Citizens have to change

Ben Contreras

 HE is a businessman, young, aggressive and adventurous. He sought my help on people who may know about solar energy. I introduced him to a couple of friends. During our brief meeting with friends who can give him some inputs about solar energy, the topic veered from business to politics.

“I bet change will not succeed not because Duterte lacks the resolve but because we, the people, will not change. We are only good at complaining and finger pointing,” he said.

It may be hard to accept but it’s true. We complain of corruption but we ourselves promote corruption by taking shortcuts and conveniences. We don’t want to wait and join the queue. We look for connections when we encounter problem and hope the problem will be solved somehow. We ask people who know people to do errands and give a few pesos for what we call “for the boys.” We don’t pay the right taxes with excuse that “kawaton ra man gihapon.” And when people who are supposed to serve the people begin to ask for more, we cry “corrupt.”

Eradicating corruption is not a one-way traffic. Citizens cannot demand what they themselves don’t practice.

Crab mentality is also compounding our problem.

Corruption permeates all level of our society–government sector, private sector, media, Church, etc.. All contribute to a corrupt society. Life is what we make it, so they say. Thus, a society is also what we make it.

Until we, the citizenry, learn to change, no leader can succeed singlehandedly.

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The business sector is so alarmed of our traffic woes that a group has contemplated to form a new volunteer contingent to assist our Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA).

The initial meeting with Councilor George Goking was postponed for reason that the mayor asked for his company during a certain occasion. The following night, the meeting materialized but it was brief.

Goking claimed that the mayor has other plans to solve our traffic woes which could be implemented in the near future. I suspect it’s not the real reason but more because of the personalities involved. But they’re giving the mayor the benefit of the doubt. If true, at least, it served the purpose already.

We can look forward to it or damn it as mere diversionary tactic.

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A citizen who condemned the destruction of a good road in front of Liceo University only to be replaced with a new one at the inconvenience and discomfort of the public is again complaining why a portion of the highway fronting Save More in Kauswagan is being given a second layer of asphalt while many portions toward Bulua remained without asphalt. Will DPWH explain why?

This poses dangers to drivers who may not notice the uneven surface especially at night. It could get worse if it rains.