Looking good

Incredible but true. As shown in the latest public opinion survey by Pulse Asia, almost all government officials have a favorable popularity rating. Most noteworthy is the Senate, where all senators have a plus rating.

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What does this signify? That the people are optimistic. That they have a high level of trust and confidence on the ability of their officials, both elective and appointive, to do a good job. That despite perceived lapses in their performance, these officials can still be relied on to contribute to the common welfare.

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But how long will the favorable rating last? It will all depend on how the people will cope with the problem of survival. So long as the people, especially the masa, are able to eat some food, send some of their children to school, enjoy themselves in their own simple way, the government officials – with the exception of the notorious – are going to notch high ratings in public opinion surveys. That is how patient and optimistic the Filipino people are. Mababaw talaga ang kaligayahan.

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My book, Walking Through the Pathways of Life, reached Santiago, Chile. It was a birthday gift sent to former Ambassador Rodolfo A. Arizala by a foreign affairs official posted in Manila. And you know what? Ambassador Arizala finished reading the 332-page book in one sitting, from cover to cover. And he wrote an interesting review of some of the essays contained in the book.

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What I found interesting were Ambassador Arizala’s comments, which he put down in writing, after reading the book. "I wonder how our people could have continued to suffer the unsufferable and endured the unendurable which, in some other countries, such sufferings, neglect and injustices would have been more than sufficient to spark mass discontent, if not violent uprisings," he said.

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"The poverty, sufferings, injustices, hunger and disease of a great number of our people were graphically catalogued and vividly described as one travels along the ‘pathways of life.’ For example, in your article Heart-Rending Scenes, you clearly described the deplorable and ‘dilapidated’ public transport system in Metro Manila. According to your narration, ‘you see young boys clinging on to dear life in jeepneys and buses as they commute in Metro Manila from their homes to their schools or places of work.’ And such traumatic experiences, encountered by office workers and school children have become ‘a daily ordeal and hassle’ in our great metropolis. Such observation of yours regarding the sufferings of our common riding public is aggravated by your other observation that ‘it is this daily ordeal of harassed commuters which many government officials, who ride in airconditioned luxury cars, do not appreciate,’" Ambassador Arizala said.

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"The same description would apply to your other articles about poor, impoverished, jobless citizens of our republic who could not afford to see a doctor or buy medicines and thus embrace death at an early age. Except for a few Samaritans, have we become a docile, cynical, uncaring people no longer capable of feeling compassion, pain or sufferings of other people and therefore lost the capacity to act and dream, even impossible dreams, but simply carry on life like a dumb-driven cattle?," the envoy asked.

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"I noted that you started your book with an article about A Neighbor’s Death – the death of a young housewife, victim of a holdup robbery at her own home in a subdivision in the hands of delinquent teenagers. And it also ended about death, this time of a father, victim of the much-dreaded and misunderstood disease called cancer, in your last article Bigger Than Life. I wonder if it is simply coincidence or you purposely arranged the presentation of your articles that way – from one death to another death, but with the hope of a resurrection by dying ‘bigger than life,’" Arizala added.

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"In fine, your book, Walking Through the Pathways of Life, appears to me like ‘Walking through Christ’s Road to Mt. Calvary,’ with the hope of a resurrection some day. For in giving and dying, there is resurrection to eternal life," Ambassador Arizala said.

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This could be amusing, but the reality is that the great majority of American people are in a state of unease, not only because of the September 11 terrorist attack on New York and Washington, but also because of other potential threats that they face. Look at the preparations being made by the American people to cope with future terrorists attacks. They seem to cover everything, including saving a favorite pet animal.

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The following tips were prepared by Scott Borgioli, chief of the Emergency Communication Center:

* When terrorism strikes, develop a system where you can contact relatives and friends, even without cellular phones or landlines.

* Ensure that you frequently refuel your vehicles and that they are always full of gasoline.

* Always carry cash and lower dollar bills.

* Keep enough water on hand for one week.

* Have your pantries stocked with food for one week/

* Have a portable emergency kit in a large duffel bag.

* Make sure you have carriers for your pets, plus food for them.

* In extreme cases, contact the Red Cross.

* Stay at home.

* Stay off the phone.

* Report suspicious circumstances to law-enforcers.

* Don’t panic.

* Support and defend the government.

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Thoughts For Today:

In God’s eyes, love is never absent.
In God’s heart, forgiveness is never impossible.
In God’s embrace, no one is ever alone or forgotten.

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If one day you find yourself all alone
and trapped in the dark,
just look up in the sky.
And if you see one little tiny light up there,
That’s Me reminding you,
I’m still here even if you can’t see Me.

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My e-mail address: <[email protected]>.