I have left the Philippines for Qatar in my hopes of finding the greener pasture (as they say) for the future of my family. When I boarded the Plane bound for Doha, right then and there I trashed my political affiliations and views. But I guess as a concern citizen (not a resident though at the moment) of the Republic of the Philippines, I cannot help but to voice out my opinion regarding the National “Circus” currently being staged on the House of Senate.
“Renato Corona’s Impeachment Trial” this is the title of the show currently running on Philippine’s major television stations. A “fun” battle of wits and idiocracies, Filipino Style. My only concerns are; will the Filipinos in general benefit from such a process? How much money should be spent to remove an “appointee” from a government post? (In Japan, when someone’s integrity is being questioned, he will voluntarily resign and there are some extreme cases that some even commit “Hara-Kiri” (suicide).
In the Philippines it’s like frying an already toasted fish trying to jump off the frying pan (“Innocent until proven guilty”). And lawyers back home are really good at exploiting the loopholes of the law. Lots of cases were dismissed not in lack of evidence but because of technicalities.
In the end, what will be the impact of the impeachment if it fails or succeeds? These kinds of “reality stage plays” in the country have been going on since the last decade and I don’t see any direct or indirect good implications in how our government officials (elected and appointed) run their offices. Those that will benefit from this “circus” are “grandstanding" politicians for media mileage and lawyers that will gain celebrity status. And in just a year’s time, all of these interests and concerns will vanish as if nothing had happened.
As for me, I’d rather watch an apocalyptic themed movie to entertain myself. At least at the end of the movie I can say. “Thank God it was just a movie”.
When you fail to see that corruption in the Philippines should be rooted out, that becomes a problem. Political vaudeville flourishes in our country because we have allowed it for a long time. The heart of the problem, of course, is that we cannot unite, we look at things differently. And that makes me understand why you prefer to watch a movie. At times, I also feel the same way, but in my heart I rankle and when I see a little chance that a change is possible I root for it. That goes without saying that I support Noynoy Aquino, despite all his shortcomings, hoping that he may be able to make people feel that corruption doesn't pay. If we can only elect a string of "clear" presidents who are willing to fight corruption, I can see a ray of hope that graft will wilt in the long run. I am aware that it is a big IF.
ReplyDeleteIt's not that I am not concern anymore but sometimes being away from the country as an OFW dealing with rules and politics of the host country tend to make us see things differently.
DeleteI've been affiliated with an activist group during college and held an elective position in our Barangay during my youth which made me well aware of the graft and corruptions in the Philippines (First Hand). What we are seeing on the news is just the tip of the iceberg.I had my share of trying to make a difference in little ways I know of.
What I am trying to say on my article is.. Media shouldn't give too much exposure on it. There are lots of thing going on in a country with a population of 90 Million (Correct me if I'm wrong). In my humble opinion this kind of media exposure is just degrading the already degraded political system in our country. Probably you would say "People have the right to know". Yes, they do, we do but not to the extent that it becomes the staple "menu" on TV whereas, opportunists take advantage of the media mileage.