AFTER OUR ‘STRUGGLES’ against the Spaniards for 333 years; the Japanese for four years; and the Americans for 45 years –– more or less, we have since been blest with Freedom, Independence, Fraternity, and especially: Equality.

FOR AREN’T WE ‘the only catholic, Asian, democratic nation’ – as we love to banner, in this part of the Globe?

AND BEING SO, it is ever presumed that we live in a kind of ‘Utopia’ –– even if it should be translated in our own Style or Version; for the presumptions further are that: 1) Our present System of governance is ‘one of the best’ globally; 2) that we are enjoying a high rate of Literacy considering that our Young people are able to employ themselves easily outside the country due to their training and education; 3) other reasons of like import.

BUT HARK: THE ‘cover does not copy the contents’; the ‘voice does not copy the true print’; for in the midst of what we claim or say; lurk the ‘Ills’ –– some of these our own social scientists cry out at times –– the ‘Ills’ of our Society as Filipinos; and worst: these ‘Ills’ come.. go; re-come.. fade away; re-form.. and are there again.. in ‘Vicious Cycles’!

AMONG OTHERS, THESE ‘neo’, respective, or refurbished ‘Ills’ have come and gone into our Society for scores and decades: 1) the ‘Conquerors’ over the ‘Vanquished’ ones; 2) the Strong over the Weak; 3) the ‘equipped’ over the unsuspecting; 4) the armed over the unarmed; 5)the one ‘with connections’ over the one ‘without connections’; 6) the ‘chess player’ over the naïve common pawn.

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UNLIKE BEFORE THAT the conquerors came with real swords and men, the ‘conquerors’ of Today come with papers, orders, or legal ‘bases’.

THEIR USUAL PREY are the ‘indigenous’ or ‘native’ populations who, for centuries – or ‘time immemorial’ – have been sitting on mountains of gold, copper, and other ‘local’ minerals [but] pristine to the Sophisticated Mind.

MUCH AKIN TO their conquistador predecessors, Today’s ‘conquerors’ come in batches or waves –– with only success and victory in mind, and sufficiently equipped with aforesaid papers and other documents.

USUALLY, THEY DO it so sweepingly – that there’s no need for a third or fourth batch of them.. impressing their bosses so.. that at young ages, they ‘achieve’ junior – or ‘mid-senior’ – posts (respective) for themselves, not sans smiles of ‘achievement’ and Pride. But who did they stepped stone on? Right: the ‘natives’ sitting on mountains of..

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THE ‘STRONG’ OVER the ‘weak;, still in this Age? Answer is a resounding Yess! Though in a ‘neo’ form, to wit: the articulate over the ‘plain-spoken’, the ‘aggressive’ over the ‘sober enough’, the ‘persistent’ over the ‘rescinding’.

THE USUAL CASE: the formers ‘conquer’ the latters. Even in Philippine Jurisprudence, these are favoured; note the general Principle: “the Law always ‘come to the side’ of those who are not negligent about their rights” [not verbatimly quoted but in substance, and in brief, captured].

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ANOTHER RECURRING ‘OPPOSITION’: the ‘equipped’ over the ‘unsuspecting’. A good, current, factual example: the citizen-proponent of a simple waiting shed government project.

THE ‘UNSUSPECTING’ ONE is persuaded by his co-citizens of a need for a Kiosk or Shed, because of obvious reasons. So, out of love for his community, he meets with them ‘formally’, prepares the papers –– and finally, the resolution (!) for the project. When done, he even volunteered to submit the signed resolution to the government office/agency.

AND NOT ONLY.. he also did the visits to, and follow-ups in said office. One day, to his surprise, he heard about a Bidding (!) of his now come-to-fore Project.

When he reaches the government office –– he is smiled at by contracteurs –– ‘well-equipped’ with Papers and especially with Licenses.. to ‘qualify to get’ his Project! (to be continued).