“Eyes Wide Shut or Cross-Eyed?”

Every loss of life we hear today as a result of this extremely virulent China virus called Covid-19 will reverberate in our minds throughout our continuing existence. The agony of the infected gasping for air for days and those under intubation procedure are most anguish sights to witness. The apperception of a harrowing death is a lingering presence—like a vulture ready to devour when it smells a corpse.

Countless who are fortunate enough to survive the difficult battle against this virus are sadly and permanently scarred. Most of them are stunned as their own mortality was tried and put into question; their confidence skidded to the lowest point—almost at the end of their rope. When they finally pass this test of time, they begin to ponder: “whatever material possessions I have really don’t count when I am on the brink of death”. Even the moneyed ones and the powerful politicos are not spared—indeed, Covid-19 is fatally equitable.

Equally difficult to discern is the realization of the sudden loss of parents, love ones, classmates and friends. All these will be seemingly encapsulated in painful memories in perpetuum. The bereaved go on living—yes, but inside they are for a longer time, bereft of vigor and life per se.

This is indeed a traumatic experience for all.

But in spite of all these sufferings and hardships engulfing our country, government officials from the pinnacle of this administration could even think of plundering the coffers of the Filipino people and what is very little left of it.

President Digong promised—like a broken record that he is—that he would go after the big time corrupt government officials in the last year of his term—“a whiff of corruption will do it, I will, p’tang ina, patayin ko kayong lahat” (or to that effect), he boastfully iterate which is an irritant to the ear by this time—his signature ranting as he has nothing else to say in all other subjects of governance.

Well, take it from there; he can start killing his crooked friends and associates in his administration especially in DoH and DBM (no need to mention their names, they are all over the news). They made millions of Pesos at the expense of Health Care. The glaring overpriced purchases from Chinese middlemen of facemasks, face shields and the whole nine-yard of PPEs as reported is the most horrifying and intolerable because it is done ironically, according to their chatterbox mouthpiece, in the exigency of public service (meaning their pockets?) during this pandemic!

Lo and behold, President Digong has suddenly reversed his original pronouncement on the corrupt—still the same verbal jousting, but this time on the way to his egregious notoriety. He is now mightily “lawyering” for these Chinese businessmen and the perpetrators of the “Heist of the Century”? Instead of him collaborating with the Senators who are all out to discover the truth behind this immoral and criminal act, he tries to implicate the Chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee in alleged corruption, which happened ten or more years ago. He also indicted the Senate for choosing a controversial contractor for the new Senate building (which was dismissed by Sen. Lacson as “barking up the wrong tree”—DPWH was responsible for the award, not the Senate)—both completely irrelevant accusations to what is actually being investigated at hand. Many see this though as an elaborate diversionary tactic of a person whose back is behind the wall.

Only the dumb and dumber followers of Pres. Digong can’t figure this out—a classic case of their “eyes wide shut” or something else, maybe cross-eyed?

At present, hospitals are in dire need of critical resources that which otherwise couldn’t sustain the avalanche of Covid-19 patients. They are begging for help, over and over. The big chunk of money, however, goes instead to their “Build, Build, Build” projects because somehow this administration’s bizarre barometer of achievement and context of legacy is solely on the number of infrastructures they built and will build (akin to Marcos followers’ twisted viewpoint that comprises an anatomy of outrageous argumentation), instead of how many lives they saved and will save at this time of crisis.

According to the Bloomberg’s (a prestigious world-wide media conglomerate network) Covid Resilience Ranking—“The Best and Worst to be as We Learn to Live with Delta” in its Sept. 28,2021 latest report, Philippines is listed at #53 (the Worst) among the 53 major economies in the world. The score is a snapshot of “where the virus is being handled the most effectively with the least social and economic upheaval”. Ireland at number 1 (the Best) followed by Denmark, UK, US, Mainland China, and even Indonesia is above us. Notwithstanding our country requires swab test even in domestic travels, has the longest lockdown and is the only one that requires face shield in the whole world!

In the midst of massive unemployment, intolerable hunger and agonizing death faced by our people, the favored suppliers and protected friends of this administration have the galls to brazenly display their suddenly acquired but improbable wealth—P13.3M wristwatch, Porches, Lamborghinis, Maserati Grand Turismos and other exotic sports cars costing millions of Pesos.

On the other hand, the poor people, including Pres. Digong loyalists get 3 cans of sardines, 2 kilos of rice, 5 packs of instant noodles, and from time to time 4 sachets of 3-in-1 cheap coffee for their ration—“P’tang ina, mamatay kayo!” is a lasting words people will remember when the day of reckoning comes….and, it will come!