Apropos of Nothing

Being married to a journalist has its privileges. I heard about the wiretapped conversations two weeks before it hit the headlines. I did not know what to make of it at that time. I sensed that serious allegations were being made — but I thought that the person handing out the tapes would be in more trouble than GMA. After all, isn’t wiretapping illegal? And isn’t this just another dirty trick from the opposition? For me, accusations of cheating (or even actual cheating, at that) is all part of this country’s political game (shudders). Cheating in the elections? Well, everyone’s hands have been in THAT cookie jar. Tell me something new.

And so days passed. Headlines come and go like so many movie posters in the local cinema. Now Showing — The Death of [Cardinal] Sin. Coming Soon — The Evils of E-Vat. Now Showing — People Power III (or is it IV or V?). Coming Soon — Young Blood: Kris’ Boylet.

Obviously, I have zoned-out the current events of my country. Four years after college, I have totally lost my diligence in keeping up with the news. Unlike before when I have a portion of my meager allowance (and later meager salary) invested in newspapers, now I immediately reach for the Entertainment and Lifestyle Sections. (This is of course after checking the front pages and Metro for my husband’s stories.) I can say that my main sources of real news nowadays are 1)my husband who tries his best to engage me in some news analyzing while I try to finish my morning coffee and 2) the 10 minutes of winding down after I watch CSI. Come to think of it — I would rate better in a surprise quiz about the lives of ‘Lost’ characters than in current events.

No, I am not proud of my apathy. But there is a reason why I would rather read an inane discussion about the Jennifer-Brad-Angelina triangle. Or speculate about Pops and Martin’s probability of getting together again. Or try to unravel the allure of Kris Aquino. The reason is undeniably unenlightened by any (current or outdated) ideology. It is uninformed and deliciously inviting to the scoffs and jeers of my politically-aware friends.

The reason is — I am tired of it all.

How many Presidents are we going to topple before we realize that we just replace him or her with another dummy anyway? How many rallies are we going to join before we admit that it is not the voice of the people on the streets that brings down governments — it is the backstage maneuverings of ‘interest groups (aka civil leaders)’ who have been peddling powers like so many trump cards. How many reform agendas are we going to dream up before we see that it’s just another illusion which keeps us hoping while our officials rob us blind.

I wish, my dear friends, that I have a more positive note for you today. I was planning to jot down a witty take on the ongoing rally below my window in Ayala. I wanted to point out the ridiculousness of of their signages and how I can pick-up the contrived feel of the demonstration even if I am three floors up from the pavement. I was actually in a jolly mood when I started this article — fueled by the sugar in my now melted ice cream. Yet, even from the first word, my emotion-metre did not register any upswing. My sugar level may be crashing now and my interest in current events is ebbing again. A somnambulant, I walk the dubious paths of my country’s present. Given a choice — I’d rather walk dreaming to the future.

PS. It’s either I am not as tired as I stated above or I am finding politics more interesting than showbiz. The above article was written last Friday night. On the following Saturday afternoon, due to unplanned circumstances, I ended up in front of the TV tuned to ANC for at least 2.5 hours. I was hooked to the channel when the resigned Cabinet secretaries tried to deflect the onslaught from Malacanang. Things got even more suspenseful when GMA’s loyal secretaries held their own press conference and put in play a skillfully aggressive crisis management script. I pitied the resigned secretaries. They were bureaucrats lost in the political stage. They should have stayed where they were appointed and tried their best to serve the people without getting caught in power play (a skill, by itself, meritorious). Politics in public governance is a whole new ballgame. It’s not for babes and definitely not for those with "pure" intentions. Their intentions may have been noble (uh huh) — but their timing was off by several hours, execution was messy and their message was incoherent. There were just too many messages already going around the streets. They may have succeeded in getting the sympathy of Cory and rousing some alarm in the Makati Business Club but they failed to get the bishops’ blessings. Am sure there were gains from their dramatic exits but getting GMA to step down was not achieved. Now, they must go through the final hours of their chosen sacrifice — death to their public service. Surely, a loss for them, their own career and for us, a loss of competent men and women.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 10th, 2005 at 9:34 pm and is filed under Signs and Times. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.