Happy Independence Day!

UPDATE: Google homepage featured our holiday!

UPDATE: I've added our issues with China

It's 0:01 of June 12, 2014 as I am writing this part. This means that I stayed awake to witness the transition from yesterday to today.

To the Filipino people, Happy Independence Day!

July 4th 1946 is the original Philippine Independence Day.
That means it's still too early to celebrate it right now, eh?

Hey, are we really a free people? Yes, we are a free people in terms of geographical territories and the absence of military oppression from foreign conquistadors.

But hey, are we really living the freedom we ought to be living? I don't completely think so. The Filipinos are now being shackled by our national problems, adding them to the personal problems we are already battling with. For the past few months, what have we been facing?

Southeast Asian countries are now backbiting the people of mainland China for their illegal and unexcused practices of invading our territories, claiming that these are ching chong chang properties. They (along with some of our shameless countrymen) even went as far as kidnapping more than 500 of our precious, but now endangered, sea turtles (pawikan) through illegal entry to our exclusive economic zone. A significant fraction of these poor creatures were butchered within their boats. The sea turtle cutlets may have been simmered as well while these unwelcome visitors were enjoying their stay on our waters. Despite this being a hateful incident, I was relieved that there were some sea turtles which were spared the violence. As if preparing for an attack, China is building its own military base in Mabini Reef that can attack the entire Philippines and parts of our neighboring SE nations when it is loaded with fighters. We should prepare ourselves for any war that would break out any time from now.

Fear has been well instilled in our minds now, but we still have a concern we humans, for sure, don't have control over. We had numerous ladies and old men brushing their way against our lands, claiming thousands of lives, destroying homes and households, and plundering livestock, fishery and vegetation》. While our friends from around the world have been sending their assistance》--financial, medical, nutritional--to those who were directly affected, our leaders are very slow to take action》.

I don't exactly blame the government here. It's about time that we, Filipinos, are generally very slow to adapt to situations like this. We take a long time to look at our surrounding before we could think of an appropriate plan as a response to these catastrophes. Moreover, Filipinos, the way I see it, like relying on other people too much. "Have a problem with money? Marry someone who is rich!" that kinda thing. Again, this would depend on the context and might not be applicable to some of us. It seems we need to rebuild our character from bottom to top so that we become self-reliant.

To worsen our stand, there are some civil servants who aren't moved to act on our adversities. Why? They're too busy with their hands holding onto something more important to them than the lives of others, than the lives of the people they are supposed to serve. And that points to another problem that just came to light last year.

It's been about a year since then, but the Pork Barrel Scam still hasn't reached a conclusion. And just recently, we made it to international news! Happy? Pinoy Pride? Hell, no! What kind of citizen wouldn't be infuriated by this scandalous phenomenon? However, we should be at least be thankful how it was finally exposed to the masses, now away from the total darkness of secrecy. Many eyes are watching our politicians now and it's kinda hard to put our trust again to the people involved.

Let's liken this situation to a household, the basic unit of a community. Will you ever entrust your money meant for the renovation of your home to someone who is given the title to be good at fixing homes? BUT! But he (the appointed leader) will run away with your buckets of money, leaving the work to someone else (those who obviously don't have any idea how to govern a place and its people) who can't do the job and uses cheap, light-duty material (cheap public and health services, neglected education, displaced scientists, low security levels)? Which idiot will? Tell me.

The leaders are chosen by the people to do their job, not only because the masses are reliant of other people, i.e. the government, to solve national and even local problems. They are chosen because they are recognized as the most publicized for their proclaimed love for the country and its people.

Some of them may be true to their words, but there are, for sure, others who are maintaining a facade all these years. Some are truly and commendably doing their service, but there are others who just lavishly spend their days on foreign trips in the disguise of peace talks or international forum. Some are truly caring for the people, more specially to the less fortunate strata of society, but there are those who are very friendly to the rich corporate to smooch some of their money that the rich are just having the pleasure to excrete.

I bet we can't count just how many (or few) the true public servants are in the country. Many of them enter world of politics for prominence, authority, and wealth even without the qualification for good governance and service. These are all motives that cannot be regarded as ulterior. By now, the country is aware of the crocodiles on top of the hierarchy.

It all seems hopeless for the country. But today isn't the end. Tomorrow might not be the end, too. As long as there is a future, there is a way to destroy the existing systems and rebuild the country. I still believe? Nah, it's more like I'm just running out of hopeful things to say.

So, Happy Independence Day!