A Cagayan de Oro city councilor said that traffic is a sign of progress. We were then having small talk at an event.
Since other guests were complaining about the traffic, that naturally became our topic.
But instead of saying that the city government is doing its best to solve the problem, the city councilor said, Traffic is part of progress. Another city councilor happened to be there, too, with us, and she remained quiet, either because she wasn’t listening or she agreed with the other councilor.
By the way, the two are not running for reelection, but their relatives are. Same surname.
Trees are being cut along Masterson Avenue and I’m sure the reason behind that is the same as the traffic: sign of progress.
Based on some city councilors’ standard for progress, let’s see if we can enumerate other signs of progress. Street vendors that worsen the traffic. Uncollected garbage. Unfinished road projects. Tarpaulins and billboards featuring political candidates and it’s not even official campaign season yet. Politicians who have more time for TikTok than governance.
I’ve reached that age when I don’t care anymore. So, for me to still see things that are off means they’ve become too much to bear.
Yeah, I don’t care anymore. “‘Cause I don’t care when I’m with my baby, yeah/All the bad things disappear/And you’re making me feel like maybe I am somebody/I can deal with the bad nights/When I’m with my baby, yeah.” Wait, wrong song. Haha.
“‘Cause I don’t care as long as you just hold me near/You can take me anywhere/And you’re making me feel like I’m loved by somebody/I can deal with the bad nights/When I’m with my baby, yeah.” Oops. Wrong song again.
Better continue the first topic.
If you don’t want to follow traffic rules, go ahead, make your day. Just make sure you’re doing it in downtown CDO when I’m not there.
If you don’t want to collect the garbage, go ahead, make your day. The garbage here in the village is always collected, anyway.
If you only want to collect people’s money without finishing the projects you promised to do for them, go ahead, continue collecting money from other people without fulfilling your promises. You’ll pay for that in some other ways, anyway.
If you want to put your portrait on tarpaulins and billboards, and to do more TikTok reels to make voters aware that you’re running in May 2025, go ahead, have more tarpaulins, billboards, and reels. You don’t need my vote, anyway.
A political candidate asked me if she should put up tarpaulins and billboards already by this month. I said, Wait for the official campaign period. She: But how will the voters know I’m running?
Oh. By joining marathons and fun runs?
My gym classmates, who are not political candidates, have been training forevermore for the many races they’re joining. I gotta feeling that becomes a hard habit to break, too, much like my daily gym habit.
