Change Need Not be Dictated but Should Come From Within Us
Posted on Thursday, 19 May 2016
CHANGE
NEED NOT BE DICTATED
BUT
SHOULD COME FROM WITHIN US
By Apolinario Villalobos
As the new President, Digong Duterte sits
in Malacaἧan Palace, and despite his pronouncements about changes, the latter
need not be dictated by him. They should come from within us. All we need are
common sense and widely-opened eyes. Unfortunately, most of us are fence
sitters eagerly acting only when selfish benefits are discerned.
The basic unit of our society, the family,
needs to change first, as obviously, many parents have failed to control their
children resulting to the deterioration of their discipline. Many parents
cannot even prevent their minor-aged children from staying out late at night,
eventually exposing them to the different temptations – drugs, sex, petty
crimes, etc.
The Barangay as the lowest rung of the
political system is lately lambasted with negative observations. Foremost of
these are supposedly, its cuddling of drug offenders, abuse of authority,
ineptness in the delivery of services, and corruption. This even brought about
the clamor to demolish the Kabataang Barangay. Also, many observers claim that
some Barangay Chairpersons act as though they are already mayors. Some cannot
go to the Municipal or City Hall without an entourage of “assistants” or
“alalay”.
In Manila, while waiting for my bus to
depart for Cavite, I saw a group of Barangay personnel clad in t-shirts
emblazoned with their Barangay zone number, with one of them, a woman and
obviously the Barangay Chairperson protected from the sun by an umbrella held
by another woman also clad in the similarly printed t-shirt. When I asked the
bus dispatcher who the woman was, he confirmed my assumption, adding that the
other woman holding the umbrella was one of the “Kagawad”. He knew them as the
bus terminal was within their barangay zone.
Not only are the elected officials obliged
to change their ways for the better but also those who belong to the different
agencies. Some of them are observed to dispense their responsibilities with
arrogance as if their wages do not come from the people that they are supposed
to serve properly. They act as if they are the boss of the tax payers who
require their service.
Finally, nobody has the right to complain
when he or she cannot even change his or her attitude, even in the simplest way
of disposing the household garbage…
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