Sunday, July 20, 2008

Everything Gone

I am just trying to fill up a white blank space right in front of me. There’s not much to tell you about my thoughts and my life right now. I am technically saturated right now with so much information in my head to the point that my brain had become a full-blown sui generis in a matter of months. With all the legalese, I hope not to tell anybody I come across tomorrow, a caveat, that I don’t mince words right now. All I think now is that there’s a storm yesterday and downpour tomorrow.

It is late, 20 minutes past 10 o’clock in the evening. I am tapping on the keyboard, still staring on the computer screen, the blank space slowly taking form. I am annoyed by the kid standing at my left side coaching his friend mouthing words I don’t understand. Their group had just left and I am alone now in the shop. Chairs empty, static computer screens, the breathe of the CPU is silence.

The inflation has been soaring wildly says the news. The President ignoring the latest survey showing that most of her constituents hate her, more than they hate the past two despots. Students are on the streets lately in protest of the rising costs of everything and the apparent misdeeds of the government. My sympathy is with them. I too, want to join street protests if I have the luxury to indulge. Sorry for the word. To me, time is diamond in these difficult times. Even the lowly mangangalakal would tell you that there is so much in the garbage right now and he won’t miss the chance and let others take the loot. Even the child at bombero would tell you that shining shoes for the indifferent passengers in jeepneys stopping along PhilSci is the heart of the matter. What do I mean by this? Well, it’s so simple the poor is chained with time, they could not do the clamor.

I had my chance to join street protests back in college. The one I joined which benefited me directly was the call for the abolishment of ROTC. Bleh. What is needed to spur up the enthusiasm of the people to flood the streets and barge into the gates of Malacanang to demand what is just I don’t know. Few and few people are joining rallies maybe because there won’t be any result anyway. And that is painfully true. Who would the poor people turn to in these times, where soup kitchen is so much an important event than, say, a rally. That the President and every politician in the country are demons being a factoid doesn’t anymore bring about constant harangues. People are sick and tired; and they still have work to do for them to end the day with eyes open, pulse beating.

Are the Filipino people too helpless? So I ask. Class D and E doesn’t require any such question anymore. Class B and C, not too much. But is it really a matter of socioeconomic classes, so I ask again. Filipino refers to every natural-born whether he belongs to any of such classes. But, where’s the unified Filipino spirit? Gone?

How could we pounce on the government if there’s no unity in our actions as a people? But who will lead us? There’s got to be a leader. Help me on this, but have you identified any? Where are leaders produced? Someone says in UP. The so-called pillar of leadership. But where are they? Someone says they joined forces with the government. Another one says they’re too busy attending to the centennial celebrations. My gawd! The First Quarter Storm days gone? Gone, gone, gone.

Everything gone. . .Please UP Bangon! Hindi ka lang pang UAAP!

My sanity, please be with me.

8 comments:

Lydia said...

Many of the issues and feelings you describe are troubling in the U.S. also, to varying degrees. It seems there is a universal crisis and how could there not be.....we all run around like busy ants in our colonies not paying (enough) attention to the bulldozer coming along. I am sure there is a generalized global angst due to the reality of climate change and the gnawing feeling that individuals are powerless to correct it. Which returns us to your appeal for unity and leadership.....

. said...

Sadly, I cannot see any leader who can stand for us in these troubled times. :(

Anonymous said...

it's so pinoy to blaim everything bad that happens to GMA, whether it's the worlwide rice/food crisis, death & destruction caused by natural calamities, oil price hikes, US economic recession etc. it's so rare to find anyone extolling GMA for the gains the country has experienced DESPITE all these. well, we are the silent majority and we are the reason she's still in power. david

deus ex machina said...

Lydia,

I agree with you that the global economic
slowdown is a fact. This is primarily caused by the monopolized determination of oil prices by OPEC-member countries and the adverse
effects of global warming in food production. Global concerted action is needed to battle these issues and that could only be achieved through honest-to-goodness active cooperation. If that is only a dream yet to come true then humanity is really in peril. Have a great day ahead!

deus ex machina said...

Mugen,

vous avez ouvert quelques portes au bonheur et au désir ardent.

the lack of true leaders mirrors bleakness of hope. I'm planning to put up a site with the working title, Finding A Leader. How about that!

deus ex machina said...

David,

First of all your premise that Filipinos have the habit of blaming everything to GMA is not at all worrisome to me. It's healthy in a country where democracy reigns. Blaming leaders for the bad things that happen to their respective countries is not at all confined to Philippines alone, mind you . Even in
autocracy dissent flourishes.

I cannot blame you for your stand. In fact I could even jump into the bandwagon of the "silent majority" you are referring to, if you could convince me that the "good things" that GMA has done will offset, and will create a wide ranging margin, the grave abuses she has glaringly committed against the Filipino people.

As a quid pro quo, I would like you to leave your comfort zone for a day and feel the poverty surrounding you. I believe that you are still human not to hope for change for our country. Please, get real.

CHERYL L. DAYTEC said...

The President's job is to stabilize the situation in his/her country to counteract global crises. The problem is that GMA's government does not provide any safety net for the Filipinos in times of crisis. While the international situation affects our domestic concerns,the impact would not be this bad if safety nets were in place to cushion the same.

So let me say that the problems we have now have been exacerbated by an inept administration that has chosen to throw all caution on the lap of neoliberalism.

deus ex machina said...

Cheryl,

the core of the issue is that with or without the recession, our country still suffers from poverty just the same. It's just that the recent downturn all the more compounded to the burden. Ergo, it's not valid to say and to justify the current economic situation as being a product of uncontrollable forces and that nothing could be done about it. The sad thing is that the Arroyo administration has been using the global trend to shroud all its past and (i am sure) future mistakes.

Take for example the problem of corruption. In a recent report by the World Bank, corruption in the Philippines costs millions of lives
by stealing opportunities and support that would have otherwise removed the people from the clutches of poverty. So, the Philippines' case is more than an issue of economic downsides but rather of governance and accountability.