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I didn’t mean to show regret being a Filipino. I stand by Max Ehrmann’s words in his poem “Desiderata” which goes, ” You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” For all I know I could be born somewhere among the 195 countries of this planet we call Earth and by then I would be concerned on the issues coming from my country with less emphasis on the Philippines. But since I’m a Filipino in a greater degree I feel connected and affected by what’s going on in my country of origin more than anything else in the world. The difference of talking about Philippines in a standpoint of being in a foreign country offers a clear vantage point than being on it feeling about her woes. When you are a government employee (as I used to be) there would be instinctive guilt when you hear complaints from a fellow citizen that the government is not effective in running its programs. For one thing, you feel indirectly responsible because in the actual sense you are one of the working arms of the government reaching out to the field. On the political side, there is substantial worry on your part because you know what happens when you side with the issues and not the institution.

The state of a country could be compared to a functioning human body. The brain functions to supervise the other organs and systems of the body and the skin (surrounding the whole body) sends back signals to the brain of the wise options to take following each task/movement taken. For example, if the fingers of the hand sense something hot, it will send back signals to the brain that the object to be handled is hot so the precautionary measures could be taken. The practical approach would be that the brain will command the hands to wear protective gloves so that the hot object could be handled without harm to the skin. But what if the brain ignores the signals from the fingers of the hand and stubbornly picks up the object even though it is hot? The surface of the skin will be burned and the resulting burns/pain could cause complications ranging from skin infection to other serious issues.

Similarly, about two years ago (or earlier time flies really), a mere low pressure brought heavy rains in Manila for approximately 5 minutes bringing traffic to a standstill where even motorists about to climb a flyover couldn’t get past a mini lagoon at the foot of the flyover to get to dry land. The resulting delay caught commuters in between enduring the cold of a rain-drenched clothing or the usual hassle over winning a seat on loaded jeepneys, buses or coaches of the LRT and MRT, men and women, young (students) and old alike. A day after, an opposition senator brought the government’s attention about a serious approach to the flood issue regarding the restructuring of the sewerage system of the entire metropolis.

Receiving a recent email from my best friend yesterday from the Philippines got me thinking for the evening before I fall on my sleep. You could just feel the emotion as I read “grabe baha ito dala ng bagyo, parang waterworld. tignan mo sa internet. dami apektado mayaman o mahirap lahat apektado (many were affected by the past typhoon, like waterworld (movie).watch in in the internet. Many were affected, rich or poor, everybody is affected “.

As for the human body issue, we could compare the above situation of an opposition senator to a functioning kidney transplanted to replace the faulty organ from an ailing recipient body . The recipient body as a whole under the command of the brain is in hesitation from the signals of the donated organ (kidney) so that it rejects it to become part of the whole system. In the long end the organ doesn’t get its nourishment from the body it is attached and it is unable to perform its function. In the long end, the body dies standing by the whims of the brain.

As for my country, it may not be a kidney problem so it is a perennial issue. But wait an approaching presidential election? Does that mean the body is awaiting a head transplant?