What's in store for us in 2012?

As the new year becomes a reality in our lives it is but natural to ask ourselves: What’s in store for us this year?

But even as we ask this question, we are not completely clueless. For we can look back at the year that just slid by and see where we stood, individually and collectively.

As individuals, what we have been by habit of thought and action will be what we will be not only this year but years hence – unless an overwhelming event occurs that completely changes our personhood. Such events, however, happen very rarely, so we go on in our usual way and remain as we have been.

Collectively, the same trend obtains, after all a community is composed of individuals. The group’s modal behavior will continue to prevail reinforced by its socio-cultural values. For us Filipinos, such values will be the driving force in our efforts for better life, but these will also be the factors that motivate us to be strongly partisan in our outlook towards community issues and concerns.

In politics we will remain polarized and disunited as we have been for decades, aligning ourselves with this group and that group and reacting to events and issues as our affiliation dictates. This is the harsh reality in both local and national scene, harsh because this tendency has been the one major impediment to progress.

Proof? You don’t have to look far. Right now here in our city there’s an ongoing strife between the mayor and the councilors over this year’s expenditures program. The former wants to spend more billions for what many perceive to be vital projects (such as drainage and flood control), but our honorable councilors won’t go with it. More billions are supposed to go into road repair and health services but our twice honorable councilors are pouting in displeasure. So next year what’s in store for us city residents would be the same calvary we have endured for years – pockmarked roads, flooded streets, ineffective fire control, inefficient garbage disposal, and an ever-growing criminality, thanks to the fell hand of politics.

In the national scene the same partisan conflicts will prevail. Now they are trying to pillory no less than the Chief Justice of Supreme Court on suspicion of bias in decision making – as if SC decisions are the handiwork of only one man. They have also arrested a former president on the pretext of a bureaucratic clean-up – as if the other former presidents were pure blooded angels. By zeroing on this former head of state the impression is created that more than anti-corruption drive is behind this move. What comes next?

Of course, the court proceedings. And since these will be covered by media all eyes will be on tv sets and the more urgent concerns of production and the economy will take a backseat priority. This will be true also of the Corona impeachment trial at the Senate scheduled to start some weeks from now. As in the Estrada impeachment session, coverage will be full and unbroken and the whole nation will be treated once more to something of a muro-muro as our honorable senators showcase their rhetorical prowess for media mileage.

As this will go on the whole country will be divided. Political sentiments will be intensified and group identity will be all the more defined. There will be a paucity of collaboration in pursuing development projects. In fact, there will be strong oppositions to projects that are clearly beneficial to the people, a move usually underpinned with hollow justifications.

As pointed out, there is nothing new in these happenings. For decades the scenario has been repeated – political skirmishes at elections or in between elections interspersed with a period tentative collaboration and tolerance, then again a resurgence of intense rivalry as groups vie for people’s support at election season.

These are what’s in store for us in 2012.