Daang Matuwid: A Legacy Of Perversion

To be honest, I planned on simply chilling out for this week. After my rampage in the previous few weeks, I considered taking a short break from all the troubles of the country and the rest of the world and just spend some quality time with myself, my family and my friends. Heck, I even gave the AlDub phenomenon a try and see for myself why it seems so popular. After all, my buddies Zaxx and Add seem to be doing pretty good as of late, taking words straight out of my mind and mouth. Then there’s my old friend Paul Farol and his inspiring message to us all.

But then, there’s the issue with Mrs. Robredo and the LP or “Liberal Party” of the Philippines. Benign0 even goes on to note what has enabled this to happen and how it probably isn’t going to go out of style any time soon. Well heck, thanks a lot Mrs. Rubredo, now I’m pissed off again. And here I thought I could at least take a break from being “Grimwald the Grump”. Oh well, it goes to show that if you want to get anywhere in the fight against mediocrity, you’re going to have to “fight fire with fire” as one commenter recommended.

So here it comes ladies and gentlemen, GRP’s sleeping kaiju is up once again and he is not happy…

Okay, before we begin, I remember the news stating that Mrs. Robredo would be joining as Mar Roxas’ running mate in the up and coming 2016 election. According to some sources, President Aquino is giving them his personal endorsement as he believes that they will be the ones to continue his “Daang Matuwid” or “Straight Path”. To be honest though, I am at a total loss at what President Aquino’s Straight Path is even about. So far, with everything that’s happened from the ever-worsening condition of traffic, the dreadful violence in Mindanao to the debacle involving the lewdness of a member of the LP, “Daang Matuwid” certainly doesn’t seem all that promising.

Indeed, I even remember writing an article that asks just where (if there is even an intended destination at all) Daang Matuwid is supposed to take us. However, as of late, I’ve come to realize that if indeed everything that happened during President Aquino’s term is a result of his “Straight Path” (from the Luneta Hostage Crisis, the neglected Yolanda survivors, the Fallen 44, the threat against the Lumads to the immorality of Francis Tolentino) then I daresay that “Daang Matuwid” is nothing more than a legacy of perversion.

Take note that perversion is not always sexual in nature. “Perversion” simply means taking something beautiful and good, with sex being a great example of this and why this is usually the first to come to mind, and turning it into something evil. So if you want the ultimate example of “perversion” in the Philippines, then you need not look any further than the Aquino Administration and the so-called “Daang Matuwid” which President Aquino seems to say over and over again despite the fact that it has had very little to show as a concept and is every bit as insubstantial as North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s Juche or “Self-Reliance”.

Here are the three big concepts that “Daang Matuwid” has utterly perverted and effectively destroyed:

Perverting Democracy

Despite being flawed, I have always believed that democracy is probably the most decent form of government in the world today. With democracy, we can choose for ourselves a good leader who can lead us to both progress and prosperity. It also encourages a sense of responsibility and accountability in voters as they are forced to choose wisely and carefully if they care at all about the future of their families and their nation as a whole.

Unfortunately, “Daang Matuwid” has essentially turned Philippine democracy into just another brand of aristocracy. There are few other democracies in the world where public servants are believed to be gifts from God to the people despite their glaring incompetence. Instead of seeing politicians as leaders chosen by the people for the people, common Pinoys see politicians as royalty, believing that they are chosen by none other than God Himself to lead the people, or even as gods themselves in some cases.

Using the ever useful media, political candidates, especially those on the side of the LP can make even the most heinous of criminals saints, total idiots as geniuses and 50-year-old sissy boys into men. This is why I find it more than a little difficult to trust the media because they have essentially dumbed the Filipino people down to the level of medieval peasants, or worse, apes. This is why whenever a politician rides in a public transport like a train or bus or when they give away freebies, Pinoys are so easily swayed into thinking that these are good men or women even though there’s nothing even remotely special or noble in what they do.

Add was right in his latest article in that Philippine democracy isn’t about having “freedom of choice” but is essentially a “tyranny of the majority”.

Perverting Religion

Well, I’m not going to deny that I still hold on to my Catholic upbringing. I’m still a practicing Catholic because while religion is also flawed in a lot of aspects, I have always seen it as a form of moral code. Granted, it’s not perfect, but I have always seen it as at least an attempt by a Greater Being to point us in the right direction. Simple ideas like “don’t be a jerk to others” and “be kind to the elderly” are some of the basics in a lot of religions today which even people without religions can probably fully appreciate.

However, again, even the beauty of religion is tarnished by “Daang Matuwid” and similar political ideas that preceded it. Instead, just like in the film The Book of Eli, religion is used as a weapon or tool to control the masses. Using religious dogma, sinister political candidates can paint themselves as individuals of divine significance and are therefore infallible and unquestionable despite being incompetent and immature lechers. For a believer like myself, there is no greater blasphemy than using religion to further your own goals while partaking in some of the most despicable of sins such as the murder of innocent people and sexual degradation.

Thanks to their perversion of religion, some politicians have even succeeded in making themselves untouchable as they use religion to justify their position even though some of them are quite possibly some of the most horrible examples of human beings in this country. So long as they have the blessing of religion, they can engage in whatever debauchery or sacrilege they desire with no one the wiser.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me make this abundantly clear to you: I have always believed that God chose not just one, but all of us, to be his representatives here on Earth. No one man or woman can ever claim to be “chosen” by God to be a leader because we are all chosen by God to be kind and responsible people and should have the presence of mind and common sense to choose for ourselves a leader who can truly make a great nation out of the Philippines.

Perverting Sacrifice

I believe that Benign0 already spoke of this but let me tell you my definition of “sacrifice” first. “Sacrifice”, as you should know, is a painful choice for the greater good. It’s about deciding on doing what’s right even when it sucks or especially when it sucks. Making a sacrifice is never easy and, once done, you will not be the same afterwards.

Here let me share with you a personal experience that you may better understand the my definition of the word “sacrifice”. I was on a bus heading for Tarlac once when a mother and her young daughter boarded the vehicle. As all seats were full, they were forced to join the long line of people standing in the center aisle. Now, take note, I don’t do this very often and let me remind you that in real life, I’m actually an asshole and a troll and that I take pains to maintain my image of being an asshole and troll. However, the mother and her daughter reminded me of my own late mother who died somewhere in early 2010 and how we often traveled together. So I stood up and gave my seat to the mother and her daughter. And no, before you think it, the mother wasn’t hot at all. She was just your average woman on her way somewhere with her daughter. But since she reminded me so much of my own mother and the way we used to go to our home province together, I couldn’t help but want to make the trip at least a little easier for the woman and her daughter.

So there I stood for three or four straight hours while being forced to watch a cheesy action film starring Lito Lapid (this was probably the worst part of it for me) as the mother sat in my seat with her daughter fast asleep on her lap. When we reached Tarlac the woman personally thanked me as I got off the bus but that wouldn’t have made any real difference to me. I never really expected anything in return although I really wish I didn’t have to listen to Lito Lapid’s hollow bravado. I made their trip a bit more comfortable and that, in itself, was worth having to stand on a shaky bus while being forced to listen to Lito Lapid’s horrid lines and the ensuing stiffness in my legs and the lingering memories of Lito Lapid’s horrid lines that lasted for the next few days. Even when I found standing and walking a little difficult, I had no regrets about it (well except maybe having to listen to Lito Lapid) and would gladly do it again if ever the opportunity presents itself. I am just hoping that any remaining Lito Lapid action films will be eaten by moths or destroyed by fire. While certainly not remarkable in any way and something just about anyone can do, what I did can be an example of a “lesser” sacrifice. It is essentially foregoing oneself over doing what is right and it must always, always be an active choice. The death of a loved one cannot be considered a sacrifice as it is a natural occurrence.

So no, sorry to say President Aquino, Mrs. Robredo and Senator Poe, the death of your loved ones are not examples of sacrifice. After all, just about anyone can lose their loved ones but that doesn’t necessarily make them good people much less competent leaders. Also, sorry Mr. Roxas, riding in an MRT in the most comfortable section reserved for women and children is not a sacrifice as you couldn’t even be bothered to make any real effort in helping the Yolanda survivors or standing up for the rights of the SAF 44. If you had ridden in the worst car of the MRT and offered your seat to an old man, then I might actually be a little impressed and inclined to vote for you. As for you Mr. Binay, giving freebies to people is also not a sacrifice as just about anyone can treat other people to something and, more likely than not, the money you’re using for freebies are taken from the taxes of the common people and thus belong to them anyway.

Again, let me repeat that sacrifices are never easy and that they need to be a conscious choice rather than something caused by circumstance such as the loss of a loved one. A real sacrifice requires one to make a hard and often painful decision without anything in return and usually without anyone really caring or remembering what happened.

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So to you members of the LP as well as UNA (who was part of “Daang Matuwid” before Binay realized President Aquino was going to choose Mar Roxas instead of him), I have one word to describe all of you:

PERVERTS!

[Photo courtesy Philippine Star.]