5 Things I Hate About the Philippines
You know what distresses me more about the living conditions in the Philippines? Below are the reasons that I have ticked off right away from my mind.
1. Government Corruption
Do you know that Philippines is now the 4th country in Asia for being the worst corrupt? Not a good title to possess! It's a shame actually considering there are poorer countries who seem to be going off well now because of less corruption. Taxes only go to government officials' personal pockets and income. Philippines could have been a progressive nation had it been that the government learn to provide for the people. Before a project can get materialized, money has to exchange hands to different people seeking profit or "kickback" thus leaving only a fraction left for the project itself or sometimes none at all and then the project gets scratched off in the end. Government officials are greedy sharks who are only after hording money for themselves. The downfall of our country has been an end result of an age-long corruption. Our government need to learn a thing or two about the essence of true PUBLIC SERVICE.
2. Backward Technology
Whenever there are papers needing to be processed in government institutions, I was already disheartened at the very thought of the deed. Not only the process takes a long time, the tedious red tape is very cumbersome as well. Perfect example is NBI where you have to file for a clearance everytime you start on a new work. If you happen to have a hit (similar name) then you have to wait longer. God knows what type of archaic system they've been using! It's always been a pain for me. If other countries like the US can centralize their systems and databases, why can't we? The answer is simple: Upgrades of systems are discarded if they can get away in getting more money from the people.
3. Squatters and Garbage
I have nothing against people living in the squatters but let's face it--they consume a lot of the city's resources . Metro Manila alone has about 11 million residents (way greater than Singapore!) which is more or less one ninth of the country's population! Wherever they live, heaps of garbage are dumped carelessly anywhere. Whenever you see garbage, you see squatters nearby. They're like parasites, feeding on the city's resources till it's maxed out. They lack education hence they don't know about family planning and continue to thrive in population. Children loiter the streets which is a sad pity as they don't deserve such a life. Eventually they become prone to comitting crimes and members of syndicates. Hate to sound misanthropic but in a way they do destroy the beauty of the city or any place they linger.
4. Traffic Jam
Traffics are typical in every city but in Metro Manila, it has been a way of life. Rush hour or not, cars get queued up along EDSA. This even gets worse when here are heavy rains, mall sales and car accidents! For a small city, people mostly drive their own cars. Add it up with other land transportation like jeepneys, buses and cabs... Voila! You have perfectly congested roads! Jostling and getting sardined inside the MRT is not also an appealing idea. A more efficient form of transportation like bikes (if people will ever get used to it!) and good railway system could be a great aide in decongesting traffic.
5. Flooded Streets
For a tropical country that's always besieged by typhoons and heavy rains, our streets get flooded easily. This is the main reason why the rainy season is such a burden especially to those using public transportation. Our drainage system is so small and insufficient not to mention that it has also become a reservoir for garbage. People just have no discipline in disposing their garbage properly. It's about time that the government take notice and start implementing bigger drainage systems.
Of course, I have just illustrated here the cons of being a Pinoy in Pinas. There are, however, pros because as they say there's still no place like home. Anyhow, I won't be discussing them here. Perhaps in another post!
1. Government Corruption
Do you know that Philippines is now the 4th country in Asia for being the worst corrupt? Not a good title to possess! It's a shame actually considering there are poorer countries who seem to be going off well now because of less corruption. Taxes only go to government officials' personal pockets and income. Philippines could have been a progressive nation had it been that the government learn to provide for the people. Before a project can get materialized, money has to exchange hands to different people seeking profit or "kickback" thus leaving only a fraction left for the project itself or sometimes none at all and then the project gets scratched off in the end. Government officials are greedy sharks who are only after hording money for themselves. The downfall of our country has been an end result of an age-long corruption. Our government need to learn a thing or two about the essence of true PUBLIC SERVICE.
2. Backward Technology
Whenever there are papers needing to be processed in government institutions, I was already disheartened at the very thought of the deed. Not only the process takes a long time, the tedious red tape is very cumbersome as well. Perfect example is NBI where you have to file for a clearance everytime you start on a new work. If you happen to have a hit (similar name) then you have to wait longer. God knows what type of archaic system they've been using! It's always been a pain for me. If other countries like the US can centralize their systems and databases, why can't we? The answer is simple: Upgrades of systems are discarded if they can get away in getting more money from the people.
3. Squatters and Garbage
I have nothing against people living in the squatters but let's face it--they consume a lot of the city's resources . Metro Manila alone has about 11 million residents (way greater than Singapore!) which is more or less one ninth of the country's population! Wherever they live, heaps of garbage are dumped carelessly anywhere. Whenever you see garbage, you see squatters nearby. They're like parasites, feeding on the city's resources till it's maxed out. They lack education hence they don't know about family planning and continue to thrive in population. Children loiter the streets which is a sad pity as they don't deserve such a life. Eventually they become prone to comitting crimes and members of syndicates. Hate to sound misanthropic but in a way they do destroy the beauty of the city or any place they linger.
4. Traffic Jam
Traffics are typical in every city but in Metro Manila, it has been a way of life. Rush hour or not, cars get queued up along EDSA. This even gets worse when here are heavy rains, mall sales and car accidents! For a small city, people mostly drive their own cars. Add it up with other land transportation like jeepneys, buses and cabs... Voila! You have perfectly congested roads! Jostling and getting sardined inside the MRT is not also an appealing idea. A more efficient form of transportation like bikes (if people will ever get used to it!) and good railway system could be a great aide in decongesting traffic.
5. Flooded Streets
For a tropical country that's always besieged by typhoons and heavy rains, our streets get flooded easily. This is the main reason why the rainy season is such a burden especially to those using public transportation. Our drainage system is so small and insufficient not to mention that it has also become a reservoir for garbage. People just have no discipline in disposing their garbage properly. It's about time that the government take notice and start implementing bigger drainage systems.
Of course, I have just illustrated here the cons of being a Pinoy in Pinas. There are, however, pros because as they say there's still no place like home. Anyhow, I won't be discussing them here. Perhaps in another post!
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