Here I am again, about to share you
something. It kind of caught my attention because I did experienced it
personally, heard the words with my very own two ears and saw the facial
expressions and gestures of the persons involved.
This happened today, November 9th 2016 when I was traveling back to our office. I came from a government agency to deliver some documents associated with my current job function. I was riding a tricycle which is a common mode of transportation here in General Santos City, Philippines, besides myself there are four other passengers at the back portion of the tricycle cab which leaves one more vacant seat in front beside me.
From time to time (almost every corner, that's what I mean) the driver pulls to a stop and then shouts the name of the place of our destination to solicit a passenger to fill the unoccupied seat. After nearly fifteen minutes of stopping and shouting of the driver, one of the passengers at the back, an old woman who seems to have impatient because of the amount of time we are losing and she looks really like in a haste got angry and called the attention of the driver.
Woman: you're going to fast, slow down a bit. No one is in a hurry (feel that sarcasm? I did).
Almost instantly, I can feel the tension inside the tricycle. To this, the driver replied.
This happened today, November 9th 2016 when I was traveling back to our office. I came from a government agency to deliver some documents associated with my current job function. I was riding a tricycle which is a common mode of transportation here in General Santos City, Philippines, besides myself there are four other passengers at the back portion of the tricycle cab which leaves one more vacant seat in front beside me.
From time to time (almost every corner, that's what I mean) the driver pulls to a stop and then shouts the name of the place of our destination to solicit a passenger to fill the unoccupied seat. After nearly fifteen minutes of stopping and shouting of the driver, one of the passengers at the back, an old woman who seems to have impatient because of the amount of time we are losing and she looks really like in a haste got angry and called the attention of the driver.
Woman: you're going to fast, slow down a bit. No one is in a hurry (feel that sarcasm? I did).
Almost instantly, I can feel the tension inside the tricycle. To this, the driver replied.
Driver: sorry Ma'am but it’s already twelve
fifteen and I barely have enough earnings to cover the boundary, I am just
renting this tricycle cab and I have trying to dodge the traffic authorities
because this unit doesn't have a registration.
Woman: That's good, that's what you get for voting Mr. R, might as well vote him again next election.
And that's it, just like that and their conversation turned for the worst and delved into politics. Apparently the driver got offended by the woman's remark, he fell silent for a bit while the woman kept of making malicious remarks against the local government officials of the city.
Woman: For our Mayor so loved the residents of this city that he will ultimately ban all tricycles all over the city and replace it with multi-cabs (another yet not very common mode of transportation compared to tricycle) which in all honesty is his own business, he owns most of the multi-cabs here and he is only pursuing his own selfish interest in proposing this policy. They said they are willing to extend financial help to the will be displaced drivers in a form of loan for them to be able to have their own multi-cabs, but imagine! A four hundred thousand pesos loan?, A driver in his twenties will have to work all day and all night if he wants to fully pay that kind of debt before his sixtieth, that's pure injustice and unlikely for a millionaire mayor like him.
That's the kind of traffic we are talking about, just look at all those tricycles.
Will that address the problem of traffic in this city? Yes! It can help decongest the heavy traffic in main thoroughfares which one of the reasons why our local economy is not booming as it should. But in doing so, did they consider the living of the tricycle drivers that will be displaced? The answer is No! They are even capitalizing on it to satisfy their greed for money. The Lord might not forgive me, but when they die as everybody would all their treasures and material wealth will be left behind and they will not be able to bring to wherever they will be after that. I'll say this again, that's your KARMA for voting him.
The woman just won't stop, the things she is saying have some grains of truth in it but she can't seem to have enough of it when finally the driver felt the need to at least to present his case.
Driver: I admit, I voted for him as most of the tricycle drivers in this city have. In fact, I can safely assume that it is the driver's votes that seated him in his office. Why? Because we believed in the things that he said, during the campaign period in one of his speeches to which I was given the “opportunity” to audience he said that he will not ban the tricycles in the city, not even the ones without registration provided that the driver is properly documented and a resident of GenSan, (some drivers come from nearby Municipalities who are grabbing the opportunity of the volume of public commuters in the city) and believed that. I guess that is our only fault, we took his words for it and now we feel like we've been betrayed and he doesn't really all that from the beginning.
If you think that we don't hate them for that, you are wrong Ma'am. Right now all of the drivers in this are all almost excited for the next election, we are a big part of why he is sitting comfortably in his office right now but we also have the power to unseat him. He is a liar and we fell for it, it almost seems like we sold six years of our lives for a meager amount of money he gave us during the election period and his flowery speeches.
This is the situation in almost every intersection
Woman: Yes! But you will not be able to do that until, like you said six years from now. Most of the likes of you did not even finish high school which means most of you have little to no understanding of the serious factors of governance, that's the problem. You got easily swayed by his money and mouth which couldn't have happened if you only knew.
The driver, against somewhat offended turned to face the woman, I swear I actually thought and saw his expressions changing and about to glare and grab the woman by her hair. Fortunately, it did not happen, he turned again and maintained his eyes on the road while saying.
Driver: We will not sell our votes again. We will not sell our and our children's future again. It may still be a long time until the next election, we will still accept the money he is bribing us but never again will I ever vote for that person.
Woman: That's good, that's what you get for voting Mr. R, might as well vote him again next election.
And that's it, just like that and their conversation turned for the worst and delved into politics. Apparently the driver got offended by the woman's remark, he fell silent for a bit while the woman kept of making malicious remarks against the local government officials of the city.
Woman: For our Mayor so loved the residents of this city that he will ultimately ban all tricycles all over the city and replace it with multi-cabs (another yet not very common mode of transportation compared to tricycle) which in all honesty is his own business, he owns most of the multi-cabs here and he is only pursuing his own selfish interest in proposing this policy. They said they are willing to extend financial help to the will be displaced drivers in a form of loan for them to be able to have their own multi-cabs, but imagine! A four hundred thousand pesos loan?, A driver in his twenties will have to work all day and all night if he wants to fully pay that kind of debt before his sixtieth, that's pure injustice and unlikely for a millionaire mayor like him.
That's the kind of traffic we are talking about, just look at all those tricycles.
Will that address the problem of traffic in this city? Yes! It can help decongest the heavy traffic in main thoroughfares which one of the reasons why our local economy is not booming as it should. But in doing so, did they consider the living of the tricycle drivers that will be displaced? The answer is No! They are even capitalizing on it to satisfy their greed for money. The Lord might not forgive me, but when they die as everybody would all their treasures and material wealth will be left behind and they will not be able to bring to wherever they will be after that. I'll say this again, that's your KARMA for voting him.
The woman just won't stop, the things she is saying have some grains of truth in it but she can't seem to have enough of it when finally the driver felt the need to at least to present his case.
Driver: I admit, I voted for him as most of the tricycle drivers in this city have. In fact, I can safely assume that it is the driver's votes that seated him in his office. Why? Because we believed in the things that he said, during the campaign period in one of his speeches to which I was given the “opportunity” to audience he said that he will not ban the tricycles in the city, not even the ones without registration provided that the driver is properly documented and a resident of GenSan, (some drivers come from nearby Municipalities who are grabbing the opportunity of the volume of public commuters in the city) and believed that. I guess that is our only fault, we took his words for it and now we feel like we've been betrayed and he doesn't really all that from the beginning.
If you think that we don't hate them for that, you are wrong Ma'am. Right now all of the drivers in this are all almost excited for the next election, we are a big part of why he is sitting comfortably in his office right now but we also have the power to unseat him. He is a liar and we fell for it, it almost seems like we sold six years of our lives for a meager amount of money he gave us during the election period and his flowery speeches.
This is the situation in almost every intersection
Woman: Yes! But you will not be able to do that until, like you said six years from now. Most of the likes of you did not even finish high school which means most of you have little to no understanding of the serious factors of governance, that's the problem. You got easily swayed by his money and mouth which couldn't have happened if you only knew.
The driver, against somewhat offended turned to face the woman, I swear I actually thought and saw his expressions changing and about to glare and grab the woman by her hair. Fortunately, it did not happen, he turned again and maintained his eyes on the road while saying.
Driver: We will not sell our votes again. We will not sell our and our children's future again. It may still be a long time until the next election, we will still accept the money he is bribing us but never again will I ever vote for that person.
Woman: Pffft!
Luckily, the tricycle already reached my destination and told the driver to drop me off by the gates of our company complex. I can't help but think back to the conversation I just heard and witnessed, the funny thing is not the conversation itself, but the fact that I already witnessed and heard that kind of conversation three years ago in this same city, though different personas involved.
Vote buying is an important symptom of corruption which the Philippines (not just General Santos City) is notorious for, it only goes to show how deplorable the system of our government is and how uneducated the voters are. It is so saddening the my country is in a situation like this, but I can see change is already coming and some can already be felt by the public because of the current national government's effort at combating corruption and criminality, that's why I am still hopeful.
As for the problem of traffic, measures should be taken really but also the well being of the person that will be affected by the shift in policy shall be given optimum consideration. The transition is always the hardest but with the right intervention and unselfish, honest to goodness alleviation programs it will proceed.
Luckily, the tricycle already reached my destination and told the driver to drop me off by the gates of our company complex. I can't help but think back to the conversation I just heard and witnessed, the funny thing is not the conversation itself, but the fact that I already witnessed and heard that kind of conversation three years ago in this same city, though different personas involved.
Vote buying is an important symptom of corruption which the Philippines (not just General Santos City) is notorious for, it only goes to show how deplorable the system of our government is and how uneducated the voters are. It is so saddening the my country is in a situation like this, but I can see change is already coming and some can already be felt by the public because of the current national government's effort at combating corruption and criminality, that's why I am still hopeful.
As for the problem of traffic, measures should be taken really but also the well being of the person that will be affected by the shift in policy shall be given optimum consideration. The transition is always the hardest but with the right intervention and unselfish, honest to goodness alleviation programs it will proceed.
We should all learn, educate ourselves
because ignorance is not a valid excuse for our wrong choices, be wise and
think ahead (not just six years ahead but a lifetime ahead). Consider your and
your children's future, stop selling SIX OF YOUR YEARS, STOP SELLING YOUR VOTE.
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