I smiled back and waved at her. As I flagged down a jeepney, I looked back at her and she was still standing there, looking at me with as big a smile as she could muster and waved as vigorously as her frail arms could muster. I waved back, boarded the jeepney, and felt like a million dollars.

I may be loveless still, but I can definitely say that my experience today can hold its own against others' experiences with their special someone this season of hearts. No box of JCO donuts Conti's cake (I don't see the allure with JCO donuts), beach trip, or even hot steamy passionate action can replace my memory of today.

I write this not to make myself into some sort of hero. I'm not. I'm a terrible human being at times, which is probably why no one wants to go out with me. I write this more as an anecdote to share with you, so that we could all try to be pleasant towards one another, and to see that even doing small things for others could mean the world to them.

Happy Valentine's Day, guys.

And to my family, don't worry. The cake is still forthcoming. :)