Lesson on Lozada: You Don’t Have To Be Jesus Christ to save the Philippines

After 8 mentally draining hours of SAP training, I got to have a small talk with my trainer, E. Alandy, who also happens to be my boss. I enjoy talking to him about things because he’s one of the more sensible few who I get to converse with while at work.

 I showed him an 8-paged comic book designed as a smear campaign against Lozada. There you will find almost all sorts of mudslinging that can be thought of.

Argumentum ad hominem is when one appeals to the opponent’s character or physique when one should be answering his argument. This is the lowest form of attack for me.  And this comic book does exactly just that. The desperate moves and lowly things people do to get what they want. Nothing can be more pathetic.

My boss checked it out briefly and returned it to me, saying that he deserves far worse than this. He wants that !@#$%^  Lozada dead, along with GMA, ERAP and all the other underlings because what’s going on is just a fight of thieves, among thieves. The Filipino people are just trying to see which thief they are going to side with. I can’t agree more: this will boil down to who will be the lesser evil. Well, if GMA is ousted, we do have a third choice since Noli de Castro will then become president.  

On second thought, let’s go back to the other thieves again…

Right before we rode on the elevator, he said that whoever ascends to power will still be a thief, anyway. And he wants every corrupt politician, down to the lowest kagawad to just die altogether. It would really have been nice to watch them all bleed to death, but this time, I begged to differ, in silence.

This is a good time to ask ourselves, "why are most (if not all) politicians corrupt?" Is it really because they’re just one group of sorry losers who find joy stealing taxes at the expense of the poor? I hate to say this, but some really are that disgusting.

Were they born evil? I don’t think so. I surmise that they did start out like ordinary people–like you and me.  For all we know, they hated corrupt politicians as well.

If they’re not fit to be where they are, who do you think would? You?

These politicians have access to easy money, just sitting there, without anyone noticing. Only their guilt limits the amount of what they can take. No one will know who took it. It doesn’t give them the right to, but had you been in their place…do you, in all honesty, strongly believe that you will NOT do the same?

Yeah, sure you do.

Before we judge these lowly criminals, let’s consider how much temptation they need to resist in their line of work. Give it a hard thought…really hard.

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Now let’s see just how we fare in this game of Examination of Conscience.

How many pirated DVD’s do we have at home? Each DVD of Grey’s Anatomy’s or koreanovela will be counted individually.Are our version of Windows authentic?Are all our software licensed? Or do we need KeyGens to install your stuff?

How many chewing gums did you leave at the bottom of the table?

How many times have you jaywalked or delibrately beaten the red light? 

How many hours do we sleep during office hours?

Did we vote last election?

Are we receiving bills for our cable TV?

Are we using pedestrian lanes every time? 

Do you throw garbage on the trash bin–even when no one is looking? Are our garbages segregated?Do you throw your cigarette butts in the bin, or the sidewalk?

Binabalik mo ba ang maling sukli sa jeepney driver? 

If you’re not guilty on anything stated above,well congratulations. Otherwise, let’s consider this simple thought:if we can’t even act right on such simple things, what makes us think that we’d act all heavenly when the need calls for it? When we know that you can and you will get away with it?

It’s so easy to be patriotic when you’re not in their place. Even easier to promise that we will not become the people we hate. Sad to say, money does not change people, it unmasks them. So if you think you’re different, then step right up.

The problem with us is a mentality best described by my Integral Calculus instructor, G. Biazon "ang mga Pilipino, hangga’t makakalusot, lulusot" (For as long as Filipinos can get away with it, they will). We complain about corrupt politicians, but we all keep buying pirated media. We get so angry with ZTE, but we’re watching the news using wire-tapped cable TV. We blame the government for metro floods when all the sewages are blocked by our own garbage. We want to replace our leaders but we didn’t even vote because we already believed that our ballot will no longer count.

I believe that the biggest problem in the world would have been solved when it was still small. And this begins with us. No one’s asking us to be Messiah to save the country. We don’t need to be God to make miracles happen. It’s useless to oust the leaders if the mentality is the same. Stop piracy. Conserve water. Let’s exercise our right to vote. Don’t jaywalk. If we are not part of the solution, then we are part of the problem. No matter how small, just DO something. If we can’t even teach ourselves a little discipline, let alone our leaders! If we want things to change then let US be the change that we want to see*. No president will ever be enough. Do not wait for help because it will not come. It’s time to face the fact that we cannot blame everything on our politicians. We will all need to be our own heroes. 

People no longer take the time to care for one another. As my favorite quote goes…

Act as if what you do

makes a difference.

Because it does. 

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*US = tayo. not US as in USA, stupid.