Classic

This is Cool Cat Studio. Click on the comic to learn more about this other masterpiece from the creators of Penny and Aggie.

I wasn't able to get my pay last 15th, so I got mine last month in full. I thought It'd be great since now, I'd have lotsa cash to spend for my pamangkins and my parents. I thought, finally, I could treat them to Enchanted Kingdom or something like that. Horrified and shocked was I when I received my payslip... all I could readily utter was, "What?!?! I paid nine thousand bucks for taxes?!?!?!"

The next morning, my pay slip was the main course of discussion over breakfast. We contemplated on some stuff. Again.

For instance, the classic question: Where does this big chunk of our monthly sweat and blood go? Of course, what could you expect but classic answers: We pay for senate hearings on unnecessary issues. We pay for State visits and international shopping spree on the side. We pay for a big part of the paint job of this politician's mansion. We pay for debts bestowed unwillingly to our grandparents to generations to come. We'd surely pay for campaign projects of these corrupt bastards for the 2007 elections. And we'd probably pay more after they win the next elections. No, we don't pay for government projects. Public works and highways? Are you kidding me? We pay 75 bucks everyday to corporate NLEX from Balintawak to Malolos City, and it's not even government property anymore.

Taxes are soaring high, and they even have the guts to approve additional taxes, e.g. VAT. Ah. I forgot. We pay for those "Oh di ba, may resulta!" commercials that we see on TV nowadays. What "resulta"? Have we felt any long term results ever since the May 2004 elections? Where are those promises? Where are those dreams laid out in long boring speeches?

The only things felt by Filipinos from the government nowadays are those that make your eyes and ears sore already. Yet we know there are more bad things happening in the background. Do we also pay for assasination plots of those who oppose the government, or those who pose as threat to the government? We probably pay for gunmen, goons and the likes of James Aquino, who still gets 15 minutes of fame even though his credibility is more filthy than the Pasig River in the 90s.

Speaking of James Aquino- here's one classic example of why filthiness and evil in the government reigns. Ninoy Aquino, who said "The Filipino is worth dying for" should be ashamed of him being a Filipino, for selling his dignity and credibility for, perhaps, just a few thousand bucks. And boy, that was a really LAME and STUPID stunt: imagine not being able to recognize the one whom you are accusing as your rapist, your molester, your worst enemy. He should be banished from this country, if shredding his tongue to pieces and feeding 'em to the crocodiles is considered inhuman.

Back to taxes. Imagine how much revenue the government collects every month, and how much money are wasted for selfish deeds of graft and corruption. This is one reason why most professionals (nurses, doctors, lawyers, engineers... every profession a child would dream of in the late 80s) nowadays choose leaving this country as the best option for a better life. Life here is not rewarding. You pay your taxes, yet you don't feel it's worth. It feels like throwing away a big part of your monthly sweat and blood to nothing but bad news on TV everyday.

Can we blame those people who dream of living life abroad? Let me ask you. If everything stays the same in the years to come, would you prefer growing old in this country?