In 2014, after I had exhausted my patience and
strength at lulling my son to sleep, I became aware of a ruckus from the gate
of the apartment building I resided in. A man was boisterously calling out to
the residents to let him in the premises; slamming on and shaking the gate with
emphatic determination. My neighbors who lived at the ground floor ignored the
individual, but he persistently hollered his demand. The commotion caused my
son to stir and moan. So I went out to the balcony and shouted an admonishment
at the person who, as it turned out, was the designated collector of the
monthly dues.
To
clarify the subject: this ‘fee’ was conjured by the so-called “homeowners
association” for the development, maintenance, and security of the subdivision.
In the area, there were those who owned houses, stores, and apartment buildings;
and those who rented space in the apartments. Earlier, tenants protested that
they were not homeowners and hence, they were not obliged to pay anything more
than their rent. The homeowners association retaliated to this by designating a
reputed tough-guy to collect the tribute; one indirectly given the authority to
bully anyone into obedience and
discourage any possible questions or arguments from being raised. And so I
found myself staring down at the ruffian who had his finger pointed at me;
reprimanding me for yelling at him and demanding I open the gate immediately.
It was not difficult to see the fellow
hated me. His scorn was inspired during one of his earlier visits when I asked
him what the self-proclaimed “association” was doing about the inconsiderate
behavior of certain residents who reveled with karaoke machines from dusk till
dawn; and pointed out that no additional lighting or repairs were administered
to the streets. When he could not placate my inquiries with his shallow
roughneck remarks, he turned away and advised that it would be best for me to
keep my opinions to myself. On the day of our temper-induced exchange; his
companion reminded me to take caution and choose wisely the people I decided to
confront: “Mag-ingat ka. Piliin mo kung
sino inaaway mo”. Clearly, that was a threat. He was insinuating that I
would get in trouble if I ‘pissed off’ his superior: the pot-bellied and
immodest loudmouth who, in fact, was one among the discordant residents.
Consider other aspects of the abuse of
authority and how it is utilized for intimidation: an aggressive individual who
will point a gun at a fellow motorist who he disagrees with; a traffic officer
who makes use of a badge to extort money from drivers of public utility
vehicles; a politician who silences the media and/or other factions of society
by siccing hired killers or lawmen against them; or even a parent who will not
tolerate any arguments from a child, no matter how rational, because the latter
lives under his roof.
As pessimistic as it may seem, this is a
truth, a reality in the Philippines. In this country, might is right; not the
other way around. If you don’t have any ‘connections’, influences, or authority;
you are oftentimes in the wrong or irrelevant. Everyone has imperfections and
faults. But why vote for people who refuse to be criticized or challenged for
their flaws and shortcomings by the use of force, intimidation; or abuse of
authority; those from the rank of president to the common “barangay tanod”?
This is not to suggest that the ‘little people’ should be given the
opportunity to disrespect and insult their leaders. A lot of the said
individuals are also uneducated and uncultured with their behavior and manners.
But every person deserves the right to be heard and taken seriously, especially
when he or she has a point.
Every once in a while, when I cannot
comprehend the trials and burdens I go through, I tend to challenge God to
explain to me about the nuances of my life. Of course, I do not get any
answers. But I do not have to worry about ending up in the river or buried in
some uncultivated land area either.
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