Re-Public

My Caucasian stepfather is under the impression that five cars on the road constitutes traffic.

As a (practically) life-long Metro Manila dweller, I find this laughable. Anyone who lives in our fair Philippine capital knows that having only five cars around you means one of two things: (a) it's three a.m. on a Sunday, or (b) someone is holding a coup and no one told you about it.

It's kind of sad, upon consideration, that we live in a country where a coup d'etat is one of the first two explanations that immediately spring to mind in such a circumstance; but what can ya do? We change presidents more frequently than some TV stations change programming. Somewhere along the way, we've morphed into what suspiciously resembles a banana republic.

Have you noticed that our uprisings have been steadily moving south? And I mean that both literally and figuratively. Look:

People Power 1: held on EDSA, in front of Camps Crame and Aguinaldo. Totalitarian regime spanning around two decades toppled. Yay, us!

People Power 2: held at the corner of EDSA and Ortigas (annoyingly, just a block away from Nikki's home--these activists are so inconsiderate!). Corrupt and Hugely Embarrassing president removed from power. Still "yay, us", though not as unequivocally.

What-has-Been-Referred-to-but-Not-Universally-Recognized-as People Power 3: held at same corner of EDSA and Ortigas. Unsuccessful attempt to return said corrupt and embarrassing president to power. Possibility of people involved simply being high on exhaust fumes; which is better than the likelihood that we're all just, y'know, gluttons for punishment.

Present-Day Rallies: occurring on Ayala Avenue, Makati. As-yet-unresolved effort to oust Current Corrupt President from power. Business successfully disrupted; outcome to be decided.

And the horrible thing is, not only have the uprisings apparently diminished in effectiveness, we've started to just not care. Perhaps we should more rightly be called a "bahala na republic"; but can we help it, when every president seems to be as bad as--if not worse than--the last, and nothing aside from the faces on the nightly news really seems to change?

Watch: even if the woman actually does get ousted, we'll never wind up prosecuting her, and we'll just start the whole rigmarole again with somebody else.

At least the traffic has gotten a little bit better. When you live in a bahala na republic, you have to take your improvements where--and if--you find them.