The photo here is that of Waterloo station, a London train terminus that services over 99 million passengers per year. Being around trains and train stations so much during my time in England has brought to the fore something that a lot of Filipnos have had on their minds for a long, long, time.
A lot of people in the Philippines have long hoped for an efficient mass transit system that would allow commuters to travel around the archipelago quickly, and at reasonable prices. A lot of factors have prevented this from happening over the years, though.
The political situation in my homeland has not helped. The Philippines has some of the highest incidence rates of corruption in Asia. Because of this, people have been conditioned to approach all people from government with a degree of mistrust. While this is understandable, the people's cynicism also serves as a deterrent to progress, care of the efforts of the few who consider public welfare to be of paramount importance. While the 1986 People Power Revolution can be considered to be a shining moment in Philippine history, when the will of the people triumphed over the destructive whims of an abuse dictator, it has inculcated a radical mindset among Filipinos. This, mixed with an almost innate skepticism direct towards the bureaucracy, makes for a tricky situation. What we have here is a "chicken and egg" scenario. It's hard to trust government, yes, but one also needs to work with government to get policies passed, and to see development through to completion. Reform, or even abolition, is one thing, but, performance can sometimes tend to be easier than actual brass tacks action.
We Filipinos are a talented bunch, but, as our country's socio-political history has shown, we do like to bring the persons next to us down when we can. "Crab mentality", they call it. It's sickening. How long did it take for our country to buckle down to having automated elections? How long did it take for somebody to realize that one of our national airport's terminals did not have operation CCTV cameras? Not soon enough, I'm afraid. Unity, sadly, is our Waterloo.
Yes, we could use a better public transport system in the Philippines, but the problems go deeper than that. So long as we have boxers-cum senators for legislators, a bloodthirsty demagogue for a President, and those who pillage the coffers of our morale, pride, and bank accounts running wild in the streets, and in government, then, we might us well pack our bags and call it a day. Truth is, there are many Filipinos out there who would like nothing more than to hit the road- and never come back. Home has begun to not feel like home for so many. When a man does not have a soft pillow to rest his head on, what becomes of his mind, his, heart, and his soul?
Wander he does. With no end in sight.
MC
A lot of people in the Philippines have long hoped for an efficient mass transit system that would allow commuters to travel around the archipelago quickly, and at reasonable prices. A lot of factors have prevented this from happening over the years, though.
The political situation in my homeland has not helped. The Philippines has some of the highest incidence rates of corruption in Asia. Because of this, people have been conditioned to approach all people from government with a degree of mistrust. While this is understandable, the people's cynicism also serves as a deterrent to progress, care of the efforts of the few who consider public welfare to be of paramount importance. While the 1986 People Power Revolution can be considered to be a shining moment in Philippine history, when the will of the people triumphed over the destructive whims of an abuse dictator, it has inculcated a radical mindset among Filipinos. This, mixed with an almost innate skepticism direct towards the bureaucracy, makes for a tricky situation. What we have here is a "chicken and egg" scenario. It's hard to trust government, yes, but one also needs to work with government to get policies passed, and to see development through to completion. Reform, or even abolition, is one thing, but, performance can sometimes tend to be easier than actual brass tacks action.
We Filipinos are a talented bunch, but, as our country's socio-political history has shown, we do like to bring the persons next to us down when we can. "Crab mentality", they call it. It's sickening. How long did it take for our country to buckle down to having automated elections? How long did it take for somebody to realize that one of our national airport's terminals did not have operation CCTV cameras? Not soon enough, I'm afraid. Unity, sadly, is our Waterloo.
Yes, we could use a better public transport system in the Philippines, but the problems go deeper than that. So long as we have boxers-cum senators for legislators, a bloodthirsty demagogue for a President, and those who pillage the coffers of our morale, pride, and bank accounts running wild in the streets, and in government, then, we might us well pack our bags and call it a day. Truth is, there are many Filipinos out there who would like nothing more than to hit the road- and never come back. Home has begun to not feel like home for so many. When a man does not have a soft pillow to rest his head on, what becomes of his mind, his, heart, and his soul?
Wander he does. With no end in sight.
MC
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