Happy days are here again?

For whom?

Certainly not for those in Marawi, who are still struggling through the ruins of Duterte’s war. Bombed communities, dislocated people. It will be a while before they will experience urgent and genuine assistance and reconstruction in their midst.

The victims of the recent typhoons in Mindanao, Visayas, and elsewhere cannot also be part of those singing this song. Those evacuated and still evacuating because of the ongoing eruption of Mt. Mayon are also not singing through their present difficult situation.

Those displaced by several fires are heard crying, weeping, not singing. Many are slowly experiencing the early difficult impact of TRAIN on their meager income. What more for the millions without work, without wages? These are certainly not happy days for the poor.

Among the poor, the families of the victims of EJKs are still crying out for justice. Now, with Tokhang revived, will there be more whose happy family days together are numbered?

The jeepney drivers, now affected by higher gasoline costs and the impending modernization plan are certainly not singing as well. Teachers who have been told that their salary increase is not a priority are also not happily singing, for sure.

For those in Rappler and those who support freedom of the press and speech, for now, instead of happy songs, there are urgent calls for vigilance and protest against Duterte’s response to dissent against him, especially by courageous women like CJ Sereno, Senator de Lima, Ombudsman Morales, CHED Licuanan, now Rappler’s Maria Ressa.

Unmindful of the sorry plight of those mentioned earlier, including the sad state of democracy and freedom in our country, we witnessed the recent shameless weeklong birthday celebration of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. Duterte himself even sang happily during the occasion. What is wrong with celebrating birthdays and a president singing during a birthday party of his ardent alalay?

For one, while victims in Mindanao, of war in Marawi and of typhoons elsewhere await urgent assistance and alleviation of their plight, not to mention the other millions of poor all throughout the country expecting genuine service and resources from government, Duterte, Alvarez and their allies party flagrantly and extravagantly.

Delicadeza sana, at the very least from the president and his men. Some sensitivity to the plight of the poor and needy in Mindanao, their bailiwick.

Another issue involves public funds. Whose funds were used for Speaker Panty’s birthday celebration? He cancels the fund allocation for the constituents of the critics of Duterte in Congress but he showers much on his own constituents on his birthday. Is that not abuse of authority? This preferential practice for public fund allocation should never be allowed in our country.

We are still a democracy now yet Duterte, Alvarez, and their cronies are already showing how they use/abuse power and privilege amidst poverty, how they use/abuse public funds in exchange for patronage, how they once again ravage this nation once raped during the Marcos dictatorship and under other abusive officials.

Duterte and his cohorts are certainly conspicuously and shamelessly relishing and arrogantly flaunting their power – shades of Marcos’ martial law as well as former abusive leaders reincarnated: extravagant parties, unexplained allocation and use of public funds, patronage, failure and abuse of the rule of law, suppression of rights, freedom of press and expression, to name a few, and the most recent, ConAss to decide the fate of our constitution and our people.

Will you allow the same few, undeserving privileged and powerful to bring our country to federalism? Will you believe these people who are now abusing public funds and their position, for their own agenda, for their own party and their own privilege to retain power indefinitely (at least 5-10 years) to equitably distribute public funds and resources under federalism?

Shouldn’t the more numerous Filipinos demand the right and privilege to decide on the fate of our nation and constitution?

No to ConAss! No to federalism! No more to abusive and deceitful power-wielders!