SOME of you may think that the Philippine government isn't all that it's cracked up to be - corrupt officials, money going the wrong way, and a mountain of scandals that make us almost embarrassing to the international community. Then there's the problem of a variety of delicious flavors of rebels and terrorists. But, take my word for it - it's not that bad. It could be much, much worse.
Take for example, Laos. This Communist (but very friendly) nation is only a thousand miles away from Manila, sandwiched between Vietnam and Thailand. Now listen to this - in a small city like Bacolod, if you sustain life-threatening injuries, you can go to a nearby hospital, right? Now - in the Lao capital, Vientiane, if someone's water buffalo kicks you in the head, you have to cross the border into Thailand to get a doctor. That's right, there are so few doctors in Laos that they can't even spare any for its capital city. But yet the Lao man is apparently higher ranked in the survey of world happiness than we are. I'm telling you, if the Lao can rough it while smiling about it, so can we.
Another example of a country we can compare to our own is East Timor. Now first and foremost - whenever people say that the Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia - you can now tell them they're wrong. East Timor is the other one. The East Timorese have a communication problem - not because they can't speak English, they're quite good at it, actually - but because there is a shortage of land lines outside the capital, Dili.
Cell phones in the Philippines are like our best friends - but in Timor they're apparently a form of life line. Some East Timorese even have satellite phones to compensate for the country's lack of signal power. Thankfully our government has been gracious enough to capitalize on the cell phone industry, putting up enough cell sites to provide adequate coverage. In addition to its telephone problems, East Timor also seems to have a problem with mails.
Sure, Philippine mail isn't exactly famous for its integrity, but East Timor's postal system is barely functioning. As a country that just gained its Independence, they're still trying to work out the kinks in its mailing system. They'll get it eventually. Meanwhile, the rest of the country is a favorite travel destination - not for tourists, but for the Peace Corps. They're helping to rebuild the nation after its bloody war for independence... probably a bigger problem than the mail issue. There was no civil war, no presidential killing, and no absence of a postal service in our country. We should be thankful.
Now about corruption and the economy - some people say that the corruption in our country is hurting our pockets. This is true. But others say it's a lost cause beyond hope of recovery. Folks, let's be glad we're not Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, a country run by Robert Mugabe, a black African version of Adolf Hitler (seriously, he even wears the same moustache) it is no longer economically sound to use the country's own currency as a medium of exchange.
Inflation caused by corruption is so bad that the country has produced what I believe is the only "one billion dollar" bill in existence. It sounds like a lot of money, but it's actual value is less than 100 Pesos. Let me put it this way - to buy a loaf of bread in Zimbabwe, you'd need more than a million Zimbabwe dollars. That's not an exaggeration. Be glad that our officials still have some heart left, because clearly the humanitarian crisis in that country makes our corruption seem like an annoying, trivial problem.
The difference between us and the Zimbabweans is the time it'll take for a turnaround. Let's say the Philippines will have one good president who'll clean up the government and influence his successors to do the same, or provide better legislation. That'd probably work - and we'd have this country looking like Singapore in 10, 20 years maybe. But in the case of Zimbabwe, their poverty is almost irreversible. With political violence and the constant presence of corruption in that government, it's no wonder that the Zimbabweans are now resorting back to a barter system.
Dear readers, the polls are opening tomorrow. You will play a role in changing this nation's history. You're going to step up to those polls and choose the leaders for our nation - so examine your candidates and take their characters into mind. Do you want our Republic to get up and shake off the dust, or do you want it to be ruled by a guy that'd have us looking like Zimbabwe in Asia? (Michael R. Valderama)