Open Letter To Gibo

October 23, 2009

Dear Gibo,

 

Before I start, let me make myself clear. I have yet to decide who I will be voting for as president of this maddeningly dear republic of mine. I have an idea of who I will not be voting for and you are not in that list. Yet.

I remember the first time I saw you. That was three years ago or so.  You were one of the many speakers at our convention. It was also the time that my group was pushing for a piece of legislation. Our minds were so numb by the lectures that we looked forward to the politicians’ speeches to relieve our boredom. It WAS that boring. You were then, I think, a congressman, unknown to us.

Politician after politician sang praises to us. We were so selfless, so dedicated,  and yes, they will do their best to pass the bill we were angling for. Yes, they said, the bill is almost good as a law. Oh, we did clap at the promises. We cheered too. But my eyebrows were raised. I was doubtful. We have heard too many promises about that bill. The promises could be empty ones. Then you stepped on the podium. You were different. You thanked us for our work and our dedication, but you did not sing allelulia. Then, you dashed our raised hopes by saying: Yes, you deserve the bill that you are moving for but you really shouldn’t expect too much as the government has other more urgent priorities and it really does not have the money your legislation needs.

Gibo, your words hurt us then. But I appreciated your honesty. You were blunt, yes. But you at least, told us the truth, not what we wanted to hear. THAT made you different.  

A few weeks ago, I saw you again. And you made another speech. The circumstances were different. I was not after something from you and you are running for president. I was watching you closely, trying to find out if you have changed.

You did not mention anything about you running, nor try to sell yourself to us. You did not even try to explain the NDCC’s delayed reaction to Ondoy victims. You did not sing praises to the people who invited you. You told us to be thankful for what we were given. You told us to improve things, to look forward. That we should  not be greedy. Oh and you spoke in our dialect. That was a nice surprise.

My point Gibo is this: I like you for your honesty, for calling a spade a spade. Thank you for not insulting our intelligence by pandering to us. i hope that you will not exchange that quality for your political ambitions.

Respectfully,

Biyay

P.S. The bill became a law a few months after the convention.

Stranded!

October 2, 2009

While Ondoy was wrecking havoc in Metro Manila, I was at the airport in Palawan, waiting for a flight back to Manila. Before Ondoy struck, I vacationing in Palawan. On our last day, we turned the tv  on and learned about the rains and floods in Manila.

Our flight was supposed to leave at 5pm. 5pm came and went but there was no plane. No announcements either from the airline. We had to inquire personally to the airline personnel to learn any updates. From them, we learned that the plane could not leave Manila because of the rains. Some flights have already been cancelled. There were hundreds on people at the airport as students from FEU were also leaving for Manila. It was past 7 when our plane arrived. When we left, there were still students left behind as the other airline still has not arrived.

When we arrived at the NAIA terminal, this is what greeted us:

 

People of were sitting on the floor. Some were sleeping on top of chairs, on the luggage conveyor, and on boxes. No vehicle can enter or leave the airport area. I was resigned to spending the night sitting on the cold floor at the airport. Over the PA system, airport personnel were begging some passengers to remove their bags on the chairs dso that other passengers can sit. Pasaway talaga ang ibang tao.

At the Jollibee outlet, there were long lines waiting to be served. People were grumbling about the food that was running out. At one point, one can only order fries. Good thing the crew stayed on top of the situation.  

At about 11 pm, we learned that the floods have subsided enough to allow some buses to pass thru near the airport. We took a chance and left the airport. Thank God there was a bus waiting outside and it was headed my way. The traffic was horrendous by the domestic airport but al least we were safely in the bus. 

When I arrived at the condo, I learned we were not spared from Ondoy’s mischief. There was evidence of flooding downstairs. At least the waters have aleady subsided when we arrived and we arrived safe.