Argh! The account I manage underwent a grueling standardization certification audit and it really kept me busy this entire month. Man, am I glad it’s over! Anyway, I’ve got something else I want to write about, but let’s just get this one out of the way first. I know politics might just be the last thing you want to read about these days, but please bear with me.
A lot of young people (and old indifferent people) I suppose are getting hooked on keeping an eye on brewing political issues recently, which I would have to say is extremely inspiring. I thank no other than Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for indirectly encouraging the youth to take interest in what’s really going on in the country today.
The thing that turns a lot of people off about politics is that often times its too ridden with jargons and all these technical terms and theories that unless you have a good background on political science (or the particulars of the political issue), you are either just bound to get lost or bored trying to follow.
But hey, it’s not like that anymore! The clowns in the government, headed by the lady ringmaster of the tent have simplified things for us. You don’t need to be a lawyer or have a degree no more to grasp the concept of things and take a stand. Now it’s just a matter of right or wrong, good or bad, actions and consequences.
I’ve been listening to Gloria on the radio and I am surprised at times how the ground she is standing on hasn’t opened up and swallowed her whole. Perhaps even the ground is choosy about the type of dirt it gobbles up. The other day she mentioned in a speech how she recites a prayer to St. Michael the Archangel when she is inside or outside the Malacanang Palace, because believes the good saint guards her well-being. She actually recited the entire prayer during her speech and added how she is thankful that God has been helping her face all her political battles.
I mean I personally recoil every time I would hear her make statements and actually use words like “constitutional” and “unity” in reference to the predicament she placed herself in. But now she has scrapped the bottom of her barrel by dragging “God” into this like that. What is this!?! Is there no shame left? I wanted to turn off the TV/radio sometimes in fear that it might not be designed to withstand that much hypocrisy.
But we should have seen it coming. Remember her vice-presidential campaign poster during the 1998 elections? She marketed false humility by dressing up in farmer’s clothes holding stalks of grain as she urged the public to vote for her. That’s like big shot actor Cesar Montano’s cellular phone prepaid card ad where he dresses himself up as a common construction worker. The same thing can be said about Cesar and Gloria though; they are definitely both actors, one of them just doesn’t know when to quit acting out the role.
Quite honestly, I never really liked watching, reading or even listening to news about the government, not unless it’s about non-working holiday advisories. I didn’t care about politics in the same way I didn’t care for “Telefantasia” series or stupid local noontime shows. But an article Conrado De Quiros wrote gave me a cold splash of epiphany when he said how that same sort of indifference has allowed tyranny to thrive.
Of course watching the news is sometimes just as cheesy as hearing lame dialogues of actors dressed up in elaborate fairy tale costumes. But the big difference you always have to remind yourself is that the news is real life, it is in fact actually happening.
I had to remind myself that I was not watching a movie when National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales intentionally dodged ala Neo in The Matrix the straight forward questions thrown at him by the Senator sentinels regarding the Venable deal. I sometimes pinch myself to make sure my mind is not playing tricks on me when I see the likes of Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago in interviews where she unknowingly reinforces the nickname “Brenda” (“brain damage”) through her statements. I constantly have to tell myself when I hear Gloria make distasteful comments about her spirituality or when I hear absurd and quite often stupid statements made by Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye that these real people holding real position in high office.
I figured before that with the way the government is presently being run, the administration will eventually self-destruct on its own and we can all just pick up the mess, learn from it and start all over again. But it’s talking too long. The needle of decency and morality is relentlessly being pushed beyond the limits of the gauge, by the very people we pay through our taxes to safeguard, and it is scary to think what else in the future they will be able to get away with or worse would be passed off as a “lapse in judgment” for the rest of us to debate on.
Politics of course is not as entertaining to watch and can sometimes be a bit intimidating. But don’t worry, it’s constantly being stooped down for the rest of us.
