Little Plastic Bag Solution for a National Problem

2011-09-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

“Never trust a politician or a woman”. -Chanakya Pandit; But I say, never trust a politician and a womanizer for he is controlled not only by those people who put him into power but also by his own greed and lust and by the allurement of the opposite sex.

After analyzing, discussing, researching, and debating with proponents of Reproductive Health Bill, I came into conclusion that the bill is misleading, pretentious, and unnecessary; it defies logic and those politicians’ advocates of RH bill are either ignorant or corrupt. I wish that the present Philippine President is simply foolish enough to support the RH Bill; but sadly, as of now, I think that he is not.

I voted for Mr. Noynoy Aquino ( President of The Philippines) during the last election; hoping that, because he is the only son of my heroes, he will not be a dishonest leader . For him, I waited the whole day and had to come back a couple of days later just to register in one of our incompetent (if not conscienceless) Commission on Election Registration Office. I am a frustrated voter and I believe that politics in The Philippines is a hopeless case; but I am easy, I believe in miracle, and I am a fool. Moreover, although I do not give my trust easily on anyone, I had given it to President Noynoy. If I would have known that he is one of those whom I call a “maka supot” (pro-condoms), I had not cast my vote for him during the last election; regardless of the hero’s blood that I thought were in his veins. Rather, I would have just given him what he all along wanted to give to the Filipinos in return if he ever wins: condoms.

Those were the days..

Every disease has a symptom. In the case of Mister Noynoy Aquino, these are but some of the symptoms of his leadership ailments: One, his break up right after he became a President with his girlfriend and number one supporter Shalane Soledad and his in haste search for a new love interest. For me, this lacks relationship ethics and not one of the ways of a lover and a gentleman. It shows that he doesn't know how to value a relationship as a Filipino man should be. Whatever the real score is, Miss Soledad was with him in his life’s greatest challenge. He should have waited and buy some time before he look for another relationship to show to his people that he was serious about his affection for her. The wait would have demonstrated that he was affected by the break up and was mending a broken heart. His sudden change of heart revealed that he was not serious about his affection. He is insensitive, his affection is shallow and could easily forget and junk a loved one. In addition, it also gives us a hint why he is not married despite of his age.

Secondly: During the presidential campaign, the populace supported him because of his strong anti corruption stand.; but what is the most important element to avoid corruption in the government? Everyone will agree that transparency is vital and essential to avoid corruption. However, his decision to put a target-shooting friend and an undersecretary (Rico Puno) to be the person in-charge of the Philippine National Police when it should be under the control of a DILG secretary was done in secrecy; and this whimsical government set-up of his was only revealed when a very tragic incident occurred. For me, what had happened was, considering the gravity of the incident, a sign that there is something terribly wrong in the present government and the concern citizens of this country should be vigilant.

Third: his grin smile during the Manila Hostage Crisis when he examined the bus at The Grandstand. It was a very basic human reaction and situational appearance for a politician not to mention for a President to execute but by which he miserably fail, simply because of his unnatural reaction. (His inclination towards artificial means was shown to us at this early stage.) The Hongkong Nationals have all the reasons to get angry and call him joker; and the Filipinos have all the reasons to be ashamed. But The President, whatsoever, has no reason to smile nearby that ill fated bus while the world is watching. No one from his secretaries and advisers briefed him not to do so, because no one have thought that he will act that way and that strange.

Fourth: during his US visit, he was covered by media eating inexpensive food to emphasize his government’s lack of funds and to dramatized the poverty of his homeland. But months later, he purchased an expensive sports car. Although he explained that it was only a second hand car and he bought it with his own money; his meal and his action leaves a bitter aftertaste. What was that "hamburger meal" was all about, a media show off? “Papogi” as what we call it here in the Philippines. The President is too old for that. “Pogi” points will come naturally if he is doing the right thing. In addition, there is no need for it and it should not be what he should be so concern about for there is no second term for a Philippine President. Unless, he has some hidden agendas, or he is afraid that his approval rating would go low. Papogi is the last thing a poor country need from a leader. It is fake and pretentious like his plastic solution. "Porsche" is a great car and probably the best car in the world. By just the look of it, I would certainly buy one (and no other) if I have the money and the means. However, definitely, I would never think of buying one or any kind of car if I am the Chief Executive of a Country and majority of my people are underprivileged, scattered all over the world working hard for their family, and many are having hard times finding their next meal. The car might would made him more attractive to the eyes of materialistic women but not to the eyes of the poor.

His lame stand against the South Luzon Expressway huge toll increase and his no-stand stand against the oil company’s obvious perceived cartel; these and some more are symptoms that his path is not a straight path like what he promise it to be, and he is not the leader that we are hoping for. He might had forgotten that he owe it from his parents, particularly from his mother, why he is the head of a state today but for "an unknown reason” he became ungrateful. And I wonder whether he even considered where his mother would have stood particularly in the issue of RH Bill if she were still alive. There is no necessity for such a bill; it is shallow and reactionary, It fails to define and address the root cause of the problem (if there is), and even the title of the Bill itself is a joke. I can go on and on but I will save some more for my next post.

It is strange and unnatural for someone with hero’s blood and who is promoting a straight path to risk his faith and his name for something that is faithless, absurd, and artificial. Of course they have their cliche tic instant answers to all of these issues, like; progress, welfare of the poor, modernization, enjoyment, rights of women and children, over population, etc. But we know better; and from our experience, we learned that (specially in politics) the color of money is the strongest reason to twist reason. Just like that Bill, if you read it, part of it appeared to be nothing but a promotional campaign ads of contraceptives companies.

In closing, maybe P-Noy’s government is a lesser evil administration than the previous one; but definitely, it is not the kind of government that we should trust. For the reason that it is controlled by power hungry politicians, it has a disease and weakness of woman’s allurement, it is not committed and has no concern about God’s law, and it smells fishy even at the start.

NOTE: I am sorry if I sound so bitter and so harsh, it is just that, I am so in despair and so frustrated with the present administration because the issue of RH Bill is a very personal matter to me. And although my misery is the result of my own weakness; unfortunately for The President, I have an arsenal of these bitter fruits for him to bite. Nevertheless, he is still my President; and, as what I wrote in my article, The Culture of Corruption, I am still hoping for the "flickering light" to shine in my country.

Condoms from PNoy

Little Plastic Bag Solution for a National Problem