By Estanislao Albano, Jr.
Unless we change radically, we, as a nation, will continue to be stuck near the bottom of the pile when it comes to economy. While we will always be better off than most African nations, we shall never catch up with our neighbors. If we do not revolutionize our attitudes, we can never hope to improve our economic lot. Never – let me assure you that.
The government is the foremost actor in determining the kind of life people live, in the direction its country takes for better or for worse. In order to be a factor for the good of the nation and the life of individual citizens, it must have the support of the people or at least, people should not become the headache of the government themselves. But what do we do with our government? We make sure that it malfunctions and does not achieve the purposes for which it was constituted.
In fact, we treat the government as a milking cow. We think it’s the great provider – for ourselves and our families. We treat its coffers as up for grabs. In fact, we are unparalleled experts in raiding the national coffers. Name any modus to defraud the government, we know it. Read about that clerk in the Bureau of Customs who owned a car fit for a prince? He is by no means an isolated case. He just had the misfortune of getting caught unlike the others.
It is axiomatic that in order for it to serve the best interest of the nation, the government should be healthy. But how could it be such when its very life is being sucked by parasites 24 hours a day? Inside and out, it is crawling with worms, leeches, fleas and what have you. With the ferocious and non-stop attack of all these parasites, our government has been reduced to a bag of bones which could barely move about so how could it solve problems and undertake programs with impact on the life of everyone?
For sure we have patriots in the country but it looks like there are few of them in government where they are so outnumbered their presence no longer makes a difference. It is really good if 20 percent of government manpower from Malacanang down to the barangays have kept their noses clean and we expect the government to be able to alleviate poverty and move this country forward. We can dream on all we like but the country will not budge an inch.
Majority of the masses do not even have enough sense to realize that not voting right has dire consequences so its good if 10 percent of elective officials in the country have the interest of the public in their minds. Name recall, kinship, sweet talk, cash – all the wrong reasons prevail in the minds of the electorate on election day.
Money has always played a crucial role in the ascension of people to elective positions for the most part of the history of the country but it has taken a turn for the worst in recent elections when even the kagawad, the lowest elective position, can no longer be attained without the distribution of cash and goodies. In many parts of the country, election has become a question of who among the candidates handed out the most cash and goods to the most number of voters.
The foolish voters do not realize that in selling their votes, they are waiving their right to be properly served by their officials for the next three years. What is important is the sack of rice that would feed the family for a month. What is important is the money that tides the family in the next three days. Never mind if the giver of the cavan and the cash will surely try to get his money back through corruption the moment he assumes office. It escapes the masses that buying votes is the surest sign that a man wants public office for all the wrong reasons.
Does a nation whose government is dominated by thieves have any hope for getting out of the rut? If majority of the voters of that country choose their candidates for all the wrong reasons, just when will they get leaders who have the desire and the political will to throw out the thieves from government, institute some semblance of order and get the country on the path to recovery finally?
The answers to the question are depressing. I do not want to entertain the questions.
Neither do I see the needed changes happening in the next couple of generations given our denseness and hardheadedness.
Actually, with just around 20 percent of the population having the right to be called patriots, keeping the nation from slipping backwards farther is already a daunting task.**
