Rally 2008: Here's a Brick, Let's Hit It On Our Heads

This rally at Makati seems to be inspired by the recent stand-off at the Thai Airport which, having learned anything, is something that we can't afford.

The whole world is in embroiled in a global financial meltdown, investors are fleeing to protect their assets, and what's our answer? BAD PR.

As someone who's been directly affected by the crisis, I feel fortunate that the Philippines has been able to hold up much better in this financial storm. Given that there seems to be someone complaining at the government rafters every month, and a whistleblower hoots every week, I think we're still doing pretty good.

But a shoutout for a major rally? This isn't something that we can afford.

Given our past history with Former President Marcos, I can understand our paranoia with any instrument that might extend a presidents term. Remember the hoopla over President Ramos' Cha-cha? Didn't we all bitch about that too? We thought he did so good, that he wanted to over-stay his term at the palace too. So scared were we of another dictator that we took to the streets and stopped that too, giving way to the Erap's laughable term in office.

Hindsight maybe 20/20, but it must have been some dumb luck that we booted out the one president who actually dragged us back to the black after the Marcos administrations lavish spending put us in the red for so many years, only to vote for someone who spent even more on his mistresses. Say what you will for Marcos, at least the guy was smart enough to have at least three US Presidents fooled. With Erap at the palace, we might as well have sent a monkey to work, because it sure as hell seemed that no one went to the office during those two years in their term.

And now we have the this: our country has seen the best growth in decades; we have been so far insulated from this financial contagion, that NEDA Dir. Gen. had the gall to tell the World Bank that it's growth forecast for the Philippines was just too conversvative. Moody's and S&P might have a gloomy (moody and poor?) forecast of our country, but considering how Wall Street bankers danced around them with the poorly structured housing market for a decade, I don'tquite know just how much I should believe them.

All I know is, for the first time in a long time, our country has produced the numbers, even if the people haven't stopped whining. Which isn't difficult, since we place the same obsession over our politicians as others do with Hollywood. I believe that after the hell we've put her through, the President will step down in 2010 and make room for change. It's just 365 more days, and there are more things we could do with them than to troop to the streets for another rally.

We should focus on further protecting ourselves from this financial turmoil. To asking ourselves how, in our own little way, I can help my government succeed. Because the government is US, and we need to know how to be able to help ourselves. It's time to just SHUT UP, and roll up our sleeves, and stop complaining and do the work.

And to the people at the rally...here, have a brick. And smash it on all our heads while your at it, then tell me how that helps solve any of the problems we're having now.