Ugly, the Editorial

“Everywhere one goes in this country, one is assaulted by reminders about how this or that official has made this or that project possible. In Quezon City, for example, city officials, from the mayor down to congressmen to the most useless councilor, never pass up a chance to remind everyone of their existence…”

I have been text messaging my co-councilors in Quezon City to read this editorial published today of some national newspaper. For the sake of engaging in mental gymnastics (via text), I asked them how they understood the statement used “… to the most useless councilor.”

Was it just a narration of the succession of position from the highest to the lowest in the government? Like the mayor first, the congressman, up to the lowest councilor, that is, the most useless councilor?

Or was it a generalized statement that all city councilors are useless? And that councilors are actually unnecessary in the government?

Or did she mean both?

Funny how I got different comments and reactions from my co-workers. Some got insulted … some did not. Different strokes for different folks! People have varied interpretation of the things they see, they hear, and they read. This is an editorial, and because it is a subjective sentiment of one person, she is but free to verbalize whatever is in her heart. To each his own.

The editorial in general was pretty amusing. The writer was just disgusted at how Chairman used his own picture to promote much-needed lessons in civics and good citizenship. And the title of the article was “Ugly.” (A fan of the Chairman she is not!) Then she mentions towards the end that the hanging of tarpaulins/ streamers are seen everywhere … like in Quezon City for example. (Oh why oh why this broadsheet loves pouncing on Quezon City? Such a huge wonder to us. Bakit kaya? Twinkle twikle little star, how I wonder what you are. Hmmm… )

Indeed, tarpaulins lurking around the metro already got out of hand. But so are those huge billboards all over Edsa and other major avenues. I guess promotion (may it be self promotion, a product, a new business, a new TV show) by means of signages have already been a part of our culture. The popular brands are the ones with a lot of posters in the sari-sari stores … the popular motel is the one with signs strategically plastered all over the city (sssshhhhh) … and the politicians who win are those with the most number posters hung during election time (wallpaper galore). Pinoys just love to espouse those that provide us with a visual feast.

My personal dilemma as a politician is this… If I do not promote my events (health missions, earth day projects, livelihood training, college scholarships etc), people would say I am a useless councilor because I do not have any projects whatsoever. But if I do promote my projects via tarpaulins, they then say that these are unnecessary expenses. So, ano ba talaga kuya? Saan ka lulugar?

Sana libre magpa-publish para di na kami gumagastos sa tarpaulins (hehe!)