Change as you kick and scream

I remember watching a movie where the character of Peter the Great gave a speech, part of which went: I shall bring you and Mother Russia to greatness even if I have to drag you there kicking and screaming.

These words may soon become the motto of the Duterte administration and mayors wanting to introduce solutions and change in our society. If you think that the War on drugs has stirred up a hornet’s nest, just watch until national agencies and local officials start implementing or experimenting on how to solve the traffic crisis, fight corruption, eradicate illegal gambling, overhaul our prison system, clean and fix the broken justice system. Etc. The government may very well have to drag us while we are kicking and screaming in resistance to the very change we aspired for.

Nobody likes disruption and the only time we welcome change is if it benefits us and it is not at our expense. Never mind the thought that other people have been disrupted or have had to make the sacrifice that results in our comfort or convenience. By and large, what matters is that “We,” “You” or “I” won’t have to experience the disruption. Sorry but we are ALL, in some form or manner guilty of being obstructionists to change, if not down right selfish about it. The reason this is so is “because we can”; as in we can because we make the rules, the rules allow us, or because we can get away with it.

Those who have the money or can afford it have been able to, or are allowed to build their own world of private and gated communities, residential condominium enclaves, private schools and universities and business establishments with their own rules and their own way of doing things. At the forefront of it all is the premise that “Private Property” and “Private money” is almost exempt from government interference. It has not helped that government, Congress and the courts are run and controlled by the same rich people who build, promote and live in this world of exclusivity.

Not to be out done, the rest of the middle and lower class along with the urban poor, have managed to establish their own worlds and rules by putting up “street associations,” associations of business owners, controlling the Barangays, as well as organizing the equivalent of ghettos or communities based on ethnicity or religion or economic status. Yes, even the poor have their own “Territoryo.” They too have their own rules, boundaries, and practices that are largely UNCHALLENGED by Barangay officials, the “Munisipyo”, or City Hall as a political necessity if not compromise.

Rich or poor, we/they make our own traffic rules, street signs, lay claim to the road in front of our houses/buildings as our exclusive parking space and to prevent others from “illegally” parking in that space, we place boulders, signs or hazards to others. We issue our own stickers and some even charge pass through fees on public roads.  In some areas, even the police can’t just drive in or walk into the area without getting proper permission from village heads or religious elders.

Fortunately or unfortunately we are now seeing and experiencing the end result and the price we pay for organized chaos, exclusivity and individual selfishness as citizens. No less than President Duterte pointed out how the police in the past restrained themselves from being proactive in police work for fear of being dragged to court and consequently going without pay for an average of five years.  So we/they have to hire our own guards for our street associations of 10 to 30 houses while paying taxes for the same purpose. Because of the exclusive zones of the rich and the average, we have become part of the traffic and the crowds we want to restrict or limit access into “our territory.”

When politicians treat the police and civil servants like personal servants in places such as the Senate and in Congress, what motivation would they have to do their jobs and enforce the laws? When LGU officials and barangay officials find themselves facing nuisance or harassment suits simply for doing their jobs, is it a surprise that they eventually adopted a “Hands Off” attitude?

With the entry of the Duterte Administration, the regulars and the poor have the impression that it is now their turn to be at the wheel or to benefit from government. Some believe that under President Duterte, the Rich people and those living in exclusive villages will now get their just dessert and will have to tone down their snobbery by a few rungs lower. Maybe so, but the thing about social transformation and political will is that more often than not, everyone is forced to make adjustments and sacrifices; both the governed and those who govern.

The only way out of the chaos is to put order through political will. Given the urgency of situations in various areas of concerns we no longer have the luxury of gentle persuasions or slow and easy transitions. Chances are, the government will have to implement drastic policies and unconventional solutions that will upset or disrupt individuals and communities. It will not be pleasant for all concerned especially when one considers that we now have a President who has political will and is not affected by the Media, political enemies or even foreign celebrities or entities.

Last Saturday I attended a public consultation where the Traffic and Parking Management Office of Pasig City “consulted” the residents of Barangay Kapitolyo on plans to open up a gate “exclusively” for residents with car stickers. While the majority seemed to welcome the idea, there were a number of people who were understandably opposed because they lived on that street. The TPMO did the right thing to consult but they left the place realizing that they should have simply posted signs, given out leaflets and tried out the idea the same way they did with other projects in Pasig.

That will become the norm when government decides to do their job and no longer bother to explain or debate why they have to do things. They will simply do it. That’s when government finally takes control. That’s when the chaos ends.

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