Like koi chasing feed

Every morning, I am duty bound to feed my pet koi or carp fish. Through the years, this morning ritual has become so ingrained in fish and man, to the point they already gather even before I can scoop pellets out of the bucket.

I don’t know how intelligent fish or koi can be, but I suspect that the sound of footsteps and morning shadows hitting the pond surface has trained them that breakfast will soon be served.

I also noticed that the older, bigger koi bully or bump the smaller fish to get the food. So, I tried a different style of feeding. I stopped throwing clumps into just one spot where they gather and end up causing havoc, confusion and possible injury.

Instead, I spread the pellets in smaller doses in different parts of the pond. This lessens the noise of food hitting the water and prevents the koi from focusing on one area.

By doing this, I redirect the fish to different parts of the pond and widen the feeding area instead of all of them creating a feeding frenzy in the middle. This morning the thought hit me.

I think that tactic is also being used by politicians and practitioners of Dark PR on Filipinos. A number of people have expressed bewilderment that after being robbed of billions of pesos in the ghost projects, why have Filipinos not expressed their anger?

Even worse, why, after being victims of the worst flooding ever, losing homes, cars, a week’s wage and getting sick and losing more money, why are Filipinos not gathering in blind rage to lynch those they now openly curse as the cause of our national misery?

Other columnists, analysts and scientists have raised other events and incidents that would have led to revolts in other countries. Yet Filipinos choose to be humorous or satirical comics while chanting “Filipinos are resilient.”

In relation to my observations by the koi pond, I suspect that Filipinos are intentionally redirected, fed or distracted by different incidents, issues, etc., so that we don’t end up focusing on the One Big Sin of Ghost Projects or complicity of national leaders in massive acts of plunder, etc.

To stop the dogs from barking and biting, all the tacticians do is throw bits and pieces for us to chew on and turn it into national entertainment or online wonder. The Dark Side has clearly used our gossip and entertainment culture against us.

PBBM’s SONA statement “Mahiya naman kayo” now comes across like Pontius Pilate washing his hands of the blood of Jesus Christ – deflected by CongTractors by investigating and targeting DPWH officials who in turn dragged contractors into the field of guilt. 

When contractors and DPWH officials were ready to name names to save their necks, DOJ officials did their spiel and suddenly, the momentum was disrupted with unbelievable affidavits, unbelievable congressional investigations, deaths and suicide.

 Suddenly contractors and DPWH officials were no longer the target; senators turned into replacement targets, until even critics or anti-plunder personalities were targeted.

 Filipinos eventually got sick and tired of the entire charade. But the heavens did not fall for it. “Be not deceived. God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

 The recent “siyam-siyam” of rains and storms painfully reminded us of our sorry state and revived our national rage against corrupt government and politicians.

 But even before we could dry our laundry from last year, the Dark Side has yet again peddled or fanned stories or incidents to prevent us from locking on the target.

 There was the controversy over DOE/ERC meddling in solar power installations for homes which was retracted faster than it was presented.

Then the mysterious Pax Silica, which has environmentalists and nationalists angry at imperialists because of the ridiculous and unconstitutional demands of the US side, in spite of any technical detail available. 

Remember the 2026 SONA where PBBM directed public discontent at systems losses and got a round of applause from the audience? 

Then people started asking when will government remove VAT on indirect charges in our electric bills? Or when will government reduce or remove the excise tax on fuel which is a burden to all?

 Suddenly former DPWH secretary Manny Bonoan was fed to the mythical lions, rejected or denied the status of state witness. 

If that was not enough to get our attention, we got a double dose of disasters in the form of four Philippine “Maleta Marines” retracting their affidavits against Martin Romualdez and several school shootings and gun-related juvenile delinquencies. 

Today, school shootings have become the only thing on the plate.

The curious thing to me was how the BOC or Bureau of Customs grabbed the headlines by addressing the father and the loose firearms, just like in the US version where a sheriff resigned after his son was killed while attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump.

I can imagine the tug of war between angry Filipinos concentrating on pushing the ball forward to charge and convict criminals in government, while Dark Side media drop cluster bombs of distraction. 

Whether it’s the impeachment, Auntie Claire versus Teachers Incorporated, or calls and rumors about the AFP and their support for PBBM, you can expect another number to play when government gets squeezed so you get distracted.