Indifferent road to hell

The recent shooting of yet another mayor (the fifth!) brings yet another layer of disquiet and unease to formerly idyllic Cebu.

I can remember when driving around the city at 10 p.m. netted a grand total of three open establishments, one of them a donut franchise in Fuente Osmeña. Elsewhere, it was dark, as residents slumbered in peace. Meanwhile, crime was negligible, and I could recall leaving my car unlocked for hours in the Capitol area, and coming back with nothing missing.

Back then, nobody would have dreamed that office and condominium towers would spring up in fields, hundreds of thousands of neighboring Visayans would converge on the city, and a raucous scene of both pleasure-seekers and office workers would become the hallmark of the night.

All of which aren't necessarily bad, until you factor in all the necessary evils associated with a city stressed beyond its capacity. Traffic, infrastructure, law and order. Yes, law and order, which may not seem that important to a casual observer, but a bit of thinking leads to realizing that without this basic guarantee, the city starts losing its desirability.

Whether they be wannabe residents, new settlers, or hardcore, true-blue Cebuanos, the livability of a city sends numerous signals to its inhabitants. And, boy, the impunity enjoyed by criminals sends a very loud and clear message: Maybe this isn't a good place.

That criminality is echoed throughout the country with tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings. Justice isn't being meted out in the courtroom; it's being exacted by unknown assailants. And the refusal to abide by the ordinary justice system, already saddled with criticisms of being slow and inadequate, isn't helping.

The message is that extraordinary measures will be taken to bring down those deemed enemies, no matter how powerful or connected. Courts and the arena of public opinion aren't enough. If it means destroying established institutional structures or meddling with long-standing judicial precedent, apparently, the attitude is “so be it.”

So, if a mayor can be insulted and even threatened with a slap, or worse, shot casually, what signal is that sending? Be very afraid? Toe the line? Cooperate or die?

Or is the message, perhaps: This is our land, and we will do what we want with it?

Do we want to live in a city, nay, a country, like this?

I am glad former president Barack Obama has finally spoken out. After a long, respectful silence, he is now stumping for candidates. And what he said in his opening salvo, invoking lofty ideals can very well apply to the microcosm that is Cebu.

Obama said "the antidote to a government controlled by...fear, a government that divides, is a government by the organized, energized, inclusive many. That's what this moment's about....You cannot sit back and wait for a savior. You cannot opt out because you don't feel sufficiently inspired by this or that particular candidate... You don't need a messiah. All we need are decent, honest, hardworking people who are accountable and who have (insert country) best interests at heart."

Going by that, it's not enough to just rant on Facebook or grumble in hushed dining rooms or private salons. Discontent must be harnessed, and the indifference or even disagreement we see transformed into activation of our civic duty to participate in the direction of this country. To steer it to some place better. To where our ideals (including law and order) are enshrined, protected, and practiced on a daily basis, and not when it is merely convenient.

Else, it is time to up and leave.