Bang! Gun shots echoing through the Senate walls, just like that, all of them wanting sympathy. Like they have families waiting at home that may never see them again. Guns in the Senate suddenly flip the narrative. Now you hate the masses because we are mocking you for acting so cowardly towards a few gun shots in your sheltered lifestyle of luxury. They’re angry because the ordinary people can’t find the heart to empathize with these corrupt crocodiles dressed in barongs and branded fashion. You want sympathy for a once in a lifetime experience of an almost daily experience of the ordinary. You can call me heartless but honestly where were your hearts when tons of our fellow kababayans were raided, forced evicted, and shot dead in broad daylight? Weren’t you all partying, exchanging chickas, clinking wine glasses in your air-conditioned walls when the rest of us were treated like animals chased in our cages?
You just heard the shots, most of our fellows felt it sipping through their skins. You felt unsafe, most are not safe. Your loved ones might not see you again, most of us will never see ours ever again. There’s a big difference between them. You got the movie experience, we have it as our reality, yes, most of us live in that reality. Not just for a day, but for the rest of their waking life. I don’t want to invalidate your experience but I chose to in exchange for you invalidating the harsh reality most of us are experiencing. This isn’t just about those gun shots. This is about the taxes you robbed us, the dignity you stripped from our skins, the respect you deny us, the security and safety you are supposed to fulfill but just went to drain. We cried decades ago but it went to deaf ears and now just because of gun shots just once in your life you suddenly felt we owe you sympathy?
Sympathy begets sympathy. Respect begets respect. I ain’t see any reason giving those things to your entitled asses. If you think you are all so privileged then let go of your positions, why do you keep holding on to our tax money. We don’t need you, you are simply there because of us. Let go of our treasure if you are really so wealthy on your own why need to rob us more? Decades have passed haven’t you amassed wealth enough to fund your next of kin retirement and travel plans? Ain’t it enough? Do you still want more? Your antics make us laugh now loudly. It isn't of happiness but sarcasm that the narrative’s been flipped and here you go all crybabies whining that no one even said “kumusta” after those dreaded gun shots? Have you ever said “kumusta” to our kababayans who went worse than that? You just heard it, most of us felt it deep in our skin yet we never obliged you to check on us because it is not our duty to tell you what should be done, it’s yours. At least you know “na dapat pala kinukumusta kapag may mga ganyang pangyayari di ba?”
So kumusta? Happy?
