Dear hypothetical present ocongressman of our ill-defined district,

I thank you for being the congressman of our district. I congratulate you for the positive results of your efforts in gaining (and maintaining) the congressional seat. I just want to say that I saw and was overwhelmed by the sheer passion and dedication in your political campaign and in your performance in Congress. It was an honor for this citizen to see exactly how you managed to become and continue to be the representative of our humble district.

Now, I only have one simple question for you:

Why even bother?

I am not questioning your motives, dear representative. Goodness knows what kinds of interesting things were needed to be done for you to get elected. The question still stands, though: Why even bother with our district? What do you even plan to do with our district? Are your plans for this district beneficial to mere citizens like us, or to some nebulous authority that your are either indebted with, are related to, worship to, or (worst of all) are married to?

Let us start this heart-to-heart talk (for some value of “heart”) with a few more questions about your (potential or otherwise) term as the representative of a poorly-defined district in Bulacan, from certain people whom I may or may not name (depending, of course, if they want to be involved in the” fallout” of my grand “mission”):

Note that your answers to all of  these questions are retroactively binding, in the sense that these letter is an impicit contract between you and this district. This contract will be enforced through any legal means (including spoon-based protests/revolutions, if needed.)

Frankly, I do not see the point of writing to you, dear congressman, since it is assumed that this letter will first be brought to your subordinates, who will then read this letter, and dump it to the paper shredder, recycle bin, or their equivalents. However, I still make the point of making this letter, since I believe that the chance of having even a quantum of communication with your representative is a chance that should not be thrown away.

But know this: the moment that you openly and blatantly commit acts are that make a mockery of either the Philippine Constitution, United Nations statutes, common decency as defined by the majority of marginally sane sentients, or any equivalent codes of conduct (written or unwritten), by glory, everyone in our district shall be made aware of whatever tomfoolery you have committed. After that, heaven knows what might happen. Maybe a public letter. Maybe protests. Maybe legal proceedings. Maybe nothing.

But no one is sure what might happen. You might get a reprieve from a community that has been made apathetic in part by your predecessors. You may, in fact, win the legal proceedings (whether by hook or crook), giving a sense of legality (if not legitimacy) to your past (and possibly future) iniquities. You may even be praised by your peers for having a level of chutzpah that rivals that of a self-made orphan who asks the court to have mercy on him because he is an orphan.

Nonetheless, I still respect your ability to become and maintain being a congressman. I just wish that you would give me, and the electorate at large, a reason to actually appreciate the fact that you are our representative.

Yours truly,

Someone who lives in that ill-defined district.

P.S. Have a nice day, and I hope that you sleep nicely tonight...

Word count: 1096

I would first use my (somewhat-)democratically-granted powers to successfully control the ruling oligarchy through the personal implementation of a half-year-long localized reign of tyranny on the said elite.

With a spoon.

After the sessions of pain and laughter (preferably after making about half of the elite so traumatized that they would stir their coffee with forks), I would then categorically declare to the entire nation via a speech in Malacanang my plans regarding the following problems in Philippine society (summarized below), that will be implemented immediately during and after the speech, while having  the representatives, senators, department secretaries, generals, taipans, landlords and other people who can be considered as the most powerful people in the land as my very, very unwilling “guest of honor”:

The Family

This administration believes in the right of every family to earn a living through whatever legal means that they could find. Similarly, the government has no intention to stop any individual who willfully and intentionally wants to work abroad, given the required papers and sufficient awareness of their rights and of the perils of working abroad. Nevertheless, I declare that the era of state-sanction labor exportation in the Philippines shall end immediately. To maintain the stability of the Filipino family, the government shall realign its focus on developing local industries, so that said industries will provide jobs to our fellow women and men, so that they would not need to sacrifice the psychological stability of their family for their family’s financial stability. May I repeat that I will NOT prevent the outflow of Filipinos who dream of a better life outside their homeland. I would rather that said Filipinos will come to the Philippines not because the state said so; instead, they will come back because it worth working and living in this country. The Philippines can be great again. The Filipino can be great again. We just need to give ourselves an incentive to go beyond ourselves and our currently rotten state.

Educational Institutions

But how can we go build ourselves a new era if we can’t be bothered to have the right tools. On that note, this administration celebrates the achievements of the private sector in bringing quality education to those who can pay for it. I move that this government would institute the revamp of our public elementary, secondary, and tertiary education institutions (in that order). At the same time, the creation of a school voucher system will commence, thereby giving even the poorest qualified potential students students the capability to study in wherever they believe to have the facilities and ability to provide them with the best education this country could provide for them, whether the choice may be public schools (with the government paying for the tuition of those who can’t afford using its monopoly powers), or in private schools (with the government indirectly paying for the tuition of those who can’t afford to using financial grants). By fixing the school system through private industry and public policy, families rich or poor can now have the freedom to decide where to send their children to whatever school they like (given that said children are certified to be able to survive the rigors of schooling.) At the same time, competition could flourish between the private schools and public schools, while the government moderates the two sides through the use of public money (in a somewhat unusual case of coopetition)

Religious Institutions

As a man of religion, I declare that the state which I now represent has no right to side for or against any religion, philosophy, and similar forms of spiritual wellness. At the same time, however, the same state must not impose whatever philosophy or religion, whether directly or indirectly, whether by writing the laws of any particular philosophy outside a government building, or by using taxpayer money to fund religious gatherings in schools. In other words, this government shall remain utterly neutral in the realm of spirituality. To that effect, all advisers, government officials, and other personnel, positions and offices who explicitly or implicitly support a particular set of religious views shall be removed immediately. It is the duty of the state to give equal treatment to its citizens, regardless of their views or philosophies. I say this not only as a man of religion, but also as a man for the state.

On that note, the state shall only consider the secular implications of public policy. Whatever judgement calls that have to be made in the name of morality shall be left to each and every citizen, knowing that the state has no more right to ultimately decide one person’s fate (within the realm of law) than any other institution, including the dominant clergy in the republic. This is not to offend those with spiritual leanings; in fact, these measures ensure that each citizen cannot be compelled by any authority (perceived or otherwise) to change his or her beliefs, only that said authorities may only suggest certain actions (without implying any consequences, at least in the mortal realm) for individuals to follow. This government recognizes the free will inherent in all sentient beings.

Political Institutions

While I am a supporter of the concept of the democracy and the republic (considering that I am a president in what is at least a nominal through presumably democratic means,) I am not denying that whatever kind of government that was established here in the Philippines can not be, in almost any circumstance be called a democracy. On that note, as I hold hostage to the whole lot of you (pointing to the poor little sods in front of me that now fear the power of the spoon), I declare a new era in Philippine politics, where the possibility of me being able to hold snap elections and resigning immediately will not hinder the sociopolitical growth of the electorate and the institutions. Before I would hold the snap elections (and hopefully the resignation immediately after), I shall assemble a commission, consisting of the best minds in Philippine society, from all sectors, with the caveat that any member of the elite that is eligible under the commission MUST feel the pain of the spoon before they can be allowed. Even then, the elite that are part of the commission are considered to be lower than the other members, to ensure that they will never, ever, be able to hijack  the commission. However, I also recognize the power of weapons in allowing the elite to take hostage of the nation. That is precisely why I would use the elite as my hostages (and preferably, as human punching bags/ shields/ corkboards): so that there would be a very large disincentive to rebel.

Economic Institutions

As I have said before, the Philippines can and will be great again. It only takes a Green-Lantern level of willpower from the electorate to implement change to this country of ours. This time, since the elite will be under my control (with a spoon, no less) I would then leverage whatever power the elite has to empower the Philippines in the world stage. The somewhat vague plan, pending discussion with the commission mentioned before, will involved the treaties that the Philippines is a signatory to, taking advantage of the fact that the government has the equivalent of an eldritch abomination in its hands. The government will use the elite as a bargaining chip  (an economic weapon, even) in international discussions, so that the deals that favored the elite here in the Philippines may now be changed to favor the Philippines at large (even if by a little.) A level of chutzpah may be required to pull this off, unless the mass media will not or cannot cover the machinations that are happening behind the scenes; if found, the whole plan may either crumble or strengthen further, depending on how shamelessly audacious the beating of the promoters of the “cacique democracy” with dull cutlery really is.

Mass Media

Before I institute the power of the spoon as one of the most important tools for exerting power, I need to address one thing before the snap elections happen: the retailoring of “intellectual property” in the Philippines. It is fortunate that the Philippines, along with India and some other countries, is one of the few countries that do not legally acknowledge the concept of software patents, thereby preventing the patently absurd (pun may or may not be intended) scenario where any user of free/open source operating systems and/or programs cannot play MP3s because the codec is patented. This is no the worst to come from the world of crazy-butt intellectual property law; now that the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is now being discussed upon, which is essentially a worldwide implementation of the infamous Digital Millennium Copyright Act in the United States (infamous for preventing users to watch original DVDs with DRM in non-proprietary programs), and International Intellectual Property Alliance is now accusing countries that recommend the use of free/open source software as promoters of piracy. As president of the Republic of the Philippines, I declare defiantly that it is no one’s business if our country decides to become independent of companies that sell proprietary software. I am not saying that the use of proprietary software is banned; I am saying that the use of free/open source software shall be encouraged by the government, as a means of promoting the development of technology within the Philippine nation’s terms, NOT of other countries’, nor of other states, merely because they lose profit. This government exists to serve the citizens of the Republic of the Philippines, and no one, not the elite, not the corporate behemoths, and certainly not the most powerful country in the world can ever top that.

When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle. – Edmund Burke

Word count: 1649

“Nice store you’ve got there; pity if it would get burned down, though.”

Now they’re just playing with us.

Word count: 373

Progressive rock, Family Computer Style:

The funny thing is, I never even played the game where that song came from (i.e. I’m having nostalgia over something I never really knew). The sad thing, though, is this little obsession I’m having is making me feel even older. When I feel older, I feel crankier. In other worlds, I feel like someone who has seen everything that has happened to this country in the last 20 freaking years, seeing what has changed for the better, and (more importantly) what has changed for the worst. i speak this as someone who has practically seen a franchise fall after a relatively short rise, then regain most of its status to its fans after a decade’s worth of wasted time. I am still surprised that the rejuvenation of the said franchise involved going back, way back in its roots. (see this Wikipedia article for details) In fact, the next time I got this back-to-the-future feeling a few months ago when a certain icon 20 years past has, well, passed away. At the day of her death, I remember singing the songs that were sung at her funeral, and listening to some retro music as the funeral broadcast dragged on. It’s interesting, though, that in the months before her death, there seemed to be a general apathy of sorts, like a feeling that life goes on, since nothing is happening to me. The moment she died, to use Manolo Quezon’s terms, Philippine society at large experienced the “Great Remembering” and the “Great Awakening”, wherein many Filipinos seemed to look back to about twenty-three years ago, and decided to use what they saw to give meaning to what has been happening in the first decade of the third millenium. In some ways, I felt the same thing with the video game I mentioned above, including the frantic research over its roots, and how fared in the passing years. The bad news seems to be that what the two represent (the early-90s video-game renaissance, and the early-90s democratic renaissance) seemed to merely be a passing season to people who have experienced one or both of them. In my case, I only became interested in the woman and the video game ever since I thought to myself, “What do I want?” Apparently, it seems that I (and society at large, by analogy) wanted to experience the mythical “good, old times,” when, at one point of view, an industry rose again after a disaster partially caused by said industry’s unmoderated stupidity, while from another point of view, a people rose up against a dictatorship partially maintained by said people’s utter spinelessness. Note that I only researched the previous events because of a slight obsession with the past; in particular, I wanted to know either how high we have risen, or how low we have fallen. Based on how people reacted to the death of our first post-Edsa president (including yours truly), it seems that people see the present as a significant step backwards compared to the past. It seems to me that people want to pine for the good old day, when people aspired to be as good as they can be. Of course, this means that people are usually whitewashing the past, so that they could compare it to what they believe is the big, bad present. Whether it is a video games series that is part of my childhood, or a whole democratic system borne out of the hopes of my countrymen, we cling to the hope that, whatever madness may befall upon our “obsessions,” may it rise back to what it was, before it becomes lost forever.

*******************************************************************

On a somewhat different note, I also noticed that my understanding of reality wavers more or less between idealism and cynicism. That is, at certain topics (such as politics and religion), I believe that people involved in those fields have the capability to do the best that they can so that they and their comrades can be of service to humanity AND are stupid and/or malicious enough to utterly make a mockery of their discipline, in the same way that any organization gets screwed the moment any one of them makes a fool of his/herself while bearing their name. Similarly, I belive that Filipinos in general believe that they can accomplish whatever they dream for themselves and their country, but also believe that they do not possess the willpower to effect such changes. That seems to explain to me why many Filipinos aspire for a national Messiah, but at the same time believe that the said Messiah is merely rooted in fantasy. While I would actually support the cynicism behind such a sentiment (at least at the time of writing,) I find it very disheartening, emo-ish even, that people actually bother with being a little optimistic before going to full-blown doubt over the prospects of raising this somewhat-great nation up from the miry clay. At least I might have an excuse: I treat myself as a piece of bleeping garbage at least once a week. But Philippine society at large is greater than that. I actually believe (at my current state of mind at least) that, given enough discernment (the trust-but-verify kind) of what is happening to our lives, and given enough willpower to try to change things for the better, one middling act at a time. Of course, it may not result to anything until a generation passes (and even then…) but we as free thinking beings should at least strive for the ideal. Unfortunately for me, I’m no so sure that I would be with the ones who decide to try to clean up our collective mess. I mean, I waver between being optimistic and pessimistic in a span of about three sentences!

To end the madness that is this post, I present to you an 8-bit remix of a 16-bit game that only got an English translation half a decade or so after its release:

Word count: 1037

Alien.

195 words