MY dear friend, Sluggo Rigor, editor and publisher of FilAm Bulletin in Seattle, reacted to one of my columns, “May Angal: Circa 2016,” which was about the callousness and insensitivity of the Aquino administration in the face of clear instances of incompetence and impunity in PNoy’s nearly six years of governance.
Stirred by what I wrote, Sluggo was prompted to send me his own column that enumerated more instances of unrepentant kapalpakan and kamanhiran – in effect, daring the citizenry, “May angal? Any complaints?”
I promised him that I would use his piece in Street Talk. Here it is:
It is this time of the year when expatriates in the U.S. become melancholic and feel more homesick. The only way expats get feedback on what is happening in the land of their forefathers is through the magic of technology. TV news and the Net provide us with enough facts that tend to show how much suffering and deprivation the old homeland is going through. (After reading Greg Macabenta’s stirring column he had titled “May Angal?!”, here are my humble rejoinders.)
Realizing my limited capacity at grasping the entire context of developments back home, I merely ask: Would it be relevant for us expatriates to list down issues, concerns, worries, sentiments, heartaches and the like that we absorb from media? Since key parties in the political arena in the Philippines are again busily positioning themselves, I guess this would be an opportune time to ask the present leaders who are on the saddle about the following bothersome issues (that have been pointed to by media and by critics during their watch).
1. The monstrous traffic snarls that paralyze the premier city and suburbs. ( If Metro Manila were a human being, it would have long died of arteriosclerosis. Even fire trucks remain helpless as blocks upon blocks of houses burn! )
2. Warehouses filled with rotten rice that are shown being thrown away while poor families go hungry!
3. The bloody Maguindanao massacre is going on its sixth year! Will the savage killers ever be prosecuted? (How should we answer non-Filipino friends who ask?)
4. Air traffic in the NAIA are known as one of the most congested in the southeast Asian region, not to mention the cases of hooligans preying on unsuspecting airline passengers who go through NAIA. And the pathetic management of land transportation traffic coming and going through the place.
5. The awful case of that Japanese SUV that is placing everyone on the road at risk because reports of uncontrolled acceleration have not been addressed decisively by incompetent government bureaucrats. In more caring countries, the manufacturer-distributor should be canned immediately! The safety of the tax-paying citizenry should be paramount. As usual, Trade Department officials are slow in responding to this anomaly!
6. Billions of dollars that were contributed by nations around the world for the Yolanda Typhoon victims are reportedly held up somewhere while scores of victims continue to suffer. The true account remains muddled after more than two years!
7. The Bureau of Corrections is the last place anyone would suspect where wrongdoing is committed. There have been scores of reports about special treatments but what takes the cake are weapons found and drug-dealing behind bars! Funny thing is that the Man in Malacanang does not seem to be bothered at all! (No one has offered to resign nor taken responsibility. They run for public office instead!)
8. Reports of rigged up biddings in the procurement of Armed Forces materiel like helmets, rifles, helicopters, combat gears, etc. What is the truth here? (As an army brat, I care about the institution that my dear father had served with utmost dedication!)
9. Pension funds of GSIS for retirees and aging old soldiers under PVAO are reportedly dwindling and irregularities on invested reserves remain unexplained.
10. Mass transit in Metro Manila under the MMDA and the Department of Transportation are featured daily by cable TV from the Philippines and there are always reports of break downs of trains, poor maintenance, questionable contracts. We see the faces of poor commuters and motorists and wonder when the responsible government officials will begin responding?
Well…go ahead and say that we have no more business commenting on the old homeland as we are now citizens of another land. Yet we thank media for bringing right into our living room the utter desperation, the anger, the hunger, administrative mismanagement, indifference, non-enforcement of laws, grinding poverty that exist in this time and era in the land of our birth. Come to think of it…they said in 1985 that if Marcos goes, the country will be better off. Well, people got rid of him. Guess what? There is ample time to now compare the brands of leadership and quality of life elements…purely detached of course from political undertones.
After all is said and done…we are still homesick and long so much for the old homeland to be led one day soon by more competent, more caring, more engaged Filipinos.
From halfway across the globe, many expats now begin to understand why Bongbong is gaining in most forecasts.
I would like to thank Sluggo for this incisive write-up. Remarkably, latest public opinion polls in the Philippines indicate that most Filipinos are looking forward to 2016 with optimism and high hopes. Perhaps it is because of the inherent resiliency of our people and, maybe, it is also because of the prospect of the end of Aquino’s governance of incompetence and insensitivity.
May their hopes and expectations come true. Here’s wishing our readers a Happy, Prosperous and Peaceful New Year. ([email protected])