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.