I have no idea about this news until a friend of mine posted a link on Facebook. This pork-barrel scandal is all over social media and have caused angry masses and public scrutiny calling for investigation and justice.
Politics is a complex and frustrating topic that I avoid writing. It is exhausting and stressful. In as much as I share the sentiments of most of the middle class expressing their views and disgust on the country’s corruption, I also find it sad that the this news will not reach majority of the Filipinos, the indigent and those in the provinces where internet connection is a privilege and soap operas appeal more than would-impact-our-country news. Why? It’s not because they don’t care, these people also feel hopeless. These days, they are way too busy thinking of their own basic necessities. Yes, they must know and they must get involved but they feel too insignificant to bother-and that’s a sad truth.
In the provinces, many people believe that they owe to politicians every service they get from the government. And they fear for their lives so they shut up from every injustice and every unfair practices. In the City we so loudly shout “STOP CORRUPTION” while we drop names, and yet these are the same people who gets voted every election. Our government is corrupt in its core but did we really try to reach out to our families and relatives in the provinces to educate them of what we think they should know? I myself fell prey of that system. It frustrates me but I felt powerless.
These news about Janet Lim Napoles and their wealth, did it really reach the masses? I doubt that majority of them reads these English texts (I am not belittling them, but most of my neighbors hate reading and listening to English transcripts especially about politics). Some goes online to open Facebook. They don’t Google to find news. Another sad thought are the comments I read saying that our country is hopeless and that we have no chance of redeeming our selves. That the corruption is already a way of life and neither can be abolished. Is that how we are now?
What amused me with this news, as always, is Sen. Miriam Santiago’s viewpoints on the issue at hand. If this is really true, I hope that these greedy, power-hungry people show some self-respect and leave. Or thick-face in the name of power and money the new virtue now?
I really pray we are not that hopeless nor that ignorant in our rights. When we get really mad when people from other countries mock us. Can we at least walk the talk? I hope so.
count.steps.forward 