Wang Wang,
the sound made by a siren,
a universal sign that means something important is happening,
perhaps a fire, a medical emergency, a police responding to a crime...
In the Philippines,
thanks to President Aquino,
We are Now in the POST WANG-WANG ERA!!!
we are only starting to awaken
that wang wang signifies responding to an emergency,
and performing valiant service for the protection and promotion of the common good.
However, for many years,
we suffered from a yet to be classified culturally based disorder:
The Wang Wang Syndrome-
displayed symptoms include:
delusions of grandeur and importance,
impairment of activities of daily living,
in this case, for the public,
kind of like snoring, where the snorer is not the sufferer...
So, for decades,
whenever we Fiipinos heard the wang wang sound,
we automatically displayed patience, submissiveness,
apathy and passive aggression...What are the behavioral manifestations:
at the sound of the wang-wang,
where some self-proclaimed VIP (very important person)
or (very ignorant person: that we have equal rights),
wants to pass...
what did we do?
we obediently stopped so that some little emperor,
of some little impoverished kingdom could pass.
Who were these delusional emperors?
Mostly politicians, government officials
and their relatives who believed that blood relations
had something to do with extending government priveledge,
surprisingly equated with getting special passage
and overtly defying traffic rules and human courtesy.
So, for many years the wang wang mentality prevailed,
not only in the streets of the Philippines,
but also on the minds of the Filipinos,
Most of all,
the wang wang paradigm is deeply ingrained
in the psyche of the politicians.
What is the wang-wang paradigm of politicians?
It is a unique perspective...
First, that they are the modern monarchs,
that they are direct descendants of the gods,
and that we should bow to them,
and that we are their mindless subjects.
Some history review please...
The monarchy has long been abolished,
and the guillotine is the last witness to that judgement.
Second, that they know what is best for us,
thus, a top down approach to governance.
They give us development projects,
mostly in the form of buses, multi-cabs,
overhead pedestrian crossings,
and FLYOVERS, lots of them...
they plaster their names and faces on them,
claim some personal ownership of this aspect of their kingdom
and expect us to be grateful for their benevolence...
Third, they have a motley crew of blind and illeterate followers,
who are supposedly the representation of majority of their constituents,
who agree to everything they say,
sign and stamp whatever is demanded from them,
and these folks get some splattering of benefits from their monarchs.
Lastly, they believe that the majority of the population in their kingdom
are stupid idiots who don't care about HOW they live.
But all that has changed now,
we are in the POST WANG WANG ERA !!!
Or so we naively believe...
But, there are still some people,
proof that old habits are really hard to break,
who cannot let go of the past,
of the patronage politics,
of their special and unquestioned authority...
Such is the tale of the Flyover,
it is a tangible result of the wang wang syndrome-
of the top down approach of development.
Our politicians think that it is in our best interest
to have flyovers in our very small city,
it is like building the great wall of China,
smack in the heart of Cebu.
That we should accept the gift of the flyover,
or flyovers, totally insane,
with submissive benevolence,
is a thing of the past.
We are in the post wang wang era,
let the wang wang resound,
only because it is for the COMMON GOOD...
Cebuanos know that FLYOVERS
are not for the common good,
A Sustainable and Livable City,
with wide pedestrian sidewalks,
protected bikeways,
and a well- planned mass public transit,
(at the heart of the existing city)
are for the common good.
So, if politicians truly heed
the message of President Aquino
to behave in a POST WANG WANG MANNER,
then when we hear the sirens,
WANG WANG,
we will all respectfully acknowledge their passage:
only if they ...
VALIANTLY PROTECT AND PROMOTE
the Common Good...
that of CREATING a SUSTAINABLE AND LIVABLE COMMUNITY
where the citizens are engaged in mapping their lives and creating their future.
WANG, WANG, WANG, WANG...
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