Hundreds of vehicles have been at a standstill on Rolando Andaya Highway in Camarines Sur. Repairs on a considerable part of the highway – supposedly to improve the roads caused by rain — have caused hours-long traffic at a time when people from outside the region are coming home from the holidays.
In Metro Manila, traffic has been unbearable for the past few weeks, even on hours when it is supposed to be light. Public transportation has been difficult as well, and ride-hailing applications have been exceptionally costly – as if their prices had ever been reasonable. Hailing them, as well as cabs, have been a challenge, with drivers inconveniencing passengers by being choosy or by canceling when the rides are booked automatically.
Shops teem with people, whether or not they are actually buying or are simply soaking up what we commonly mistake for a holiday spirit. Reunions and parties bring people – whether they really want to connect or are bound by a sense of obligation – together. Consumerism is at its peak.
There is no denying the coming of Christmas, and many Filipinos are caught up in the rush leading up to this week.
It’s a sweet distraction from the flurry of national developments – a mix of corruption allegations, political infighting, and social issues that have festered across the years but are coming to a head with the conflict between the two top officials of the land.
But try as hard as we might, we still cannot completely dissociate ourselves from current events even when on holiday break. More than the hassle of heavy traffic, the prices of goods have highlighted the widening inequity among our people.
Then again, who says we need to forget what is happening – or not happening – in our country just to enjoy the season? We could take these events as a present, think about them and keep them in mind when we make our decisions in the elections next year. We could take note of what made these issues stand out and remind ourselves that being vigilant and speaking out, take for instance the issue of the budget, could have its rewards.
As we make last-minute preparations for Christmas this week and welcome the New Year next week, may we be reminded that the most precious gift we could give ourselves is the acknowledgment that we are not helpless, that our views and democratic decisions matter, and that we should exercise them in pursuit of a respectable future that we can claim as our own doing.
