The Real State of the Nation No One is Talking About Especially Not The President of the Philippines

Alternate Title (In Tagalog) : Tama Na! Sobra Na! Palitan Na! Noon Pa!

Alternate Title No. 2: My Desiderata for the Nation

As I have micro-blogged earlier this week (a day after the 2nd State of the Nation Address of President Bong Bong Marcos), I have posted or retweeted this video post of a "Marcos Loyalist" littering herself in the street to personally and solely blockade the rioting "Manibela" movement or those opposed to the overall revamp of the public transport system particularly of the iconic jeepneys in the country. It struck a chord in me not only because of how absurd and semi-comical? it looked but also because of how pathetic the real state of our nation is right now (well maybe just by looking at this for starters as I have never had any opinion on the "state of local matters" really).

I'm not going to castigate this unhinged woman because I think she has done this already to herself. What I would really like to do is extend my own "desires" for Me and the Philippines, an enumeration so to speak for both present and future. This is not going to be political as I am not a political person at all. I'm not even very social in real life. Personally, I just want to live a peaceful life, free from the daily irritability of "bureaucracy, poverty, corruption" that are so endemic to this country, they become the accepted "normal" to many of us.

If this is the case, I am not one to side with the many simply because I don't think this is acceptable at all. My Father was a Judge. My Mother was Assistant Commissioner at the BIR. They were both lawyers who worked under the first Marcos Administration and sad to say, both of them were not corrupt. They never accepted any bribes from anyone. We (all five children) properly finished schooling and basically lived within our means as we still do. How my parents did it without succumbing to the seductive government-wide corruption (still in copious existence today) and not giving their kids any special favors in life was testament to their character and fortitude and I'm kind of proud of it, even if living or growing up was not really easy for any of us not that I'm really complaining.

Ces't Tragique. Le visage. Pour toute la Nation.

What reforms I would like to see in my lifetime are those that personally involve and affect me and which hopefully carries out with the others with similar fate as me. First of all, let's talk about the highly dubious Maharlika Fund. I don't know what it's for and why they (this present administration) have to siphon off the "people's pension" from various government agencies Landbank, GSIS and SSS to be used as government funding for various national projects that haven't clearly been stated. As it appears or sounds right now this money could be used for anything, even line the pockets of those who proposed this bill. I suggest the Senate or the people who will make this into law scrap it before it becomes a nationwide nightmare. All I want right now is all my voluntary contribution to SSS given back to me in lump sum amount because frankly, I don't care about collecting my personal pension anymore. This government has increasingly become so inept through the years commencing at the time of the Marcos Era, I have lost all trust in the system even before I have become aware of their true function.

As I have promised this won’t turn political, I personally am opposed to the continuation of the “old jeepneys” rolling in the streets of Manila. They’re rickety, unkempt, mismanaged, a general eyesore and pollute the air and sound we live in. I don’t care if they’re a cultural icon if they’re generally bad for the health. I drive a car and don’t live in poverty but just imagine the overall well-being of the people driving this inefficient, ineffectual and outdated vehicle. I think most jeepney drivers have compromised lung and mental health by constantly breathing in toxic gas fumes day in and day out.

I’ll cut this short as I have already aired two issues bugging me right now (and am not fully equipped talking about the unaddressed Agrarian Reform conundrum and the nitty-gritty of micro-corruptions in various government offices/transactions happening on a daily basis); but not without leaving you with a bad aftertaste I’ve had right after Monday’s SONA Event. Maybe some day soon, maybe even later today, I’ll really enumerate my true desires for the nation, the only one I actually belong to.

The Marcos Family

Sorry, I'm clearly not a fan of Imee Marcos, persona-wise or even wardrobe-wise. 😨

Because what else is he supposed to say? D-uh. 🙄

Some bulleted infographic I posted previously. 
Question goes is if the Marcoses really stole money then why aren’t they in jail?
Answer is Obviously and IDK!!!

Growing up, I really used to believe in the Marcoses because they were essentially 
my parents’ bosses but reading this could give me 
a better perspective. 
Some book I'd like to pursue
from a British expat Author who lived in the Philippines for 18 years.

Author James Hamilton-Paterson was also a friend/collaborator of Ninang Gilda. 
Here they are pictured or tabled together I snagged from her FB page.
In a country where it’s very hard to trust anyone other than close family, 
I trust Ninang Gilda whom I consider close family 
and who also has a high moral compass unlike Public Enemy No. 1 here.