Recent Observations
Watching the Senate hearing on the NBN/Jun Lozada Case and the subsequent events which have unfolded, I have observed a few things, namely:
The Power of the FINGER: Who was that bald man speaking english and asking CHED Secretary Romulo Neri to "tell the truth!"?
If you've been watching the news surrounding the Trial, you may have noticed footage of a bald (or was it balding) man with a backpack who walked up to Secretary Neri and went on a monologue which was basically demanding the CHED Secretary to "tell the truth". He was going on and on while Secretary Neri was listening patiently to the tirade and eventually had to be escorted to his service car wherein the bald man still continued his haranguing. When Mr Neri reached the vehicle, the bald man now began the actual finger pointing. Yes, for all his english he finally resorted to finger pointing while nagging the Secretary to "tell the truth, tell the truth!"
I'm sure emotions were running high, him being bald and carrying a backpack and all, probably waiting for hours in front of Mr Neri's house, not to mention the frustration the public must be feeling over the NBN/Jun Lozada issue, but I believe there was no call for that sort of rude behavior. Seriously speaking, you can shout, you can scream, you can curse or you can simply state what you want to say in a normal tone. Will pointing a finger at someone's face really help get the point across? I'm sure countless discussions were resolved by screaming at the top of your lungs and pointing a finger at another person's face. Why, if people didn't know it yet, we should broadcast that pointing a finger at someone's face is the solution to world peace! It will help everybody get along! If the Tutsis in Rwanda and the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo walked up to those who were committing genocide and pointed a finger at their face and said "stop! stop!" then I ‘m certain the ethnic cleansing and systematic murders would have stopped right there! Right at that moment! Alas, that knowledge has come too late to save the lives of millions.
But then maybe the finger pointing was aimed at provoking a different response, most likely a negative response from the Secretary. I suppose it always looks good when you're abused by high-ranking officials and their bodyguards on national television.
Allow me then to pose this question: What will happen if Neri "tells the truth"? What is the "Truth" supposed to be?! That there is corruption on a massive scale within the government? REALLY?! THERE IS CORRUPTION IS THE GOVERNMENT?! OMG!!!! I NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER THOUGHT OF THAT! WOW! NOW MY FAITH AND IDEALISM IN THE WORLD IS SHATTERED AND I AM LEFT WITH NOTHING ELSE TO DO BUT PICK UP THE PIECES! Seriously, what do they want him (Secretary Neri) to say?
Say he does reveal some nefarious deed of corruption, then what? More rallies in the streets? more protests? more blog entries? more effigies and pictures burned? another EDSA people-power-type revolt? How can that solve our problem? 1) another EDSA would undermine the democratic system the country. Unless of course, people don't want a democracy then we can just either be ruled a military junta, a dictator or a politburo, different strokes for different folks. 2) will ousting the present government change the deeply ingrained culture of corruption within the country? Let me cite examples: a policeman or traffic enforcer apprehends a violator, the offending driver offers a bride, the apprehending officer accepts, who is to corrupt? why does the driver believe that brides will work? why bribe in the first place? why accept a bribe? In getting a drivers' license, why pay someone to pass the drivers' exam? I believe that corruption has become such an important part of how we do business with the government that what we need is a cultural change. I have no idea how this can be done, how the people can convince the leaders to not be corrupt but it has to be done.
I love my country, make no mistake about it and I am frustrated by the situation yet I refuse to support anything driven purely by emotion without consideration of the future outcome.
The Power of the FINGER: Who was that bald man speaking english and asking CHED Secretary Romulo Neri to "tell the truth!"?
If you've been watching the news surrounding the Trial, you may have noticed footage of a bald (or was it balding) man with a backpack who walked up to Secretary Neri and went on a monologue which was basically demanding the CHED Secretary to "tell the truth". He was going on and on while Secretary Neri was listening patiently to the tirade and eventually had to be escorted to his service car wherein the bald man still continued his haranguing. When Mr Neri reached the vehicle, the bald man now began the actual finger pointing. Yes, for all his english he finally resorted to finger pointing while nagging the Secretary to "tell the truth, tell the truth!"
I'm sure emotions were running high, him being bald and carrying a backpack and all, probably waiting for hours in front of Mr Neri's house, not to mention the frustration the public must be feeling over the NBN/Jun Lozada issue, but I believe there was no call for that sort of rude behavior. Seriously speaking, you can shout, you can scream, you can curse or you can simply state what you want to say in a normal tone. Will pointing a finger at someone's face really help get the point across? I'm sure countless discussions were resolved by screaming at the top of your lungs and pointing a finger at another person's face. Why, if people didn't know it yet, we should broadcast that pointing a finger at someone's face is the solution to world peace! It will help everybody get along! If the Tutsis in Rwanda and the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo walked up to those who were committing genocide and pointed a finger at their face and said "stop! stop!" then I ‘m certain the ethnic cleansing and systematic murders would have stopped right there! Right at that moment! Alas, that knowledge has come too late to save the lives of millions.
But then maybe the finger pointing was aimed at provoking a different response, most likely a negative response from the Secretary. I suppose it always looks good when you're abused by high-ranking officials and their bodyguards on national television.
Allow me then to pose this question: What will happen if Neri "tells the truth"? What is the "Truth" supposed to be?! That there is corruption on a massive scale within the government? REALLY?! THERE IS CORRUPTION IS THE GOVERNMENT?! OMG!!!! I NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER THOUGHT OF THAT! WOW! NOW MY FAITH AND IDEALISM IN THE WORLD IS SHATTERED AND I AM LEFT WITH NOTHING ELSE TO DO BUT PICK UP THE PIECES! Seriously, what do they want him (Secretary Neri) to say?
Say he does reveal some nefarious deed of corruption, then what? More rallies in the streets? more protests? more blog entries? more effigies and pictures burned? another EDSA people-power-type revolt? How can that solve our problem? 1) another EDSA would undermine the democratic system the country. Unless of course, people don't want a democracy then we can just either be ruled a military junta, a dictator or a politburo, different strokes for different folks. 2) will ousting the present government change the deeply ingrained culture of corruption within the country? Let me cite examples: a policeman or traffic enforcer apprehends a violator, the offending driver offers a bride, the apprehending officer accepts, who is to corrupt? why does the driver believe that brides will work? why bribe in the first place? why accept a bribe? In getting a drivers' license, why pay someone to pass the drivers' exam? I believe that corruption has become such an important part of how we do business with the government that what we need is a cultural change. I have no idea how this can be done, how the people can convince the leaders to not be corrupt but it has to be done.
I love my country, make no mistake about it and I am frustrated by the situation yet I refuse to support anything driven purely by emotion without consideration of the future outcome.
posted by Bottom Basement at 12:11 AM
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