The Loveless Guru

"Why are there many street children in Bacolod?" Joey asked me.

"Dear, not only in Bacolod.  You'll be surprised when you go to other bigger cities like Manila.  They're all over the place."

Apparently, there are no beggars in his country like the ones we have in ours.  Wouldn't it be nice to imagine that same scene where there are no more beggars and less poverty in the Philippines, at least in Bacolod?  Is this just wishful thinking?  I really would love to live and see that happening.

Anyway, I got inspired with his comments and observations and it got me thinking:  If I am the mayor of this city or if I am a law maker of this city, what changes would I make?  He said that he thinks there must be something wrong with our laws.   Okay here are some random things I have thought of and envision:

1. More shelters for the street children with no homes.

Since we were kids, we were taught to care for the poor and the needy.  However, sometimes it annoys me and I'm sure many will agree with me, with street children following us around and forcing us to give them money.  Personally, I don't prefer giving money than giving food.  I don't exactly know where the money goes but with food, I am sure it serves its purpose well.  There are these kids who would try to touch you and nag you to give them what they want and if you continue to ignore them, they would be antagonistic and scream malicious things at you and make you feel guilty.

I choose to whom I give.  The problem here is, these children begging on the streets are not totally homeless.  I bet most of them still have parents who make them beg on the streets while they do God knows what.  It's a shame to have people like that who would breed babies as much as they want to and make them scavenge on other people whilst they just stay home.  I remember a little girl beggar once followed me and Joey around downtown and really begged me to give her FOOD - and not money because she was hungry.  Joey kept on telling me to ignore her.  But it's hard for me not to because I noticed that she was barefoot and she was following as around under the very hot pavement with no slippers.  And I felt her sincerity.  She was really asking for food and almost crying.  So I gave her food.  I felt so good when the little girl saw us again for the second time and said, "Manang, salamat gid. (Big Sister, thank you very much).

When I translated to Joey what the girl was asking from me, he suddenly felt pity for her since he didn't notice that she was barefoot.  He even wanted to go back and look for her and buy her slippers but the stores selling slippers were kind of far and we were in a hurry that time.  The point is, what is our government doing with this problem?  Long ago, Korea was very poor and the Philippines was actually one of those who helped Korea rise from the ashes.  What happened to us? 

One thing that I admire about te US government is that they protect the welfare of the children.  Child Services take the children away from their homes when their parents cannot support them properly.  Can we do the same here?  Perhaps this would lessen the problem about these beggars and stop some of their parents of using them to look for money by going to the streets.  This is a form of child abuse too.

2. Phone number of jeepney and taxi operators posted on the vehicles.

So that citizens know where and who to complain to about reckless drivers and drivers who do not follow traffic rules.  Really, some drivers here lack training and think they are the kings of the road.  The Philippines is one of the most dangerous places to drive in my opinion.  Learn how to drive here and you can drive anywhere.  Maybe that's why I am still damn scared of learning how to drive my own car because I don't want to die young and I don't want to kill anybody because of other people's fault.

3. Post the city map on jeepneys and taxis.

Please do not assume that all people know the direction of where they want to go.  A person with no sense of direction such as myself, still get confused sometimes and would ask for help from other people.  What about the tourists/foreigners who visit here?  Be more considerate.  And while we're at it, why not post a list of places where the jeepney travels to.  It would be a great help.

4. Install hidden cameras to monitor and record traffic

This will be the doom for traffic violators, parking violators, smoke belchers, crazy drivers, etc. Whoever is caught on camera violating traffic laws will be fined.  We really need stricter rules to prevent accidents.

5. More street lights

Especially here in Circumferential Road.  Looks like a haunted road.  Scary at night.  And to think that this is where most of the sugarcane trucks pass by going to the sugar mill.  I cannot count how many people met an accident here or salvaged for that matter and dumped their bodies in the sugarcane fields where no one would see them because it's really dark.  With more street lights, there will be less robbery/hold-up incidents also.

6. Build CLEAR street signs.

Some of those that are still present are too old and cannot even be read well.  There are actually people living here who cannot memorize all the barangays, streets, subdivisions, etc.  This would even be more helpful for foreigners visiting our city.

7. Security Guards in Malls Checking for Bombs(?!)

It is such a waste of time to have your bags checked in malls at the entrance by security guards carrying sticks and poking it inside your bag for a second or a fraction of a second.  Completely useless.  I don't think management takes this seriously.  As I have observed, they only use that gadget for detecting bombs whenever there is a bomb threat.  Days later, when the hype is over and people stop being nervous, it's back to the sticks again.  Pathetic.

8. Photocopier machines should be available in ALL government offices and banks and wherever it is necessary to have your documents reproduced.

For Pete's sake!  This is not the first time that happened to me and I'm sure a lot of you can relate.  For instance, when I went to the Bureau of Immigration with Joey, they told us to photocopy Joey's passport and there was no photocopier machine in sight in the whole building.  We had to hike to another place to have it photocopied.  Also when I went to the Civil Service Commission to get my certificate.  I had to walk outside the premises under the heat of the sun to have it xeroxed.  I needed to cross the damn road and I hate crossing the road because it is still making me nervous somehow up to this age.  Making a photocopier machine available in these offices would surely be more convenient and would save time don't you think?

9. Computers for police precincts.

It's really a turn off to see them still using the typewriter to encode complaints and write blotter reports.  Are we living in the 21st century?  For one, using the typewriter have more opportunities to make mistakes like spelling of the names and address.  It looks dirty.  We have a thing called "computer" and most people in the modern world use it nowadays.  You see, using a computer would make the job more efficient.  It is quicker, they can edit it whenever there are typographical errors and they can store information for future reference. 

And why the hell are the criminals and people with petty crimes still have their pictures in clear books?  Wouldn't it be better if they were all stored in the computer as well?  Maybe they are saving electricity and ink and bond papers?  I don't get the logic why some people choose to be a miser when it comes to really important things and yet spend it in less important once.

10. An English Clinic for ordinary Filipino people

Joey thinks that not all Filipinos know how to speak and understand English.  Of course, I would usually debate this with him and say that I disagree and that we were taught the language since elementary.  I told him that perhaps they are just shy to speak but they do understand.  That's what I would like to believe but there have been many times when he and I would go out and talk to sales ladies for example, taxi operators and drivers, etc. and they would not respond to him when he asks them a question.  I am embarrased whenever this happens.

What happened?!  We are proud that the Philippines is one country in Asia where the people can speak fluent English.  Maybe I got lost somewhere.  Maybe that was before but no longer applies now.  Many Asian foreigners choose our country to learn English because they have faith in us that we can teach them well especially those who want to learn basic English.  Are we in danger that one day those that come here will be better English-speakers than us in a few years to come?  It's a high possibility.

Therefore, I think it would be a good idea for a non-profit organization whose members are willing to teach English for free or for a very little fee to our own fellow Filipinos.  We need to train our own countrymen to speak well again.  There are some who really knows the language and understand perfectly but are too conscious to speak it because of fear of being criticised.  They need a venue to practice it without any judgment and an English Clinic for Filipinos would be a good idea.  This would be helpful for our tourism also since more tourists will come here either to have a vacation or study with us and this translates to more money coming in the country.

11. Heavy promotion on reading of books

Perhaps this is also one of the reason why not many Filipinos are fluent in English anymore or have little confidence in using the language.  That is because, in this city for example, Bacolod is not really a reading public in general.  People here prefer more entertaining venues like the malls to spend their time and not to sit at home and read.  We need to promote this attitude especially among children and the youth.  Teach the people of this city to appreciate and love books and encourage them to write, speak more and be a patron of the arts. 

12. Do something with the Public Library

Where is it again?  I was horrified to see with my own eyes that our own public library here is very small, with few and very old books.  And yes, most people don't know where it is.  I was looking for more sources for our thesis before and it was a big disappointment seeing it with our own eyes.  If I were the mayor, I will have it reconstructed and transferred to a location where it is more visible to the public and where they can actually find useful books.  This city also needs to have archives of the city's important events and news.  Seriously.

So this is what I have thought of as of late.  I have Joey to thank for that.  I hope that this will be seen by any of our politicians and hopefully they could take some of these suggestions.