The Long Road to Malacanang

From my visual essay, 15 Views of Malacanang: Reflections on the Relationship between People and Power

Just a thought in this election period:

Vote buying is a perennial problem and feature of Philippine elections. Obviously, politicians who invest in vote buying have an eye on "recouping" their investment once they win. Yet many people, despite being aware of this fact continue to sell their votes. What gives?

For me, I have come to believe that selling of votes is not an act of irresponsibility or ignorance on the part of the voters..Voting is such an organic exercise that  people will not really do something that will very clearly hurt them. Although vote buying and selling have ultimately harmful consequences, people sell their votes because that is their only chance to squeeze something out of their politicians who they know are sure to forget them after the election. In this sense, vote selling is the poor people's political statement.

Those who want to see the end of vote selling must show the people how things can be different instead of just telling them not to sell their votes.

Dealing with the indiscriminate firing of guns

Despite the tragic deaths of innocent people among whom was Nicole Ella, arising from the indiscriminate firing of guns in the air, I doubt if those who do so are deterred by the potentially fatal result of their action. These people who know the risks and dangers of firing their guns in the air yet who do so anyway are criminally minded and must be sick in the head.

I would therefore like to suggest that those who will be caught firing their guns be made to undergo an obligatory extended mental health examination at the National Mental Hospital and if possible, from the precinct where they will be first brought, they should be brought to the Mental Hospital in straight jackets. Being branded as mental cases may be more of a deterrent than simple scare tactics for this will give them a stigma that they can not simply sleep away. This treatment could also be given to those who light illegal and banned fireworks with the DOH announcing this kind of treatment.

I also propose that Innocents Day, which is celebrated every 28th December, be made as a day of remembering (especially in media) all those who died senselessly from stray bullets or illegal fireworks. Apropos, I am interested to know what percent of those reported by the DOH as being injured by illegal fireworks had received police action in the sense that the users were investigated and vendors apprehended and prosecuted. This kind of count may matter more than just a simple injury count. The DILG should also make a count of Barangays who have decided to do away with fireworks in favor of a safer way to greet New Year and encourage more barangays to follow suit.

Manigong 2013!!!

Para sa lahat, isang malusog, mapayapa at masaganang bagong taon!

Kailangan maka-isip ng mas mapayapa at makabuluhang paraan ng pagsalubong sa bagong taon. Makabitaw kaya ang Pinoy sa mapanirang ugali ng pagpapaputok tuwing bagong taon?

Siguro naman ay oo ang sagot dito.

Democracy and Dynasties

Building democracy is a never ending people's enterprise. As a constant work in progress, democracy is imperfect. It has flaws and vulnerabilities.

True champions of democracy work to make it better and make it as close to perfect as possible. Aspiring despots and political opportunists however take advantage of democracy's weaknesses to worm their way to or deepen their hold on power. Thus by looking at the way politicians deal with the shortcomings of democracy, we can see their true color.

One area where democracy has to be strengthened is in making it immune to political dynasties. Dynasties defeat the spirit of democracy and eventually threatens its very life that our constitution has a provision banning them. Yet despite this ban, many politicians  are shamelessly set on dynasty building. These people have an undemocratic agenda and can not be trusted.

Tagaytay Flora

I was walking somewhere along the main highway in Tagaytay City when I noticed this plant with an interesting fruit of bright red berries. I don't think they are edible but they certainly look cheery and pretty.

 This is the reason I like to get away from the madding crowd once in a while. It gives me time to stop and "observe" the flowers so to speak. I would have loved to smell them but unfortunately, they have no scent

 Other interesting plants I noticed:

At first I thought that this plant has white flowers but when I looked closer, I realized that they were just leaves.

These other flowers just caught my attention for their unusual shape and attention getting colors.

Fidelisms

It is not in being selfish, greedy and miserly but in being honest, fair, hard working and goal oriented that one becomes wealthy .

To be trusted and respected by other people is a form of wealth.

In the end, the only wealth that matters is good health and ...contentment.

"12 Jeepney" Evolution Project

There are people, including even some government officials who proclaim the jeepney as a proud Filipino achievement. For them the jeepney is a a showcase of Filipino ingenuity and creativity.

I count among those who disagree with these people. Government officials who ride on this jeepney propaganda should be made to take the jeepney everyday to work so that they will at least be consistent with what they are talking about.

As a mode of transportation, the jeepney is inconvenient, uncomfortable and inefficient. It contributes greatly to air and noise pollution. Jeepneys worsen traffic and do not help much to improve the quality of living.

I believe we Filipinos can do better and deserve a better transport alternative. The jeepney may have evolved in response to our transportation need in the past, but it is now time for us to say goodbye to the jeepney and say hello to a better, faster, cleaner and more efficient mass public transportation system like the rail based rapid transportation system.

As for the jeepney, those who want to be creative and artistic about it should be challenged to find an alternative and better purpose for it.

To start off this challenge, below is my 5 cent list of 12 ideas of what we can do with the jeepney:

1. turn the jeepney into a "jeepxi" or a jeep that functions as a taxi
2. turn the jeepney  into "jeepotel"  mobile hotels to serve distant and far flung communities that do not have adequate lodging places.
3. turn the jeepney into mobile sari sari stores or native craft stores to replace the carabao drawn craft carts
4.turn the jeepney into restojeeps or mobile restaurants
5. turn the jeepney into a mobile emergency water purifying plant
6. turn the jeepney into a school bus
7. turn the jeepney into a mobile toilet service provider
8. turn the jeepney into a family recreational camper or van
9.turn the jeepney into a mobile library and internet cafe to serve far flung areas
10. turn the jeepney into mobile government extension offices
11. turn the jeepney into an"ambujeep" or jeepney ambulance
12. turn the jeepney into a mobile clinic for use of doctors to the barrios

WIP pic to follow

Doctrine of Public Self Defense

Although I am against the death penalty, I will be a hypocrite if I deny feeling a sense of relief and satisfaction whenever I learn about  a notorious criminal who has killed or harmed other people being eliminated by the police or the public. And it does not matter if the criminal was slain in a shootout albeit under suspicious circumstances or a public lynching. What matters to me is that at least the public have one less criminal to lose sleep over.

In order to reconcile my conflicting stance about the death penalty and elimination of notorious criminals, I am toying with the idea of the right of the public to defend themselves, their lives and properties by permanently eliminating those who they catch as having committed violent and heinous crimes against them or those they caught as having deadly weapons at the time they were committing the crime.

While we have our laws and the police who are supposed to address the problem of criminality in our country, I believe that this problem will be more effectively addressed if there is greater public involvement.

If a person can justifiably kill another man to defend and protect his own life, the public too should have this right to defend itself and its peace. This is what I call the Doctrine of Public Self Defense.

Jologs Nation

According to the Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jologs) the word "jologs" was derived from the combination of the words "daing", "tuyo" and "itlog". As these are mostly poor people's food, the word acquired a class sense referring  to anything "masa" with a pejorative tone. Thus people would call something as "jologs" anything that does not merit their esteem.

Over time, the use of the word "jologs" died out but I sort of held on to it and gave it a new sense by defining it as a failure of people to go beyond the superficial and see what is truly essential.

While biking along the Floodway somewhere in the Pasig City area sometime ago, I was struck by the disparity between the modern buildings from afar and the shanties lining the river. Some people may not find a connection or relationship between our spanking urban centers with big malls and tall buildings and the teeming mass of people living miserably in shanties and hovels but there is. At the very least, we should realize that the wealth of our country does not benefit many of our people and that we should make more effort to share it more equitably.
 
A nation whose people have come to accept poverty and  inequality as normal and do nothing about it will always be a jologs nation. We can pretend to be rich, modern and sophisticated but in the end, we only expose ourselves to be without conscience or intelligence.

Better to see the looter jailed than just the loot

 (photo taken from internet)

I agree with Department of Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez in questioning the wisdom of  putting up for public display the sequestered Imelda Marcos jewelry. Those jewels represent neither a great artistic achievement in craftsmanship nor do they have any edifying historical value.

While those jewels may serve as a reminder to the people to never again allow themselves fall under a kleptocratic dictatorship, they actually serve more as  insulting reminders of the sad failure of the Presidential Commission on Good Government to get full justice for a people robbed.

The Marcos jewels represent nothing but loot. What will be more satisfying to see is for  the looter justly punished. Punishment is the most eloquent way of saying "Never Again!". It is also the beginning of reform.