- Advertisement -

Rhona Canoy

SO… City councilor violently invades an RTA enforcer’s personal space. A lot of people have already expressed their opinion on this, so I might as well add mine to the hot steaming pile.

- Advertisement -

Just after I had been given the privilege to talk to our RTA people during a couple of their values education seminars, this happens. We had spent some time discussing how to deal with arrogant demeanor not just towards them but from them as well. So I was torn about this Ocon thing. Part of me was hoping that that particular officer had been present at my talks and practiced what was preached, and part of me was disappointed that yet another incident was going to confirm the negative perception that traffic enforcers are a rude corrupt bunch, and that the slapping was well-deserved.

But the biggest part of me was truly horrified that a city councilman could be so crassly uneducated as to slap another human being to show dominance and importance over them. To take one’s hand and strike it against another’s cheek is considered the ultimate insult in many cultures. It is more of a psychological injury than a physical one. To get slapped in the face is deeply offensive because our faces are who we are. It is what sets us apart from others, what personifies our uniqueness. Even identical twins aren’t completely identical. When we talk to ourselves in the mirror, we don’t look at our bellybutton. Lots of women place so much importance on their faces that they will spend thousands and thousands of pesos to keep it presentable, beautiful, young. But I digress.

Slapping is also a show of power. Rarely will a subordinate slap a boss or anyone above them on a hierarchical ladder. If the slapping occurs among two equals, there would surely be an ensuing fight. In earlier times in Europe, this was a call to a duel. Symbolically, a glove was slapped across another’s face as a formal challenge to a fight that usually ended in one person, if not both, croaking. In this day and age, slapping has no other purpose than to insult or disgrace the slappee.

Sadly, there is also the expectation that an educated or well-mannered person has the mental and physical control to stop himself or herself from doing the deed even if the urge may be monumentally overwhelming. So to have a city councilman, a duly-elected person tasked to serve not only in deed but also as a role model to the community, sink so low is to me truly reprehensible. That’s a five- (slap) syllable (slap) word (slap).

No matter what kind of circumstance one may find oneself in, there is not a single justification for the act. That the traffic enforcer was rude should have been a brilliant opportunity to teach him how to do his job better. I have always contended (and continue to do so) that it is not about what one is saying that disagreements are started, but rather the manner in which it is said. If Councilman Ocon was indeed guilty of a traffic violation, in that particular incident, he would have been regarded as just another ignorant motorist, unknowing of his traffic rules and road signs. If as a councilman, he thinks he should be exempted from the law, he can just as easily try to pass a city ordinance saying so.

That he could say in a radio interview that he thought there was nothing wrong with parking his car where he did because the sign only said “No Loading and Unloading”,  not “No Parking”, was to me the funniest thing I heard that day. To say the least. And I am going to say the least because I will surely get into trouble. Councilman Ocon needs to scale it back a notch. Regardless of what happened to trigger the incident, he is going to lose this one. And I think he owes the City of Cagayan de Oro an apology. Which I’m sure we’re not going to get.

But then again, in hindsight, he did get elected because of this type of behavior on his radio show. All he did was bitch-slap city officials offensively with his words, which was what his radio constituency loved to hear. We put him there (although I personally did not vote for the guy) by an overwhelming number of votes. So why now does his ignorant insecure behavior surprise us? After all, I should give him credit for staying true to form.

Now I wonder what this says about our Cagayanon mindset. Is he an anal orifice for slapping somebody? Or is he a hero for actually doing what we secretly wish we could do to someone? I don’t know. The only thing I know fer sher is this—the next time I see Councilman Ocon, I will make damn sure to stand more than an arm’s length away.

Just in case.

Disclaimer

Mindanao Gold Star Daily holds the copyrights of all articles and photos in perpetuity. Any unauthorized reproduction in any platform, electronic and hardcopy, shall be liable for copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Rights Law of the Philippines.

- Advertisement -
Previous articleFake news
Next articleBUSY BRIDGE
TRAILBLAZER. Established in 1989, Mindanao Gold Star Daily aimed set ablaze a new meaning and flame to the local newspaper industry. Throughout the years it continued its focus and interest in the rural areas and pioneered the growth of community journalism.