Who is to Blame?

There was a hostage taking that happened yesterday in a nearby town, about 55 kms. from our place, a man with a gun and a dagger catch up a bus and along the way fired at two individuals and took everyone else hostage. After four hours of negotiations, police have to do something and they come inside the bus and killed the man.

Here comes the questions, why does it have to come into this? What could have probably triggered the man to got up and hostage the victims? Why does he needed to die? What now becomes of him? Who should be blamed for this event?

Though I am not blaming the police for such a harsh action, I am even admiring their courage to do such a horrible decision. Maybe a deeper analogy is needed for this kind of event. What are the things that should be considered? What are the reasons we need to understand why such an event happened and what can we do to avoid the next recurrence of it. Should we also ask or look into our government policies on this?

According to the news, the man has a wife and children. They are a typical family living in this country. The man works, assigned to other places where his work should ask of him, and his wife took care of the kids. His depression came when he learned that he was being fooled by his wife playing around. In a conservative society like this, fathers are expecting their wives to be faithful and taking the best care to their children.

It seems a simple problem, just let go of it, but it is not. All of the man's effort to earn were just not enough. He is willing to exchange his family's time for a little reward, as I have told before, this has to come with what is the priority.

Hostages said that the man storied to them that he wasn't yet sleeping for two days straight and got no other food intake. This would make him really feel the sting of hunger and long hours of wakefulness. It would make him crazy and crazy he becomes, shooting two victims without any apparent reasons, simply saying that his wife cheated on him. It is really hard to comprehend how could such an event happen. Should you blame the man who was deprived of sanity because of hunger and sleeplessness due to work duty? How does the police reacted to it? They are brave enough to talk with the man, trying persuade him to stop his actions and surrender, they even give him noodles to it something, yet, he would again remember his wife and would point his gun to someone. Until finally, after four hours of negotiation, they decided to take him down. He came out of the bus, dead. Is this step humanitarian? What was the reaction of the commission on human rights? What about the other hostages that was endangered during the shootout? Is it worth the trauma?

Does the system really hold some security for the passengers of this public buses or should we again sit and study how these buses operate and put a better security system that will secure our passengers? A lot of hold-ups and robbery happens during travel, especially with this bus company, What can the administration do to lessen these cruel events from happening?

How could they?

My wife works in a government institution helping people with their needs. One project of our local government is to provide cheap homes for the servicemen like my wife who works for them. At one point, it seems good that this government still thinks for their workers.

But then, another thing rose, at about the time it was conceptualized, engineers and department heads are already spinning their heads for better place in the area. Then it happened, some are ordered to pay 500 pesos 5 year amortization for a 120 square meter lot while others are paying 480 for the same space. What could spell the difference? When asked, the engineering office simply says that those paying 500 have locations better than those paying 480. Well, this sounds ok, but not in the true sense. Why? It is because location was not chosen but drawn. Should this be acceptable reason???

This was not yet the problem. Because of the draw lots, heads of departments came to a place that was near a creek. It was a sloping pieces of land, off course, it wont be good for them to own such a place. Planners then, decided that the plan of the whole subdivided lots be turned upside down so that those placed at the front will now be placed at the back where the sloping land was. How rude! Employees will not dose with sentiments if they haven't change the plans. It was showed to them, the original plan, then, drawn their lots, and now, suddenly, changed the plans to what should suit them. Is it not horrible how these people is using the government to step ahead further than other people? How rude? How could they do this to people in their own ranks? Such a horrible thing to think that this is one of the classic examples of graft and corrupt practices that leads to a much bigger, more horrible transactions happening in the national government. This is how sick our system is. And we, ourselves could no longer take any cure. A sick and dangerous system of governance and society. I do hope that it die and never to be revived again.

Politician's Waiting Shed

This country was blessed with a tropical climate that only serve 2 conditions, rainy days and hot dry summer. There was, most of the time, dry sunny days during school days, only when it is mid July to September when the hardest rains hit the land, they call it moonsoon rains. During this period, it is hard for a public commuter like me to catch a ride from a jeepney especially when I'm on a rush.

To solve such an discomfort for the people, waiting sheds have been erected. Politicians boasts their projects, most of them, waiting sheds. Many of these, sub-standards, could not even hide you from rain if it rained with certain winds. You'll get wet, even inside these waiting sheds.

But that supposedly solution, has also become more of a problem, I think.

One, it has been a case of graft and corrupt practices for politicians here in the Philippines. Many of these sub-standard waiting sheds caused 5 to 10 times more than they should. These sheds caused more, in almost every corner, you'll see one. Even along the major hi-ways, numerous numbers of these waiting sheds can be seen, all of them, produced by politicians. There was no definite design to standardize them, you won't even see a toilet (portable or installed) near it that when you need to pee, you simply go to the back wall of the shed and release!

Another thing, it has been a major attitude changer for Filipinos riding public transport. Jeepneys would stop anywhere, where there are people waiting, not minding other users of the road. It has spoiled the commuters that they would stop the bus or jeepney to the nearest possible site to their destination. Is it the driver or the commuter that should be blamed for traffic? I think, providing standard waiting shed and terminal at designated places will lessen traffic, would provide discipline among us, would save more of our energy. Look at Singapore, even taxi's won't bother to stop at you when you are not on the right waiting / passenger terminal or shed.

Due to poverty, this sheds had also become home for those without home, hideouts / posts for sub-culture groups like fraternities and gangs, vendor's business places, and vandals favorite areas. Some people even rob these sheds of roof and posts to use in making their huts. During the nights, you won't feel safe waiting in these sheds when you see groups of young men drinking, or doing the pot, or just chatting in there, you'll feel like if someone of them made fun of you and you retaliate, all of them would come banging your face. It has been a territorial post for them.

Can't this politicians think of other useful projects to make the community worthwhile? Why not conduct business seminars, or host projects to kick start a business that would help generate income to the poor ones? With so many people without a job, or not in school or in any other worthwhile activity, they could think of nothing good but to associate with people like them and plan things that we are regretting. How many have died because of gang wars and frat wars? How many got involved in hold-ups and robberies, all done in waiting sheds and dark places near it?

I think, it is time that this politicians think not only of themselves but also think for the general good of the people, not limiting projects to waiting sheds but to think further for progress.

The Problem of the Hungry Tummy

Yesterday, I have watched a tv program campaigning for the reduction of green house gases emission, they say that global warming is already being felt and that we are nearing our doomsday if we do nothing about it.

I have nothing against the idea, it was true that global warming is an ill fate that we will face in the future if we just shrug our shoulders and do nothing. Yet, is it worth noting and thinking about it when the people of this land is suffering from hunger and poverty? What is to survive the calamities of the weather when we are to die of hunger? Could you think logical when you crave for food and shelter?

The idea is not to simplify this things. Yes, I can manage my waste, but, to other fellows who only have 20 cents a day for the meal of a family of seven, do you think they would still care? This comes hand in hand with the government policies. Prioritize to solve the immediate needs of the people before digging deeper into other cancers of society. Our need is to be fed and felt the assurance that we could still live for the next five or ten years. With an ever increasing prices of basic food like rice, fish, and meat, how can a family of seven survive for the next five years when there is less and less job opportunities? It is a sad thing to note that people here in the Philippines, especially the poorest ones, are satisfying themselves from the leftovers of few people who could afford hotels and restaurants. There is one meal that they call continental, just because it is the surplus of continental hotel, which is being sold to them at P30.00 per kilo. How degrading, these leftovers are dug up from trash cans. Would you dare to eat like that?

In my opinion, this government should properly use time and priorities, act now, save our people from poverty and all else will follow. If we have a healthy people, they would refrain from other crimes to the planet and to other citizens. Act now, fast.

The Importance of Family

I have to deviate from my previous post topics that deals mainly with the issues of the governance and social system. This time, I would like to talk about the family.

I was always confronted with the question of what is more important, providing for your family's need or strengthen family ties and lead them not into drugs and bad peers.

I don't really know if my choice was right or wrong, or weather it is acceptable to many or not. It has always been a question of what is your priority in life. For me, I chose the later. I still believe that family ties and teaching the children proper values would conquer our need for better life. Though I cannot deny the urge is strong for me to choose a work that would provide better living for my family, I cannot leave them and go abroad.

Being an observer, I have seen a lot of families, though rich and wealthy of worldly possessions, whose members lacks the morals and values that for most of us, should come naturally. I have seen families broken and children going no where but drugs and vices that would tragically lead to crimes and before everyone knew it, it was already too late.

This thought came to me late last year and ever since I realize the effects of it, I loose the appetite of going to a faraway land to work and earn lots of money. Though we are on a tight budget here in this miserable country, I think, it is still best to stay and earn just enough to make my family alive for a month.


I hate to see my children grow without me, and the guidance of a father. I could never forgive myself if ever that happens. I just wish that this government would not forget its people, find ways to make life bearable and light. I still believe in the Filipino people.