After almost a week of rainfall due to tropical storm Chedeng I was amazed to see the sun once more yesterday. So instead of settling on my seat and trying to get some sleep while on the bus to work, I opened the curtains and tried to savor the afternoon sun.
I was anticipating an interesting ride all the way and was already imagining a beautiful sunset on the horizon. Sadly it wasn’t meant to be. Even if it did, I didn’t notice it anyway. My daydream unfortunately turned neither to fantasy nor something romantic. The sun rays instead opened my eyes to a depressing sight just a couple of meters from departure at the bus stop until I eventually got to work.
It was actually not the first time that I’ve been pondering on the state of our country every time I’m on my way to work. But yesterday I had a handful. Sadly, a handful of bad observations that made me ask the endless whys.
At the first intersection the lights turned red. I saw the pedestrian overpass’ construction is almost coming to its completion. And just while I was about to ask the cliché “will it ever be used?” a familiar ambulance siren grabbed my attention. Well, someone must be hurt. “God bless him,” I softly uttered as I usually do every time I hear one coming. The wish though was gone too soon. It wasn’t an ambulance but it was coming from scooter rider who sped by and turned left ignoring the red light and the police nearby. What’s more depressing, the police didn’t even made a fuss about it. Not even a radio call for help or an obvious effort to apprehend the erring driver. But then again, he may not even have a radio (or the balls to do so) at all. Speaking of being ill-equipped.
A couple of kilometers after the trip resumed, a colorful bunch of things came into view outside my window. I would really have wished it were blooming flowers yet not. It was a pile of plastic bags and trash irresponsibly tossed and accumulated on one corner of the road. Is poverty a good reason for this insensitive act? I just don’t think so.
I thought I was uncontrollably shaking my head in disgust when I realized it was actually the bus bouncing and weaving left and right of the road to avoid the potholes. Damn. One week of rain made all these? Blame it on the rain then? Milli Vanilli would have said it but not me. I’ve been honestly paying taxes and I know where and when some of it should be spent. Most likely somewhere out there, some politicians and/or contractors must be happily drinking booze and probably counting kickbacks. Screw the road. Cheers!
If it weren’t for the seat belt and the person beside me the preceding event would have sent me into a yoga stance right then and there. Now where is my golden sun? It’s getting dark outside. Figuratively and literally. As if all those weren’t enough, we got stuck in traffic. Another intersection maybe? Breathe in, breathe out. Stay calm. But it’s not. Just outside I saw several public jeepneys on the opposite lane idling and vying for passengers unmindful of the long queue of other vehicles behind them. So why is our lane stuck too? That’s because another mindless driver felt smart enough to counterflow. And surprisingly he isn’t a jeepney driver. He’s driving a shining Honda. He’s smartly dressed. I rest my case.
The sky outside was overcast when we reached the front gate of our campus. Despite the poor lighting the worsening condition of the facilities didn’t escape my eye. In photography, enthusiasts use filters and lenses to capture what they want to achieve. My eye and mind yesterday was like that. Only I didn’t do that on purpose. It was as if I have a “bad” filter that was meant to see…well, “bad” things. Paints are peeling off, roofs are rusting, and the once regularly well-trimmed lawn has weeds coming out from everywhere.
The people themselves changed a lot since then. I can count the people who got off the bus with enthusiasm to work for yet another day. The contractors around are working with incomplete PPEs. And a lot of bad sentiments are present anywhere I go. Something is just so wrong. Something must be done.
I got into some discussion with my co-workers about this and there was one phrase mentioned that struck me the most. “The boat is sinking”. Probably it is. Sadly, I’m in it. I’m sending an SOS.
Marcus Can Blog 