Do we live in an uncivilized society?

It is sad to admit it but I think we are headed toward the dumps if we do not get our act together. What do we really want for the Philippines? How do we want our country to become? We use to be the best country in Asia and now we fall at the bottom. What is happening?

No, let us not blame the GMA government alone for causing this sudden drop although her government may be one of the contributing factors to it. It began a long time ago probably even before the Marcos administration but became worst during Cory’s, Ramos’ and Erap’s time. All these leaders have allowed our government to deteriorate – they have allowed graft and corruption without even condemning or punishing the criminals in government. As a result, we have become a corrupt society. Super corrupt that we cannot get any action done without paying government officials "under the table" money to get things done.

Oh c’mon! Do not deny this. It is already a fact. Ask anybody around you and they can tell you their stories of government corruption. Not only the government but also the Senate, Congress and Judiciary are guilty of such acts. Sure tell me its old news but what are we doing about it?

The common people although they want to break this habit cannot do anything. Let’s say we want to follow the regular procedures of a department (ie Customs Department, LTO, SEC, etc.), we will not be able to get what we want right away – pahirapan pa until we bribe the official. Ganyan ba talaga? Yup! Only the powerful can achieve victory – what about Juan Dela Cruz?

Sorry ha but in Las Piñas alone, there are many government offices there that are known to be very corrupt. I thought Manny Villar (my ninong) who hails from this city, being a respected official (together with his wife and family) can bust these offices. Sir buhaya na naba sila? Wala na bang pag-asa? Why not cleanse all the offices and put new people? By doing this your city will not be classified as having the most corrupt city officials. With all due respect sir, it is so hard to get all kinds of permits, work with the Register of Deeds, or even transact minor business without giving more money than what should be "normally" paid. Of course, the Village Associations are also a problem in that area. But if you want to survive you have to do as the Romans do....

You can see such acts of corruption on television but apparently, life goes on and officials are unaffected by the revelations of media. No action is done. Corruption is still very apparent. Tuloy the Filipinos already know that those who run for government have no other agenda but to continue sucking the country’s money. Surely, it will be fun to see the roster of candidates come this election period – observe, analyze, question their motives. He! He! He!

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If we talk of our government alone – sure the leaders may not look like uncivilized people because they seem well-educated and refined. They do not eat humans, I mean raw meat and are not savaged. But parang with the way they handle or operate the system, they fail and can be labeled as uncivilized. They are either not skilled enough to work for government or their inner greed is what makes them comparable to wild vultures.

When you go down the line of public service, there you can see (an array) myriads of uncivilized people. There are too many characters in such offices who reflect the features of barbarians. Such a strong adjective used huh? But it is true – many government clerks to supervisors are ignorant, coarse, cruel and unrefined. No sense of professionalism whatsoever. You can see it outright when you visit a government office. Check out the comfort rooms and offices. Listen to their language. Observe the way they communicate with you and with other people. Ask questions and they will give you the roundabouts – simply because they do not know the answer. As you fall in line you realize that the clerk is taking his or her time dilly dallying. Check out the time they open (late), break time period (too long because it includes siesta) and the time they close shop (too early). If they want to make business with you, they give you a hard time and say come back tomorrow may problema papeles mo. Then you return and they give you another reason until you get fed up and say ok how much is needed in order to resolve this problem immediately? If you complain about that person, you will be branded in that office and officers will avoid you. So why complain di ba? What is worse is when the boss is part of the scam. So what will the poor fellow do? Feed corruption to get things done. So wouldn’t you call this an uncivilized state?

Now let us talk about the Pinoys in general. The lack of education makes our people uncivilized. We urinate on walls, cars, pavements, etc. Even in the toilet, we urinate on the floor. We cannot seem to shoot the urine on the bowl (this goes for both men and women). We easily throw food scraps, tissue, wrappers cigarette butts on the street. We spit anywhere. We snort out mucus aiming it away from us but hitting other people – yuk! We cough out our lungs without covering our mouth. These are just a few of my pet peeves but there are more and I am sure you have more. When you think about it, these mere acts alone are behaviors of uncivilized people.

We have cars and we drive them on the streets but we do not follow the rules of the road. When a cop pulls us over, we increase our speed instead of stopping. It is like playing "catch me if you can." We stop our vehicles anywhere even in the middle of the road just to drop or get a passenger. We have a driver’s license but we do not know what the traffic signs mean. We even have reached the point of stealing traffic signs. How barbaric!

When we fall in line in the grocery store, bank, ATM machine, etc. there will always be a smart ass (oops excuse my language) who will cut in the line – as if he or she did not see the long line. !Que barbaridad!

This coming week will be busy for all – we will have Halloween Parties, trips out-of-town, All Soul’s Day and All Saint’s Day. Go out and enjoy the break and as you journey through observe how our society behaves in all these public places whether in a resort place, in the mall, on the highways, the cemeteries, etc. You will be able to decide for yourself if indeed, we live in an uncivilized society.