Excuse tax

Netnet Camomot .

THE sounds of construction are all over in this side of the neighborhood, with three sites making noise at the same time and a new one coming soon at a theater near you per an update from the lot owner’s sis. President Rody Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” has been heard loud and clear.

Banks, however, have increased their home loan interest rates—should the Pinoy expect a slowdown in construction? Hmmm.

In a meeting, the speaker, who happens to be one of Cagayan de Oro’s most successful business owners, shared about VUCA—volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity—for the present Pinas, and this situation may continue in the next few months.

Well, here’s hoping it’s only for a few months, with the expectation of campaign funds stirring up the economy. But I’m not an economist, I’m not a practicing certified public accountant, what do I know, huh? So, pray and adopt the Law of Attraction then. Which an Election 2019 candidate may also rely on.

Pinas has survived through martial law in the ’70s, Ninoy Aquino’s assassination and People Power in the ’80s, the Marcoses’ comeback and Asian financial crisis in the ’90s, then-President Erap Estrada’s impeachment in 2001, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s “Hello, Garci” and neck brace in the first 11 years of the 21st century, and there was the Oakwood Mutiny aimed at her, where Sen. Sonny Trillanes gained notoriety, er, popularity.

In other words, Pinas can now say, Ho-hum, been there, done that.

So, what’s new? It must be the p***ng in* that Duterte loves to blurt around. Some prim and proper people probably cover their ears each time they hear him start with, Put… After which they make the sign of the cross and say, Susmaryosep! Or its 21st-century translation: Juice colored!

These same prim and proper people tend to be so judgmental, they equate p***ng in* with evil. Of course, they can also see graft and corruption, abuse of power, and how nature is now being threatened by man’s disrespect for the world he has been assigned to love and care for. But if the one committing these, uh, transgressions is the god of the prim and proper, they would now protect that god, and protest instead against the one saying p***ng in* as they vigorously shake their heads side-to-side, and state with conviction, Dili gyud na puede.

But Duterte and his family are also facing graft-and-corruption accusations, which may now inspire the Pinoy to shrug his shoulders and conclude that’s the norm. It’s not even the new normal anymore as it was deemed “normal” in the Marcos era and for each president thereafter before Duterte emerged as the leader that promised to put an end to all these, uh, transgressions.

The only way for the Pinoy to exist in this oh so cruel world is to go with the flow and forget about his passion and compassion. But how to? It’s man’s nature to have passion and compassion. Remove those two from his life and he morphs into a robot, which a dictator may prefer since all the latter has to do is push some buttons and—voila!—dictator pa more. Unless artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more intelligent than that president. Hmmm. That will be the day when AI will rule the world.

For now, Jollibee seems to rule the fast food world with its Chicken Joy as its outlets have spread to infinity and beyond. Its London branch, which opened on Oct. 20, even attracted a long and winding line of fans on the first day, with some lining up for 17 hours to avail of early-bird perks.

Uptown Cagayan de Oro also has a new Jollibee, with a drive-thru this time—its second branch in the area, with the one located inside SM uptown as its first.

McDonald’s and Starbucks are expected to open uptown branches, too, and all I could think of now is this: Goodbye, diet.

The uptowners are definitely looking forward to the renovated SM uptown, that is, if that plan will push through.

Despite the depressing inflation rate and higher prices, the Pinoy continues to build which is a win-win situation for everyone.

Car sales, though, have decreased, perhaps due to the Pinoy’s perception that the excuse, er, excise tax has made his favorite vehicle an impasiboooool…  dream a.k.a. cannot be reached.

Buying only the essentials will help the Pinoy survive as usual, as he chooses which of the two is more important to him: house or car. In case he’s confused, here’s a tip: a car depreciates the moment he starts driving it.

“Build, Build, Build” or vroom, vroom, vroom. That’s the question. Esep-esep!