when greed becomes a way of life

when greed becomes a way of life

it's not an uncommon proposition that in order to eradicate corruption
in the philippines, you've got to kill everyone in the country above
the age of 18. during the spring and the summer, that includes my
mother. corruption had become so prevalent even 22 years after marcos
that it had assumed the status of a birthright among those in power.
to question corruption in the philippines is like a silly form of
inutile outrage. so silly that to cry foul to a government official
committing graft right before your very eyes had become one stupid
exercise.

stupid because you'll end up stupider than the stupid government
official you are trying to catch. stupid because in the eyes of the
public, you are catching a government official who only does what he
is in power for, which is steal from government coffers. after all,
conventional wisdom says, who doesn't do it anyway?

it becomes even stupider when you try to bring someone to court for,
what else, stealing money from the already bankrupt government. it had
become so ridiculous in the eye of the filipino that such an act would
only be time wasted and, ironically, even embolden those who have
assumed the habit of getting kickbacks without even trying. such is
the fate of such idiots like salonga, guingona, cory aquino and the
others who, even in the last stages of their long lives have enlisted
themselves to the most useless of useless causes. bringing gloria
arroyo to answer for her greed.

because according to popular filipino wisdom, why change a government
with a new one since the next government will be just as, if not more
corrupt, than the last? it makes perfect sense since arroyo is
preceded by estrada and estrada is preceded by ramos. who would argue
with with the fact that greed begets greed? corruption had become so
embedded in the filipino political culture that a government official
is corrupt unless proven otherwise. besides, nobody has declared noli
de castro graft-free. nor the senate president, much less the speaker
of the aptly named Lower House.

so the current "political noise", as the most corrupt of them all has
called the present situation, is nothing but the filipino's way of
saying we are not all corrupt after all. some will stand up to say
enough of too much corruption. it's time to "moderate the greed". but
as past experience would tell us, this political noise will eventual
die down and gloria arroyo will survive another test to her stellar
presidency. thanks to our adequately compensated and pathologically
loyal generals. whoever said crime does not pay must not have lived in
the philippines.

i don't know but i am still hoping that corruption is not
intrinsically filipino. that maybe it is not genetic and there might
be some hope for rehabilitation. maybe putting arroyo to jail now, or
after 2010 without the possibility of parole would be a good start.
but of course, the next president would be just as corrupt isn't it?
then jail him too for heavens sakes. and the next, and the next, and
the next until they all get it.

well, it's really wishful thinking. as filipino wisdom goes, there's
really nothing we can do.

until we all die doing nothing.

the race card

while the obamarama fever reaches temperatures never before felt in the democratic party in a long time, serious questions still linger in the minds of many democrats. clearly, obama's message of change has resonated loudly in the country and has catapulted him this far in the race for the party's nomination. he represents the new face of change in the country and the party's time-honored embrace for true reform. he has touched a chord among many democrats, and even independents if we are to believe his campaign. his flair for beautiful prose in his speeches, his fashionable line-up of hollywood's wealthy and glamorous supporters and his glaring attacks on the establishment, the clintons included, have all resonated very well to a population tired of the status quo.

but the resilience of the clinton campaign is undeniable. despite being labeled as the candidate of the democatic establishment, hillary clinton had become the underdog in this race. the surprising strong showing of this first-term, junior senator from illinois has caught the country by surprise. wildly popular among african-americans during and even after his term, bill clinton's magic didn't seem to work this time. the racial divide has been very evident with obama's very formidable support from this specific population group. whoever started this race factor being played right before the south carolina primary has certainly shaped how this race will eventually end up. hispanics, the main competitor of african-americans for government services and jobs, have rallied behind clinton in california, nevada and new mexico. in the same manner, asian-americans have demonstrated an even greater support for clinton. while asians are not considered competitors for neither hispanics nor blacks for services and jobs as we belong to a different social and economic bracket, this support is attributed to their strong affinity to the happier days of the clinton years.

however this race turns out in texas and ohio, the two largest remaining contests for the democrats, the obama jolt had made its mark. just the thought of going up against a clinton in the democratic primaries and caucuses and presenting a formidable campaign is in itself a revolution. a revolution for what and for whom, we still don't know. the specifics of this change from what to where are still to be spelled out by obama himself.

because since he laid out his campaign for change and ever since america has been drowned by the oratorical prowess of this harvard alumnus, his pronouncements have since been lacking substance. obama's speeches have delved largely on the all-encompassing theme of change. period. his failure to introduce himself properly to all americans has resulted in his poor showing among hispanics and asians. it is important that these social groups be tackled since more than 70% of asians and 60% of hispanics identify themselves as democrats. it becomes even more relevant when we consider that hispanics are now the largest minority group in the country. and when the racial divide was intentionally or unintentionally drawn in south carolina, hispanics and asians responded negatively to the obama campaign.

the texas contest will be more telling on the racial configuration of this contest. ahead in most polls in texas, clinton is counting on the support of hispanics. whatever dent obama has achieved among this racial group in virginia and maryland will come to bear in this delegate-rich state. although a smaller group in texas compared to california and hawaii, asians are not exactly non-existent in texas. these factored in with white southern voters, things can look a lot better for clinton than the past six contests.

whatever the outcome of this democratic battle for the party's nomination, america has shown its readiness for either a female or a black president. for symbolic and historical reasons, those are indeed milestones for a country that claims to be the champion of democratic ideals.

but after the inaugural is over and the milestone has been set, there's still the governing part to take care of. in this regard, the choice has is clear. experience over hype, substance over rhetoric.

even if oprah doesn't agree.