Let the games begin
The games are afoot. No, not the winter Olympics in Italy. Not exactly.
It probably couldn't have happened at a worse time. Everybody (media led hype included) is still focused on the stampede, which killed 70 people and injured hundreds of others while lining up for raffle tickets to watch a game show. The Senate is set to conduct an inquiry and then what do we expect will happen next?
Its probably a good thing those families which suffered the death or injury of a loved one are able to think about their options. It would do well for the lot of them to seek proper legal representation.
Meanwhile, guess who is milking the story for every possible gain? The rival network? The network itself? The rest of media? Probably. Or how about the powers that be? Talk about a smoke screen. Millions and billions lost on corruption, scandal after scandal of ineptitude and the sheer gall to keep on using appointments, as political payback just isn't as sensational as the stampede is.
Yes, we mourn for the loss of life but apart from the media blitz, what the people who suffered really need is support (legal and moral) as well as results both from the investigation, the cases being prepared to be filed and yes, even the soon to open, Senate circus, er, inquiry.
Let us hope (against hope) that it doesn't all just turn out to be another day at another Senate led circus. This is the month we celebrate EDSA 1 (the original, peaceful revolt, to many others, the only true EDSA revolt) and uncannily, it was when Filipinos showed they could mass up in huge numbers and not end up killing anybody, even with the military and police there in their tanks and arms.
There is really however no comparison. That was an entirely different context. Some would even point out, an altogether different demographic even?
But things could have gone wrong in EDSA1, just as they did in any other mass gathering of people. It just didn't. It also largely depends on what people's motives are for gathering together. At both times, people were desperate. But in EDSA 1, people were desperate for freedom and yes, even way back then, many Filipinos were already poor.
But make no mistake. Filipinos are poorer now than they have ever been for the last 20 years. Economic growth formulas and mumbo jumbo aside, you don't have to have a PhD in economics to know that it’s true. No amount of hiding behind the remittances of OFWs should be passed off as an excuse to tolerate plain and simple thievery.
There are lessons here to learn but will we ever learn?
It probably couldn't have happened at a worse time. Everybody (media led hype included) is still focused on the stampede, which killed 70 people and injured hundreds of others while lining up for raffle tickets to watch a game show. The Senate is set to conduct an inquiry and then what do we expect will happen next?
Its probably a good thing those families which suffered the death or injury of a loved one are able to think about their options. It would do well for the lot of them to seek proper legal representation.
Meanwhile, guess who is milking the story for every possible gain? The rival network? The network itself? The rest of media? Probably. Or how about the powers that be? Talk about a smoke screen. Millions and billions lost on corruption, scandal after scandal of ineptitude and the sheer gall to keep on using appointments, as political payback just isn't as sensational as the stampede is.
Yes, we mourn for the loss of life but apart from the media blitz, what the people who suffered really need is support (legal and moral) as well as results both from the investigation, the cases being prepared to be filed and yes, even the soon to open, Senate circus, er, inquiry.
Let us hope (against hope) that it doesn't all just turn out to be another day at another Senate led circus. This is the month we celebrate EDSA 1 (the original, peaceful revolt, to many others, the only true EDSA revolt) and uncannily, it was when Filipinos showed they could mass up in huge numbers and not end up killing anybody, even with the military and police there in their tanks and arms.
There is really however no comparison. That was an entirely different context. Some would even point out, an altogether different demographic even?
But things could have gone wrong in EDSA1, just as they did in any other mass gathering of people. It just didn't. It also largely depends on what people's motives are for gathering together. At both times, people were desperate. But in EDSA 1, people were desperate for freedom and yes, even way back then, many Filipinos were already poor.
But make no mistake. Filipinos are poorer now than they have ever been for the last 20 years. Economic growth formulas and mumbo jumbo aside, you don't have to have a PhD in economics to know that it’s true. No amount of hiding behind the remittances of OFWs should be passed off as an excuse to tolerate plain and simple thievery.
There are lessons here to learn but will we ever learn?
posted by Carolina S. Ruiz Austria | 12:31 PM
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