IT IS oftentimes said that death and taxes are certain. Change is another thing as well. The word CHANGE has been used numerous times in advertising and political campaigns. Former United States President Barack used this word in his presidential run. CHANGE IS COMING said his placards. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte used it as well in his campaign in the 2016 elections. It is important to have hope. They capitalized on that. As they usually say, hope springs eternal. When Filipinos voted for the feisty mayor of Davao City to become the Malacanang tenant we crossed our fingers that indeed change is coming.
Yes he wanted to change many things, but us the constituency apparently wouldn't change our ways. Many are seemingly happy in flatly defying laws, rules, regulations and guidelines. In Pilipino, we term it pasaway. The pandemic proved that once more. No wonder the confirmed cases are increasing daily, aside from the fact the adopted national strategy of the government apparently is not working.
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This I clearly remember. It happened three years ago. I was browsing on Facebook when I saw a live post of a certain Ms. Sandy Arellano and immediately I sensed something wrong happened because her beautiful face was already contorted due to anger. She was at the arrival area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and on the background were fellow arrivals who were jostling with one another near the baggage carousel.
She was saying she just came from Hongkong, Macao and Korea and her fellow Filipinos followed were so disciplined in those places, yet once they landed in the Philippines they became so undisciplined. "They acted like animals," she observed. "Discipline is a bulls-t," she added. She was really annoyed when she asked a security man to pinpoint to the passengers and fix the problem. And the worst part when she complained, the answer was "wala na tayong magagawa M'am."
I once interviewed former Department of Transportation Secretary Jose P. De Jesus in my Channel 3 Trending Max show and I queried him why the defiance of so many motorists in our streets. He smiled and shook his head, and said "as long as law enforcement is 50/50 it will stay this way." De Jesus who is currently board chair of Clark Development Corporation pointed the 100% implementation on traffic rules inside the Freeport and all violators are readily dealt with. Walang patawad. Walang palakasan. Go outside the Freeport and suddenly motorists are like those balikbayans Ms. Arellano saw at the airport arrival.
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The unemployed in the country is about to breach 20 million. So many were thrown out of job. The STL collectors alone in Pampanga are in tens of thousands. The workers who earned a living on cockpit are also in thousands. Even sex workers loss their incomes. Small and Medium Enterprises suffered also heavy blows and issued pink slips to their employees. Joining the ranks of unemployed are returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). President Duterte's economic managers should roll their sleeves now.
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Notes. Yesterday was the birthday of my two closest friends, former Capas Mayor TJ Rodriguez and JP Bautista of Urdaneta, Pangasinan. Too bad no more of those big parties they use to throw and most of the invited guests are from Wednesday Club, our fellowship group... Happy Birthday also to Pampanga Provincial Board Member Tonton Torres, future mayor of Lubao... And also yesterday was the birthday of my late mother, Beatriz Lumanlan Sangil aka Apung Batik. She is already happy in Heaven together with my father...Bases Conversion Development Corporation President Vince Dizon had not time to celebrate his birthday last Tuesday, but his colleagues led by Chairman Greg Garcia promised there will be celebration next year.