Running away from the circus

There’s the A(H1N1) virus being found at De La Salle University and in Tagbilaran City; to floods in various parts of the country; to the tragic Air France 447 plane crash that killed all passengers on board; to a tornado (a tornado!) in Quezon City; to the biggest disappointment of all (to say the least), the Congress’ passing of Resolution 1109.

After hearing the most disheartening things, I avoided the television and most pages of the newspaper on purpose, choosing instead to focus on finally bidding Harry Potter and his buddies, at least in novel form, goodbye. I’ve realized that what used to be an escapist activity has become a means of preserving my sanity.

Even Facebook wasn’t spared of Resolution 1109 backlash—which is actually a good thing, if you think about it, as it gives a voice to the otherwise voiceless—but it’s never pleasant to see the faces of congressmen who voted for the controversial resolution being posted by various contacts in a shame campaign against their betrayal of the country, especially when you just want to play Mafia Wars or Restaurant City after a long and difficult day at work.

It pays to be informed, yes, and we must take part in nation-building, but sometimes, really, it gets to be too much. One of the last straws, in my case, was that one degree of separation between the Hayden Kho sex video scandal and the 2010 national elections: Vicki Belo’s lawyer, Atty. Adel Tamano, was officially sworn in as a member of Villar’s Nacionalista Party, breaking ties with the United Opposition. I don’t have anything against Tamano—he has, in fact, impressed me so far—but really, who needs to be reminded that showbiz is not that far from politics in this crazy, crazy country?

The straw that finally broke the camel’s back was a glimpse of the ANC Leadership forum that probably caused my blood pressure to shoot up several notches higher. I was at work during the live forum, but I managed to catch part of the late night replay. Of all the things to catch, however, I just had to hear the convicted plunderer, former Pres. Joseph “Erap” Estrada, talk about what he would do for the OFWs.

He said something like, “The OFWs have brought billions into our economy. It is the poor that is keeping this country afloat, which is why the rich shouldn’t dictate who they want as president.” For that kind of logic alone, I say with utter finality that, in my book, he doesn’t deserve to be any kind of leader in this country that has been mistakenly, blindly, insanely taught to be proud of poverty. I said the same in 2001, as one of those who marched to Malacañang in EDSA II, and it breaks my heart over and over that he is allowed to sit there, as a potential presidentiable, and still call on the poor for their uninformed support.

So it was with some form of desperate relief that I turned to reading about Kung Fu star David Carradine’s unfortunate, mysterious death in a Bangkok hotel room, reading up on theories regarding the cause of his death with the intention that should, I know, be accorded to matters of consequence, like our national leadership. And yet, it was with equal amount of intention that I typed “John Lloyd Cruz” + “Ruffa Gutierrez” on the Google search bar.

Sometimes, it really is a need to dull the senses.

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