SITCOM

Once upon a time, not so long ago, a popular senator who loved to make exposes attended the celebrity event of the year which featured a great Italian Tenor.

Everyone who mattered in society showed up at said event dressed as if their social standing depended on it. Of course many were arrogantly and unfashionably late. It didn’t matter if they held up the concert or delayed mothers who needed to go home early to nurse a baby.

Who cared if the elderly needed a shot of adrenalin lest they doze off from the long wait, the rich and powerful rarely had an occasion such as this to show how high they had gone up the social ladder. The not so high up anymore needed to show everyone they were still in the loop.

Since there were a lot of “peacocks” as well as “turkeys” strutting their stuff, everyone amused themselves by people watching and commenting on who’s who, who was with whom and why. Some old Duds came with young bods (bodies with lots of cleavage but little gray matter) while a few matrons came with the stud they loved to patronize.

The best remark I heard was better then the performance of the Italian stud of opera. The Senator noticing a Vice President talking to someone’s mistress quipped . . . “LOOK! Two No. 2s!”

In the Philippines, eyes and ears will soon be paying particular attention to our own Vice President Noli de Castro as well as a handful who are already convinced that the have what it takes to become President of the Philippines. The obvious question to be asked is, who is running for President?

After a long absence from radio,  “Kabayan” now holds court in a public service program of radio station DZMM every Saturday morning where he shares hosting chores with the much respected Sheryl Cosim. The program has largely been about government and public service.

Good or bad, Vice President De Castro is not a master at being illusive and vague abut his views and intent. So it’s interesting to note that the often vocal and direct Kabayan has become curiously silent about references to the 2010 elections.

What’s even more interesting is his being vocal about how local government should be made to contribute more funds in national infrastructure developments within their territory, or how De Castro verbalizes his interest and knowledge in current affairs from a government perspective.

Either the Vice President is starting early by familiarizing his listeners to the “Kabayan style” as the three-year “campaign” begins, or maybe Noli is just preparing his exit plan.

Whatever he decides on, Kabayan should choose and guard his statements that could be mangled or misinterpreted. Last Saturday while doing transition with Julius Babao on radio, Babao commented on the deplorably low salaries paid to cops.

Babao pointed out that PNP Chief Oscar Calderon receives about P30,000 while the late Superintendent Joven Bocalbos received less than P13,000  which was the reason he had to work sideline as a commuter van driver when he was murdered.

The issue eventually led to cops or government officials owing money to so many creditors which placed them in great difficulty. The Vice President suggested that avoiding such dire straits was merely a matter of “lifestyle”.

Kabayan certainly meant well, but for people who literally spend sleepless nights worrying about unpaid bills, about tuition fees, and grasping at straws where they could find some financial relief, the statement came across as ignorant and insensitive.

It may not have been his intent but for people who are suffering and emotionally strained, patience and understanding is as scarce as the funds they desperately need.

Lifestyle is a matter of choice for people who have a choice.

But for people who must spend to make a living and to have a life for themselves and for those they love, P13,000 to P30,000 salaries leave hardly any choice.

The only choice people like Supt. Bocalbos have, is to find ways and means of earning more money to add to their budget. Only then can they think of choices, not even lifestyle.

Perhaps when high government officials like Vice President De Castro honestly address and prioritize the real daily needs of our government servants, such as putting up schools and universities for their children instead of allowing the private sector lobby to control Philippine education, maybe then we can talk to them about lifestyle.

Before we prioritize kicking out people like Makati Mayor Binay, it may help to study the services that the city of Makati gives to its people and government employees.

Every time the economy takes a bad turn, people talk about price ceilings, tax breaks and produce on wheels for the poor, but to this day we have not institutionalized tax free commissaries in every government office or police precinct. The Armed Forces has commissaries which help reduce the burden but they couldn’t even keep the grubby hands of corrupt officials’ wives from destroying a good thing.

How difficult would it be for the Department of Finance and the Department of Trade to cooperate on such a project so that we could have a ready market for Filipino made products. This would immediately make our products competitive by having a mass base while creating a great benefit for government employees.

No need to fight WTO. Simply box them out or overshadow them.

Instead of giving  pork barrel as an incentive to political corruption, the government should manifest political will by allocating these funds or legislating its use to building top quality hospitals in every region. With President Arroyo approaching the end of her term, a call for reform and reallocation would make political sense, leave a political legacy, and generate real benefits, real growth, real change.

Whatever we do, PLEASE stop telling people that if the blanket is short, bend your knees. If we want them to fight crime, to dodge bullets, to give world class service, let us pay our government employees real salaries. Salaries that not only give them choices and decent lifestyles, but also benefits that make them appreciate their position, their title and their life.