where do we go from here?

after that uber-inspiring tear-jerking 12-hour funeral service (never thought we would relive that '83-'86 spirit...),

i got to thinking... what now?

saw this ad on the paper yesterday:

(consumerism does it again, dontchatink?)

and thought: yes national pride is good... but i think we have more than enough 'i love pinoy' graphic tees and what-nots going around.

i'm hoping to just bring it a notch higher: from national pride to SOCIAL ACTION.

it ain't enough to say "we're proud to be pinoy". that's passe.

let's campaign for concrete actions that will really bring us forward.

like for example, being anti-bribery... let's say with these logos:

(this ala-hindi ka nag-iisa)

(this in mmda colors)

i know, i know, a bit pilit and uninspired. but you get the drift, yes?

we can go for anti-vandalism, anti-complacency, pro-proper wages, anti-jay-walking, pro-traffic-rules, pro-proper-taxes, etc etc.

any ideas?

laban!

last sunday, on our way to mom's house from church, we got caught by mmda on temple drive because we had no seatbelt on...

i first explained that our house was less than 5 minutes away... didn't work.

so i said, well then bill me... i demanded for a, in my words, "resibo".

after a back-and-forth of how much and why (he wanted to charge me P500 --double what was due -- hello!?!), i finally gave him the right amount (when i insisted to see the chart of fines), P250 which was for 1st offence no-seatbelt.

naive me handed him the money as requested -- (i thought i could pay right there) -- and only realized i was bribing him when he freaked out when i nonchalantly handed him the bills, for all to see. "maam, wag ganyan makikita tayo!"

i didn't react quickly and we just sped off.

when i came to my senses, i realized that i double paid! we were ticketed na nga for P250, then i paid him pa P250.

my mistake, really. intentions were good... but a little too dumb for the corrupt system haha!

here's the legit payment we made through metrobank today...

grrr...

so in the light of cory's death, i really feel that our generation, those of us who were conscious in '86, failed miserably.

corruption is still extremely tolerated!

i hope her death brings on a new sense of idealism for the younger generations... because god knows so many of us are jaded.

but still, we forge on. here's to messy bessy, and pedala,.. and all the things we do for "our people"...

laban!

thank you, cory!

no matter what the critics say, there is no other president who represents what she does... and who's as sincere as she was... and as honest as she was...

she was far from a perfect president... but she really was the only president who has never gained a cent from her position -- maybe her family members did.. but not her. can't say the same for the others who came before and after her.

rest in peace, cory!