The Nerve!

Quickly following the wang-wang embargo, Malacañanang recently announced that Pnoy’s name will not be embossed on government projects and initiatives. Moreover, he would not want his face scattered in giants ads and billboards. If my memory serves me right, the municipality of Biñan, in Laguna has its share of this exact shameful political ploy. When the mayor was someone bearing the initials MBP, I see “Maunlad Binan Pag-asa” or something like that plastered along the infrastractures, and even on street lamps! When it was the female’s mayor turn, with her initials LA, “Laguna Asenso” or anything close to that were paraded (I’m not certain for my abbreviation meaning, but I know they coined their initials to something else at very least during their term).

Back home, it is very common to see in public school buildings’ façade: “A priority project of Governor ..”, etc., or sometimes even the iron gates they put up, they’ll weld it to letters of their initials. Vanity level? Insurmountable. Is that really how much affection and adoration you have for your name?

Pnoy decided to be different. His reasoning is: government projects are funded predominantly by taxpayers money, and should not be used as popularity booster. I couldn’t agree more.

If there is one thing I enjoy in this conceited, proud country of Singapore, that would be the no tax income, or a minuscule part if any. When i was working in the Philippines, I remember paying as much as 28% of my monthly income, gone, along with the wind. As a middle-class office worker and unlike other professions where apparently a lot of hocus pocus can be done to minimize the tax, I get my monthly income slashed and clean from the levy before i could even hide it from the thieves. ‘Can’t say no.. Each month, I just think of it as another generous contribution for that congressman’s new blazing red ferrari.

Going back to the issue, today, the palace urged local officials to follow the President’s viewpoint. However, he is not requiring every single officials to do the same. As for my opinion, you have all the right to put up all combinations of your initials in your civil projects provided that every single centavo for it comes from your own pocket. If not? Then, please have enough shame.

And this issue tags along other similar things in the Philippines. First, is the naming of landmarks, more specifically of airports. Is it rational to name the main airport in Manila as Ninoy Aquino International Airport only for the reason that that person was killed in the very spot? These kinds of infrastructures should be left alone and since they represent our country to some extent, they should not be named after any people’s name.

Well, I undoubtedly believe that the previous president, proven for her impenetrable thick face, was far more ahead having her father’s name morphed into an airport in Pampanga. Not contented, she imprinted 200-peso bill with her father’s head shot on one side, and then mind you, the rest of the other side was dedicated to her, swearing in oath as the prestigious president of the country. Excellent.