Philippines, where are you headed?

Who would have thought that the Year 2011 would start out with crazy issues and lots of useless whingeing of people who have nothing to do? It's been almost 5 months now and we are still on the same phase. (whoever said phase was just temporary had never tried living in PI) I still haven't gotten over the smoke from illegal firecrackers from new year's eve yet, now we have smoke billowing from public transport explosions, adding to the haze that an already dazed and confused Philippine population is struggling to see through (No, I'm not promoting RH BILL here. I will get to that issue next time I write) Carnappings with murder are like cartoons flashed on the telly every waking day, assassinations of journalists have become a hobby of no-good filthy rich big shots who try to beat the sh*t out of them by the write-ups (uh-oh -- that's what I have in mind right now. I love you Mommy and Daddy!), bombings of public utility vehicles; it’s just another regular day in this lawless land called the Philippines.

You might ask why is there an increase in crime rate. There is nothing really alarming about what is
happening in our country. Truth out, when you have a leader like the one we have (who is.. well,infeebled) ;
bad things will rise to the occasion. Organized crime suddenly gets more imprudent as an unsuspecting public
let their guard down thinking that their holier-than-thou President will attract goodness. Unfortunately,
this whole “goody-two-shoes” act by Philippine President Noynoy Aquino (PNoy) just makes him look like a pushover. With the incident just happened recently where Macalinao was shot dead in Bay, Laguna province, pushing him to his limits is exactly what criminals have planned, and so far, things are going smoothly for them. Good Job!

Aside from having an uninspiring leader, low anticipation of adversity and conviction rates adds up to the
increase in crime rate. For all we know, the low apprehension rate might even be accountable for the
allegation that some "trusted" members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) or the Philippine military may
be in on the ignominious acts of violence. And even in cases when criminals get lucky and do get caught, the
courts are often inefficient (or too corrupt) to punish them. In other words, impunity or exemption is the
name of the game. The government’s plunder case against former military comptroller Carlos Garcia is case in point. For reasons blurry as hell, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez who handled the case allowed the retired general to post bail and possibly get away with plunder even when the case against Garcia was strong. It’s another legal wrangling favoring the accused.

Unemployment also contributes to the growth in criminal activity. PNoy’s promise of “walang corrupt, kung
walang mahirap” fails to be in reality because poverty drives most people in outrageous situations to do
callous acts just to survive. As long as PNoy does not implement any radical measures to provide more jobs
for the growing number of jobless Filipinos, criminal activities will grow along with it. The high crime rate
in the country also directs to a growing need for private armies or “hired goons”. Those who feel that they
are required to hire private armies include lawmakers or public servants because their political rivals have
a watchful eye on them. Im sure the latter have no qualms about eliminating their opponents. Unfortunately,
this sick situation makes our lawmakers less motivated to find solutions to crime that are actually
effective, and I mean EFFECTIVE!!! To add up to these terrible happenings in my beloved country, private
armies, which often perform without proper guardianship and supervision, are most likely to commit abuses and violence themselves.

Our society, sad to say, is under threat by bad elements that are taking over our country-- slowly but
SURELY. The rest of the Filipinos however would just take this urgent situation as something that is
“worthless and unimportant”. They would worry and trouble themselves thinking about it for a day but party
the next because they would rather leave it up to heaven's will. I probably would try the practice. Good
timing, I can worry about it today and forget about it tomorrow. Friday seems like a perfect day to unwind
(not!).