Is he really a politician?

Truth be told, I never liked politics. Actually, I really hate anything to do with it. Isn't it that Politics is suppose to tackle how a government should be run? But all I'm hearing about Politics is "Who's hot and who's not?", or "Mr. X is involved in a scandal", or the one that I hate the most, "Politician A is accusing Politician B or whatever". Politics now is more of the "who" than the "how or why". It's not so focused on "How much money should be allocated for this project?", and instead on "who will get this money?". It's just like those nonsense showbiz talks (No offense to those who actually like showbiz). Nothing more than a fleeting scandal and a popularity contest.

That's why I have this bias against all politicians. And this is why I still can't believe that Jesse Robredo is a politician himself.

We've watched a short film about him last Tuesday. He's the mayor of Naga City for 5 terms. And in that course, transformed Naga City into the ideal city of commerce and excellence. He's won numerous awards both National and International, including the coveted "The Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines", and the "Ramon Magsaysay Award" in 2000. I've never heard of the guy before (because I hate politics) but this one got me interested. So I browsed the internet and found numerous blogs and news articles all expressing admiration and support for this guy. I heard from the film that his projects were impressive, but only when I read this article that I realized how truly great his works are.

He's not the politician I stereotyped in my mind. He hates lavish spendings, lives in a modest house, is not hesitant to let the people have power over the government, and is even concerned with the most minute details like a busted street lamp. If more leaders were like him, then maybe there's hope for this bleak world yet.

But of course, even he's not immune to the mud-slinging involved in politics. Despite that he's one of the best leaders Naga ever had, there are still people out there that wants him removed, most likely because he's a member of the opposition. Most of the 70 or so cases filed against him were dismissed though. And I've read some of the reasons why he was charged; that he wasn't a Filipino, that he was establishing a political dynasty, and the ever popular corruption charges. It's pretty frivolous I'll say, because even if those charges were true, Jesse Robredo gets the job done better than those other politicians. Actually, scratch that. He gets a LOT of job done and the people would actually feel the results. His close ties and total transparency with the locals is something that other politicians can never copy.

Spaced Out

Recently, I find myself spacing out. A lot. Sometimes it happens during class, sometimes after texting someone, sometimes in the bathroom, and just recently, during dinner. I don’t know how that one started. My dad said I was staring blankly at the wall for at least 5 minutes. But I do remember that everytime this happens, I was thinking deeply about something. Though most of the time when I snap out of it, I forget what I was just thinking about. I guess I’m just easily distracted, because this happens even when I’m having fun, or talking to someone (yeah, that happened. We we’re talking about something and I stopped mid-speech).

Anyway, on my last episode, I remember that I was thinking about my dog, Nuri. I guess I’m an overly-doting owner, since I really love him, even if he’s scared of just about everything (so he fails as a “bantay”). Just last week, I skimped on lunch and commuting money (I walked about 2km uphill from the jeep stop to my house) to save up for a flea collar and medicated shampoo for Nuri. Over the few weeks, Nuri’s been itching like mad. Some might say that it’s typical for a dog to be like that, but I got really worried when he started scratching so hard he got wounds on his ears. And it wouldn’t heal because Nuri kept scratching the scabs. I thought about de-clawing him, but aside from the ethical issues of that, Nuri’s an outdoor dog and de-clawing him is not a good idea. It got so bad though, that Nuri started losing his fur on his ears. I wanted to ask my dad for money so I could bring Nuri to a vet. But he said that I shouldn’t worry too much and that Nuri will be fine. I didn’t ask again because as much as possible, I don’t like asking for money. It’s somewhat embarrassing; especially asking from my dad, even though he gives me whenever I ask him like it was no big deal. He trusts me that much I guess). Anyway, I don’t get allowances during the sem break, so I gathered all the money I saved up before the break and whatever I could save up on the 1st week of classes, and went to that pet clinic in Katipunan next to Mercury Drug and got Nuri a flea collar and an itch shampoo. It cost at least P400, but it’s okay. I’m happy to say that it’s working. The wounds on his ears have healed up nicely and the fur is growing back.

I still want to have a vet check up on Nuri though. But I have to save up more money first. No, I’m not gonna ask my dad for money.

Here’s a picture of my beloved Nuri. He’s an “askal” that was born in our house while it was still under construction (his mother got adopted by our neighbor).

Pedro Pobre

So we watched this documentary yesterday about the lives of our poor kababayan and their daily struggles just to live. I could say that it was an eye-opening experience, that I was fortunate to catch a glimpse of the reality of what daily living is like for them, or that this awakened in me a desire to help my fellow countrymen and such. But in all honesty, it hasn't.

The truth is, I really don't like these types of documentaries. First of all, there's no sign of empathy from the host. Actually, his tone of voice sounds more like he's jeering at them. He has this....explosive tone of voice, which I though was inappropriate for the situation. I really prefer the Jessica Soho-type of documentaries. Next, when someone is forcing me to watch it (meaning I didn't decided for myself to watch it), the whole thing feels like a slap to the face. My love for my country and my fellow countrymen didn't change really. All it did was it made me feel like crap, because the message I'm getting is "Millions of Filipinos live like this while you live with all your needs provided. You have no right to be happy while a lot of Filipinos are suffering". I may never know if this was really the case, but even if it was, what the hell can I do? I'm just a kid who can't do much of anything. Heck! I can't even drive! People might say that I may not be able to do much right now except to know and understand, but in the future I might. That may be so, but until then, I'll feel like crap thank you.

Third, my father grew up in the backwater town of St. Bernard, Southern Leyte. We used to take family visits there every year (we stopped when I entered college, because since then summer classes came to my life), so I know what it's really like in the province. I've known ever since I was a kid. How he hiked through mud and cross rivers just to get to school, how my grandparents worked so hard to feed their family of 8 children, how my dad and his siblings had to work in the farms, and how sometimes they just have tuyo and rice for dinner. I know all that and I revisit it every year (last visit was this past sembreak). But my dad always told me, that his family wasn't exactly fortunate, but they worked hard and never gave up. They always strive to be better and that's how he was able to save enough money to study in Cebu and become a lawyer. He told me stories about him when I was still a small kid, so I've always carried this notion that hard work will always prevail. And even he said that those who are suffering and in poverty, in some way it is their fault that they're in that situation. It might sound cold and harsh, but I actually agree with him.

As a person, my heart does go out to those people. But right now, there's not much I can do.