THE title above is not a take-off from the 1982 Australian romantic film; it’s about events, coming in all shapes and dimensions that made December 2019 disengaging.
Sadly, many of such events define the country’s political direction; others open our senses to the reality that Mother Earth is slowly being ruined by her own guardians. Of course, there were also some positive events that lifted our spirits.
Despite the triumph of Filipino athletes in the biennial SEA Games, the sporting event was preceded by corruption charges after public funds were supposedly transferred to a private foundation, which, if true, was inappropriate. The charges stoked the curiosity of a nation so enamored with the crusade to cleanse the government of filth.
Just as when we thought people’s money was secured, the House, in an unabashed extravagance, announced the P150,000 bonus to its employees. Such indulgence awakens us to the reality that government ‘job order’ laborers get only compensations below what the scavengers earn monthly and are not even entitled to a Christmas bonus.
And there’s more. Sen. Panfilo Lacson has disclosed that the 2020 national budget, despite contrary assertions, is still loaded with disguised pork barrel insertions, another case of public funds being drained, if true.
The most nerve-jarring development, however, was the presidential threat to file economic sabotage charges against Metro Manila’a water concessionaries. For the contractors, the caveat led to the loss of over a billion dollars overnight. With the warning of possible takeover if the contract renegotiations fail, fear of water shortage has become imminent.
Then there were the over a dozen lambanog deaths, the protest of the unfranchised Angkas motor taxi drivers, the deaths of inmates benefitting from good conduct time allowance (GCTA) after returning to the Bilibid, and the 6.9 intensity earthquake that devastated Davao del Sur.
Outside the SEA Games hosting, the other big-ticket event was the resolution of the Maguindanao massacre. As expected, the verdict was guilty, but getting final remains years away. Best of all, it’s Christmas time, a season for family bonding.
Things were not exactly as anticipated, but we have so much to thank for having survived another year of living dangerously; that’s enough consolation.
In closing, typhoon ‘Ursula’ ravaged the Visayas, particularly my province and Boracay Island, reminding us that with weather aberrations getting more intense, things are not going right with our environment.
Happy New Year!
