Pinoy Big Bother: The Batasan Edition

80 million audience, 70 days, 5 housemates, 1 house. This is Pinoy Big Bother Batasan Edition. Yes, I mentioned bother, not brother. Because there are times that I simply view these over idealistic militant leaders as nuisances rather than patriots.

I'm sorry at these point you should know that I am not a very big fan of the Batasan 5, Voltes 5, or whatever they would like to call themselves. In fact, I haven't been a big fan of activism lately. But hold up, am I not some schmuck complaining so much about the status quo of this country? So what then makes us different from these people?

Well, for starters, I do not believe that ousting presidents will solve our problems. I do not mobilize mass protests, and cause traffic all over the business district preventing other office employees to make some money. I do not demonstrate in the street and leave tons and tons of mess for the metro aid to clean up afterwards. I do not damage public or private property as a result of mass demonstration and use collateral damage as a convenient escape goat. I do not use my pork barrel to fund mass protests and demonstration against and system that I willingly work for in the first place. And I do believe that at the end of the day, the greatest fight that we have to take to change this country is not outside in the streets, but it is within ourselves and within our offices and classrooms.

You know what pisses me off nowadays? A bunch state university graduates who opt to use their ideologies to actively participate in militant groups. If they believe so much on what they fight for why don't they serve the very people of this country that need them in the first place? Where are all the good teachers? Where are all the good doctors? where are all the good engineers? Because, sure hell, what this country needs more is leadership by walk and not by talk. The youth need to become better leaders themselves by using the knowledge they acquire from school to serve the people of their country. Not by becoming effective demonstrators.

I mean really if Satur Ocampo et. al hated the system so much, why did they opt to become Party List congressmen in the first place? Remember he was one of the people who protested against the pork barrel system. But when he got a seat in Congress he was one of those who refused to sacrifice their pork barrels?

Forgive me for saying this, but for me, the whole fiasco in Batasan is an act of cowardliness. I mean, if the Batasan 5 were so idealistic, then how come they were not prepared to go to jail for what they fought for? Why did they have to hide like rodents inside the premises of Batasan? Yet they would organize press conferences inside Batasan to protest against a government they work for?

And before I forget, who is going to clean up the mess they made in the Batasan in their 70 days stay? Who is going to pay for the overtime dues of the guards that protected them. I work for a state university but I can't even work there past 9 P.M. due to austerity measures. But I will bet my one month salary that the air-conditioning unit was on the whole time they occupied Batasan. So, who's going to pay for the excess water and electric bill. As a matter of fact what resources did they use to fight the government? The government itself! They used the resources of the Phil Government to fight the Phil Government. These people should be ashamed of themselves. Even Ninoy Aquino willingly allowed himself to be jailed to fight for what he believed in.

Teddy Casino claims that they will continue their protests in the streets until the gain the reforms that this country needs. And I'd tell him to use his simple common sense. For 500 years we have been trying to start a revolution, for two decades we have been protesting in the streets. Shouldn't that tell you that the streets will not bring us the reforms that we need? Mass demonstrations have ousted leaders, but have never brought reforms that the country needed. And most of all real idealist have tangible solutions to offer, they do not just create traffic along the major roads of manila, they do not just present useless ideologies. They present tangible, and attainable solutions, and they move their asses so that these tangible solutions make take its effect.

In the far side of this country, in the province of Bukidnon, there exists Bgy. Concepcion. Its way up in the mountains, so high that it is only accessible by a motorcycle called "habal-habal". Its a small community where there is no electricity, no decent water source, and not even everyone can afford a pair of slippers. There is one small classroom there which are handled and managed by volunteer public school teachers, who are overworked, underpaid, and isolated from their families. Yet they realize the need for the people of Bgy. Conception to have a decent education. And because of their commitment to education itself, they take a sacrifice as big as this. They are heroes. This is TRUE IDEALISM.

Somewhere along Commonwealth Ave. 5 party list/militant leaders, locked themselves up inside Batasan complex to avoid jail time for their "courageous conviction" about the Arroyo government. They had press conferences every once in a while to present the drama that was happening inside the batasan complex. They showed the Filipino audience how idealistic they were. Although isolated from thier families, they enjoyed Government/tax payer amenities such as free lodging with air conditioning, telephone, and who knows maybe internet. This is Idealism? Nah.... This is "Pinoy Big Bother; Batasan Edition. Ang Teleserye ng Totoong Politika.

Ahmad. P.S. Happy Vanilla Sky Month