I can’t help but feel awed by how Barack Obama delivers himself in front of a mass of people. In his victory speech, he was so serious you’d think he’s just been burdened by the whole of the world’s problems (in a way this is true). Or maybe he’s just tired, he must be. But his sincerity is unmistakeable and genuine he’s catching any viewer’s attention like a magnet.

Obama’s speech was not entirely impressive. It was another promise to restore the prosperity and protect the security of his country, in front of those who doubt it and those who threaten it. That’s in line with the current economic crisis bludgeoning the US and again that unending and destructive fight against terrorism.

after months of training, the pacquaio-morales fight finally came to a finale last sunday, with manny beating the mexican in three rounds and in a technical knockout. the game finished in almost a blink of an eye.

with that, the filipinos were in ecstasy. many were too happy indeed that even a local tabloid here had to post a headline “MANNY FOR PRESIDENT”. funny alright, but should that come true, i honestly would want to migrate in no time.

seriously, manny as president is an elephant in the sea; it is a misplaced optimism. i love manny, but id rather see him ruling the boxing ring rather than the country.

the issues that beset our land at present hurts me. but what hurts me more is the waning of the hope the filipinos have for centuries depended on. we are losing ourselves. many are leaving this place branding it filthy, disgusting, and rotten. almost all are seeking for the soonest escape. and yet, for all this confusion, when people are pointing fingers more than they have, it is clear that there is really no one in particular to be blamed – not the government, not the militants, not the poor. we are all but victims here.

now what’s happening around isn’t really an issue anymore whether a petite american-trained filipino economist won or not. and it’s not a matter of justice for the former king of weirdo hair and action stunts. it is not a matter of attention or the lack of it. it’s not even a matter of who shouts with greater power, or who has the greatest speech. the real issue here is this: yes, there is a dire need for a radical change. and yes, the battle is a very tough one. but it’s not finished yet. so why in the heck are we raising that damned white flag!

we filipinos have tested our strength in kicking the asses out of those who dared to trample our shores. we’ve tested the power of our unity in the spanish revolution and in the edsa one. we’ve tested the greatness of our heroes, whether they are rizal’s contemporaries, or flor contemplacion’s intrepid followers. for all those tests, dear fellowmen, it is noteworthy that we’ve passed. now why is it so difficult in believing in ourselves? in believing in the power of the Filipino nation?

i believe in the potential the philippines has. we have everything beneath our feet. we have the resources, we have the minds, we have the hands. we are gifted. we are blessed. but do we really see the gifts? the blessings? no, we see only the imperfections, the flaws. we long for things we do not have. we laud the superiority of other nations, riding in their fashion, getting on with their fad. now we’re deeming our citizenship as worthless. we are ashamed of this country. we hate it.

yes, there has been so much talk going on around. and yes, we are tired and sick of saliva spurting out endlessly, when less and less actions are being done. but what do we do? we lock our eyes to the television, waiting for that another blot to appear in the papers of history. we shout for joy when our side attacks. and then we curse when the other side backfires. we think we should win, and the other should kneel down and kiss our feet. yet if it seems as if we’re no longer given favor by fate, we blame the innocent. we blame the philippines. we hate it for making us miserable. for letting us experience hell. and so we want to get away from it, coz the philippines, we say, won’t and is not doing us any good. we hunger for nations like japan and america, for pastures as green as those in europe, in the belief they could build our lives.

but ask yourself. did japan built the japanese? did the US built the americans? did europe built the british, the franks, and the germans? no. it has always been the other way around. it’s the people who build the nation.

the philippines is not yet built, people. yes, we have the land to build it on. we have the materials to build it with. but we aren’t building yet! and that’s because we don’t want to. we’re foolish to think it will build itself and secure the facilities to cater to our demands. it’s time to stop asking for this country. it’s time to ponder that famous statement: think not of what your country can do to you, but what you can do for your country. and i tell you, there are a multitude of things to be done. and if we don’t start now, we’re doomed. and if that happens, then we only have ourselves to thank.

we, filipinos, should now start believing in our power, that we can conquer any obstacle in our way, that we can elicit respect from the world, and most importantly, that we can make our nation great. and i know it is not impossible. if the japanese were able to build japan out of nothing, what more for us right? we just have to stop the talking. let’s get our hands to work. and together, build the nation that for centuries has dwelt in misery..because of neglect.

hmm. siao may be right. im getting too political. wala lang. in the time of erap kasi, i was only a first year high school student. and the things that were happening that time were, to be honest, of nothing significant to me. i just thought erap should resign then because it seems that everyone was calling for it. i honestly didn’t even get what they were saying in the proceedings in the impeachment trial other than the thing with the envelope, which practically launched a million mouths to the streets. and then, that was it, the rest was history.

but now, it’s different. im in my 2nd year in college, and i just realized that i have something to say. not that my opinion would matter, but i just felt that i have to at least state whatever that opinion may be.

i hate the militant groups. they are so paranoid, acting as if a civil war will soon break out and crying as if another colonization is under way. it’s true, these groups may have been instrumental in the first edsa revolution, speaking out with audacity even if they knew marcos’s guns are ready to fire when they too are ready to open their mouths. what they did were certainly patriotic, and we would always treasure those in our history. but it seems as if they are still in trauma (after what? 20 years?) since marcos started the workings of the insane, that there never was a time they tired of working their mouths. until now, their mouths are still wide open. worse, they’ve multiplied! oh, if only we could use their energies, we could actually power the whole country!

ok, they were successful in liberating us from asinine credulity 20 years ago. but instead of peace, what have we? all we have at present are more shouts, more rallies, more demonstrations. it’s unbelievable. we’ve become more chaotic now than before. marcos is gone, the martial law cast away, the repression of rights destroyed, but not any of these things seemed to have at least calmed them.

we are no longer under a grasping hand of a power-hungry dictator, but it’s obvious they still think otherwise. a little more and i would really say they’re already crazed. i know they have their right to democracy and im not saying they should stop blurting out the ills of society. i recognize their plights, their sentiments, and their right to air them out because there is truth in what they are trying to say. but it has always been a one-sided truth. i guess its high time that they try changing a bit of their attitude. it’s been too much. they are overreacting. they are already out of place. they’re attacking the country, instead of helping it from the attacks of the real enemies.

if i were them, ill think a thousand times. ill make a stratagem that would effectively destroy a politician without having the country destroyed along the way. but i guess its not in their system to think like that. they are selfish. the country’s not theirs alone, you know. in fact, they consist barely a hundredth of the population, but they’ve become too powerful, too influential, that their making too much radical changes, changes that have harmed, instead of helped, the rest of the Filipinos. and it appears they’re not stopping yet. now isn’t that unfair?

all these hullabaloos on political destabilization are really trying my patience. they’re no longer motivating. they are already annoying. and as if we are going somewhere about the issues. no, we’re not. it’s been almost 2 weeks since the nation got hit by the jueteng and gloriagate scandals, but there isn’t still a case. could you believe that? and it seems as if there wouldn’t be any case at all, as no one wants to file one. all we have are gossips, arguments, assumptions. but after two weeks of babbling, where exactly has the republic gone?

it is very clear that these issues are making destructive ripples in the economy, and it is not really something that we, Filipinos, deserve. fine, Gloria has committed a crime. but why bring everything to the streets? why wouldn’t they go to the court and file a case? in my opinion, the people behind these outrageous plot are dreaming of another edsa, to which they knew people would do with a little more push. but heck! they’re making us all look idiots. since they knew the process would definitely take time, they took the shortcut. and that shortcut meant the streets, the media, the people. now are we really that dumb to summon to their self interests?

what is happening now is no where near the situation in erap’s time, where credible testimonials were surfacing one after another. i say they’re credible because they were free of political ambitions, not like now, where it is very evident the opposition is in the back of it all. moreover, the testimonials that appeared in that time did not cry over the media that people should go to the streets and hammer down the country, nor did they comment that the president should resign. slowly, they showed the evidences. they provided proof. and when the people have seen enough, heard enough, that’s when a spontaneous cry for change exploded into a revolution. but looking at the situation now, the people are being ordered. we are being taught what to do. if they’re intentions are really for the country’s interest, then they would let us decide. file a case, so we will know the truth. and let’s see if another edsa is really necessary.

im not saying that all these scandals are just that – scandals. i just want everything to be laid out clear and smooth. but because these people are determined to run this country awry, the people, the Filipinos, are the ones that really suffer. they’re plunging the country in a crisis, when the world has seen it desperately trying to rise. they’re destroying the state, that’s what im seeing. so please, stop all these sh*t!