A good Asian-American friend once told me that he now understands one of the reasons why Filipinos are religious. He said, “If the streets are not well-lighted and/or no lights at all, and the roads are bumpy and signages are unreliable, one has to trust God.“
Every day, the government becomes comfortable and escapes from responsibility when it magnifies resiliency and when people are putting everything under the sovereign will of God. When in truth, God has nothing to do with bad governance. Footbridges, street lights, roads, and transportation services are simple indicators of how people are taken care of.
Passing through a weak and unreliable footbridge is like walking through the valley of fear and uneasiness. When it rains, chances are you will slip on the wet pathwalk. During the dry season, the tiny and irregular steps are a challenge to your muscular ability. The moment you step on the bridge and pass to the end, you want to congratulate yourself that you are safe. If you are pregnant, an elderly, or a person with disability, you will be discouraged to use a footbridge. I do not know what better alternatives these people take to reach their destination.
This tiny indicator window manifests how anti-poor this government must be. It is the poor ones who take to the stairs of the footbridges to get a free (though temporary) ride in a carousel. They are the ones rushing to get a mass transportation ride, and queue for the longest time to catch up with work or school. It is never a relaxed one, nor could it be considered a friendly exercise as you are over-stressed walking and queueing in the never-ending line for a bus ride.
Recently, it was reported that there were no funds in the 2023 budget for streetlights and footbridges. Again, God did not forsake us for this. It is about budgetary allocation. You put your money to where your heart is. Unfortunately, the heart of the government goes to debt payment, as it will spend 11 percent of the 2023 budget on debt service payment. This 11 percent is translated to $10.9 billion allocation for debt relief, including $10.4 billion for interest payments, and roughly $500 million for net lending. Note that ordinary passersby are not aware of how the debt payment has benefited or damaged their lives.
Until footbridges are safe and secure, friendly, and delightful, you cannot confidently say we have a good government. I cannot doubt the faith, religiosity, and prayer practices of Filipinos. I just hope that the government will do something, even if its authorities are acting like lords and gods without end. The decrepit footbridges over troubled major cities in Metro Manila are waiting for your quick action.
NORMA P. DOLLAGA
npdollaga@gmail.com
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