The Saviour is born!

The good news is that the whole world was once again reminded of Jesus Christ born in a manger in swaddling clothes to save mankind. He is the Messiah who is Lord.  He was God’s answer to a troubled and chaotic world some 2,000 years ago.  To this day we continue to work toward peace and reconciliation between God and man.

After all the Christmas rush and buzz and all the razzmatazz created to stir us away from the real celebration of Christmas, we must find it in our hearts to think of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  The simple but meaningful life they led that changed the world forever.

In the Philippines, as we celebrate the joy of Christmas with family and friends, in our quiet moments we must think of our country and its future.  Who is our savior?  When will he or she come?  Will we be saved this time?

Is there a messiah amongst the candidates for the presidential and vice presidential race this coming 2016 election?  Or do they all just have the “messiah complex”?

Let’s be wary of candidates whether local or national with the “messiah complex” because there is a lot of them out there. Such people are found to have illusions of being the savior.  In other words, they have delusional tendencies having false beliefs that is based on incorrect interpretations of reality.

Nowadays, we tend to be more paranoid with government officials because more often than not, they run for the money.   In the beginning they have beautiful and hopeful dreams for the country but when power sets in they turn into greedy beasts.  What is worse is that they are supported by the Constitution that seems to protect them more than the citizens of the land. Our legislators seemed to have curbed the Constitution through the years to favor them.  Sanamagan!

I don’t mean to spoil the Christmas spirit.  I am surely enjoying this season as much as you are.  As a matter of fact, I don’t want it to end.  I wish Christmas is celebrated every day in this country.  This is the time where our hearts change and we make a conscious effort to make peace with everyone.  We go out of our way to share and care for others.  The best thing happening right now is that there are less vehicles on the road.  There is less traffic out there.

Well, pretty soon this feeling of euphoria will die down when the New Year sets in.  Traffic will continue to be a problem for the next 3 years or so.  This traffic mess is the most unfortunate legacy of P-Noy that will haunt us for a long time.  It has paralyzed the nation and affected many lives.

Results of a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey a few weeks before Christmas showed that the public satisfaction of President Aquino’s performance dropped in the last quarter of the year by nine points from +41 in September.  This is absolutely caused by his “daang matuwid” mentality and calling us “ang mga boss ko” which seems to have backfired on him.  Our quality life is deteriorating and no one in this Administration seems to care.  We are literally drenched in the rain and inching our way to our destinations.  Someone better advice Mar Roxas and Leny Robredo to stop using this slogan.  It will kill their campaign.

I’m not looking forward to the traffic mess after the holidays. Malacañang has not been succesful with the traffic management system.  What’s happening?   Why aren’t they resolving the problem?  Or maybe they think they have, surmise to say, they too are delusional.  It’s not only about the number of trains and the maintenance of the roads. The problem lies in the way traffic is managed.  Our nation is already paralyzed and still nothing significant has happened to improve the situation.  Susmariosep!

In 2015, the total number of motor vehicles in Metro Manila has already peaked at 2.5 million. Metro Manila has only 1,032 kilometers of roads or 3.5% of the total 39,370 kilometers of roads nationwide. The National Capital Region has only one kilometer of road per 424 vehicles. According to reports the traffic demand in Metro Manila is at 12.8 million trips. Sixty-nine percent of these total trips are done using public transport yet only 22% of the road space is occupied by public vehicles. The other 78% of road space is taken by private vehicles.  Eighty-five percent of air pollution in Metro Manila comes from vehicles.

According to a COA report, a P1.314-billion allocation from the Disbursement Acceleration Program for the rehabilitation of Light Rail Transit 1 and 2 was released in full by the Aquino’s administration in January 2014. However, the rehabilitation projects have not yet been implemented due to several project revisions. In the same month, the MMDA launched a new traffic signalling system worth P290 million.

Just this weekend, DOTC is once again facing another problem in awarding without public bidding a P3.81-billion long-term maintenance contract for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) to a Korean-Filipino group.

The metropolis has turned into a haven of chaos. Nothing has changed. This traffic problem reminds me of the power shortage crisis we had in the early 1990’s during the time of President Cory Aquino when the nation was also paralyzed.  Businesses, malls, factories, airports, etc. were all suffering economic losses.

Today, P-Noy seems to be in the same situation.  Is this the state of his “daang matuwid” he wants us to remember him by?  Is this his legacy?  As we end the year and as he ends his term in office, what significant contribution has he given this country? Incarcerating Enrile, Revilla, Estrada and Napoles for the PDAF and DAP his adminsitration created and misused and where none of his officials were even punished?  What heroic deed has he done to save the Philippines?

We are desperately looking for a saviour.  Someone who is principled and stands up for what is right; as oppose to a chameleon who changes hues in order to cling to power. Someone who is a good listener not only to others but also to his own conscience. We need a selfless leader who puts his needs second to others. He or she should be more discerning, responsible and accountable.  But more important he or she must show us the way.  He must be the light bearer who will carry the destiny of this nation!