It's now or never, Noynoy!

Those smoke-belching, colossal and monstrous buses are acting like the “kings of EDSA”. I wonder why the MMDA and the LTO allow them to behave this way. They are dangerous beasts. We have been crying out for help since time immemorial but up to this day these buses continue to kill people.

What is the matter? Why haven’t stricter measures and guidelines been set for the bus companies and drivers? Why do illiterate drivers continue to man those buses? I wonder if their registration and driver’s licenses have all been updated. You know, one really ponders on how they were given permission to drive the streets when they can’t seem to understand the road signs and warning signals. My, do they even follow a speed limit? They seem to be chasing life. Call me a coward if you want — I am in fact, horrified to drive beside them. I have asked my friends if they feel the same way and one of them said she has already developed a phobia with these buses. Yup! They are sickening and not really good for our health, safety and sanity.

Tragedies are happening all over the archipelago, one after the other. If not a helicopter crash or a maritime disaster, we have these notorious bus accidents. How bad can this be? Imagine driving along EDSA with all those dragons? The MMDA traffic ways and re-routing schemes are not even of any help. Check out the re-routing scheme by EDSA and Santolan underpass by Camp Crame (where not even a PNP official has lifted a finger to correct) — it is the road that leads to death. As you reach the intersection, a speeding bus (coming from a blind spot) will cross the intersection without stopping, directly on its way to kill the next prey.

The bus companies should also be blamed not just the drivers. These bus operators abuse and exploit their drivers making them work overtime. As a result, they get tired, cross-eyed and worst of all, they even fall asleep while driving. This clearly spells DISASTER. They should be penalized. Why can’t the law be enforced on these violators mercilessly and without exceptions? But then again, if they have strong connections (like padrinos, ninongs, ninangs) within the government agencies — then it just becomes another vicious cycle. Hay naku! Do they actually care?

The greatest deterrent to progress and safety in our country is the bahala na and puwede na and okay lang mentality. Is this just a mentality or is this the cancer of our society? Trotsky once said, “The fundamental premise of a revolution is that the existing social structure has become incapable of solving the urgent problems of development of the nation.” Isn’t this what is happening to our country today? I don’t even see the structures in government anymore. They seem to be all crumbling down just like Humpty Dumpty. In fact, read the poem, hits close to home:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,_

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall._

All the King’s horses,

And all the King’s men_

Couldn’t put Humpty together again!

Ha! Ha! All the “queen’s men” are busy putting their act together and Humpty Dumpty together again. So, they forgot to serve the people. No wonder the Filipinos continue to cry out on the streets. This Administration has shown the citizenry that they don’t care for the simple things every Pinoy wishes to have, such as being able to ride in a decent public transport service, being able to cross the street unharmed, being able to be safe at home, being able to get official records with a lagay, etc.

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This “yellow (Ninoy-Cory) fever” we are experiencing right now will bring us wonders. If we keep the momentum of this “sensation” until May 2010 — we will surely have a winner. Our eyes and minds are not so clear yet but in the horizon is a vision of hope in a new man of character who the Filipinos will fight for. That’s Noynoy Aquino, the son of Ninoy and Cory. Mind you I haven’t made my own pick yet for the next President but I have a strong feeling that if Noynoy runs, he will win. He will of course be a victim of circumstance following his mother’s footsteps. Just like Cory who had no inkling to becoming President, Noynoy who is not yet ready to run may have to rise above the tide and stand up for what he believes to be is right and what must be done. This is a rare moment. It may not present itself again. So, Noynoy must sit with his family and think, think, think. It’s a now or never opportunity that comes only once in a lifetime.

But then again like Cory, if Noynoy wins, people may doubt his leadership and worry that he may succumb to the elders and to their whispers. In other words, he may be too weak to lead and bring everyone toward the age of a new dawn. But what makes Noynoy, the man of the hour is that he comes from a family with strong values founded on a faith that is long lasting. While the current politicians running for president and vice president still have to prove this virtue, Noynoy does not need to do so anymore. It has already been proven. We believe on the values set by Ninoy and Cory. We know very well how the Aquino children were raised. So we know what Noynoy is made of and this gives him an edge over the others in the race.

Risk-taking is forever the responsibility of a leader — a quality which distinguishes him or her from the common herd. Leaders are not always loved, but they must always be respected. And beyond that: Obeyed.

We can no longer afford to be a nation of jaywalkers, bahala na artists, and paranoids. The challenges of the 21st century require that we take hold of ourselves, eschew anarchy and chaos, and come together to present a united front in the march to Philippine progress.

The tasks we face are not easy, and the measures to tackle them will sometimes feel irksome, but nothing comes easy in life and in this world. What the doubters and critics preach may appear attractive, since they appeal to “selfishness”, the most facile emotion to address.

The question is, will Noynoy take the challenge? Perhaps he should remember what his father, Ninoy said to him when he was a little boy. “We need to make sacrifices not just for ourselves but for our country and its people.” The Aquino family has given their lives to the country without question and doubt. This is the legacy they have given the Philippines. Will Noynoy (Kris or any of them for that matter) continue on?