To Dream the Impossible Dream
What happens when 76%-80% of our country's wealth is sucked up by the upper 1% while the 99% of the population have to fight over the crumbs?
With vast wealth, this 1% composed of about 100 or so families (oligarchs, drug lords, mining lords, etc.) has become political kingmakers & silent rulers for decades. They have for many decades directly or indirectly controlled the media -- and consequently controlled the people's minds.
For many years, this 1% bought the poor man’s vote. This they easily did in the past given that the number of thinking middle class has shrunk and we are left with over 50 million Filipinos who only live with no more than Php125 per day -- and half of that population or about 25 million Filipinos live at Php55 average per day.
Yes, you heard it right! 25 million Filipinos measly survive at Php55 per day!
(Tangina this! Ito ang dahilan kung bakit hindi ko malagok-lagok ang isang cup ng mamahaling Starbucks:' At ito rin ang dahilan kung bakit ako patuloy na lumalaban kahit dugu-duguan na at nabubutas ang sariling bulsa.)
Out of extreme poverty and lack of education and better judgment, many of our countrymen have easily given in and sold their votes for mere 500 bucks, 3 kilos of rice, or the promise to remain as beneficiary in the CCT.
For many years, this 1% ruled over the land. They became richer & more powerful by the day --while the lives of the poor became even more miserable...
Worse, the thinking & caring middle class have started vanishing. The shrinking number ends up either:
1) working for the rich & those in power; 2) leaving the country & adapting to foreign job & home abroad; 3) too busy or too tired to make both ends meet for them to even care about our country’s woes…
4) the few fiercer, more idealistic, ‘crazier’ ones are out there in the streets marching, carrying placards & streamers, shouting invectives, or busy lobbying & using all forms of media to protest and to try to enlighten others until they either –
get jailed
get shot
get scared
get tired
get hungry
and finally give up
Sigh…
This loathsome scenario has become a vicious cycle for decades.
It was a cycle almost impossible to break.
Until this Mayor from the South emerged and brought hope to the desperately tired & helpless Filipinos.
Finally, Filipinos stood their ground and elected a leader who genuinely cares for the people.
Finally, Filipinos last May 2016 ended the reign of politicians who are well-adjusted to injustice, well-adapted to indifference and well-versed in corruption.
Finally, we now have a leader who is unbought, unbound, unafraid, and unintimidated.
Finally, we now have a government who is determined and has started moving heaven & earth to uplift the lives of the poor and the helpless.
Finally, we Filipinos have become more informed, more involved.
Finally, change has started to come.
.
Then again, the drug lords, the narcopoliticians, illegal mining lords, the greedy oligarchs -- the 1% whose wealth and lives are threatened by the new government -- are not about to give up without giving this President a fight using their vast wealth.
They are employing all sorts of black propaganda and are doing anything and everything to overthrow our duly elected President and get themselves back in power.
Opo, hayan nga at ginagawa nila ang lahat ng paraan para maibalik nila ang kani-kanilang sarili sa kapangyarihan! At gagamitin ng mga hinayupak ang katakot takot na salaping nakulimbat nila mula sa pondo ng bayan at mga salaping kinita mula sa droga at iba pang illegal na gawain.
Andyang mag-hire ng mga rallyista, magpa-raffle ng cash prizes, utuin ang mga bata, mag launch ng black propaganda incldg. the international media, at kung anu-ano pa.
Ibabalik nilang pilit ang mga sarili nila sa tuktok para patuloy na maghari-harian habang ang milyong milyong mayayaman ang ibabaon sa hirap.
Now--
Should we just sit back and let the 1% win while the rest of us Filipinos lose and suffer the consequences once again?
Should we just continue dreaming and accept that some dreams are just impossible to achieve?
Or should we rise to the challenge, raise our fist, and fight--for our dream, for our children and our children's children?
The answer is in our hands.
To follow MJ on Facebook, click image above.
