Lamok

Nabad-trip ako nung isang umaga, pagkagising kasi namin, may isang malaking kagat ng lamok si Jaden sa ilong. Nakakapikon di'ba? Sa lahat ng pwedeng kagatin bakit naman anak ko pa, di na lang ako. At bakit kase sa may ilong pa, pwede namang sa braso, sa binti, sa leeg. Sa lahat ng parteng puwedeng makagat dun pa sa kapansin-pansin

Minsan naiisip ko tuloy, ano nga ba talagang silbi ng lamok bukod sa i-balance ang food chain? Sabi nila pag nawala daw ang lamok mawawala ang mga palaka, at iba pang mas malaking hayop na kumakain dito. Dito talagang nababagay ang expression na "E ano ngayon?"

Sa madaling salita, napikon ako, inutusan ko ngayon ang kasama namin sa bahay na nag-aalaga kay Jaden, sabi ko "Hanapin mo nga iyong kumagat kay Jaden kagabi, patayin mo!"

Tiyempong nang umaga na 'yon ay hawak nya ang malupit na pamatay ng lamok. Ito ang katumbas ng silya-elektrika sa mga lamok. Kung ang katol at baygon na ini-ispray ay gas chamber. Ito ang electric chair para sa mga napatunayang nagkasala at nangagat ng batang inosente.

See Exhibit A:

Ito ang kagamitang kikitil sa pinaghahanap na puganteng lamok. Makatarungan nga ba na palayain na lang sya at hayaang mambiktima ng ilan pang inosenteng kabataan?

O hahayaan na lang ba syang lumipad at malayang makapameste dahil isang araw lang din naman ang buhay nya?

Lahat ng ito'y gumulo sa isip ko, tama nga ba ang aking iniutos?

Marahil kagaya natin, ang lamok na iyon ay gusto din lang mabuhay.

Naputol ang pagmumuni muni ko ng sinagot ako ni Joanna sya ang kasama namin sa bahay at naatasang magpataw ng karimari-marim na parusang kamatayan.

Ito ang sabi nya:

"Koya, hinde ko sya mahanap magkakamokha sila e!" "Pare-pareho lang halos ang lake!"

Undecided

Who are you voting for?

A month from now, our decision will either make or break the nation. It might not mean anything for some people, thinking that this train is bound to its tracks, and poverty will always be beside its rails. There is no hope for this dying nation. In the end, no matter who takes the seat of the highest post in the land, we're all doomed to failure.

I refuse to believe that.

If the elections were held 8 months ago, there is no doubt the yellow ribbon and the Cory Magic would've made it easy for Ninoy's son to win the presidency, now its a battle between Orange and Yellow. Both of which claim they can make everything right, one says he'll end poverty. The other says he will not steal.

Forget Teodoro, Gordon, Perlas, Madrigal, Villanueva and Estrada. Come May, it will be a showdown between the former 2.

Noynoy or Manny.

I am not going for Manny, even if I had a gun pointed at my head instructing me to shade the circle beside his name on the ballot. I was going to go for Noynoy with one principle in

mind, I will choose the lesser evil.

Now who's to say that is true?

Is he really the one with the moral ascendancy to carry out this one grave task of salvaging a nation in turmoil? Or are we just blinded by the Cory Magic and we fail to see that he is just not ready yet to run a country. That he is just not yet made.

Villar on the other hand, promises a life free of poverty, claims will end it and that slogan is winning its way to the minds of the hopefuls, unaware that this guy reeks of corruption and carries the stench of his sea full of garbage "dagat ng basura" jingle.

That leaves us with a handful of choices. A bunch of wannabes with platforms perfected by careful planning and mastery of this nation's problems.

A month ago, I would have said with conviction that I will vote for Noynoy, now I am undecided, what does he have to offer that the other candidates didn't? If a congressman wasn't

able to do much for a small province, how can an entire nation rely on him?

I still think there is hope though, but that's mainly because I'd like to think that my son has a bright future ahead of him. That 6 years from now whoever wins the May election may have done something good.

That 6 years from now, this country has learned its lesson not to put our hopes up on just one person and leave our fate to the president who after all is just human like us bound to commit mistakes may they be grave or petty forgivable errors.

That 6 years from now, we have realized that no one can save us from ourselves but ourselves.

Shall I go for Teodoro who seems sincere but made one big mistake of making a pact with the devil?

Noynoy who claims to be honest but has done nothing trustworthy?

I am undecided.