Hong Kong government is Filipinos' only hope for REAL change

Interesting, that among the list of sites labeled under "You might also like" at the bottom of my recent article on AntiPinoy.com (AP), Comparing apples to oranges: The Madrigal murders and the Mendoza hostage affair, is one of my oldies-but-goodies How I became a 'Get Realist' which (after re-reading it) is uncannily relevant today.

For one thing the photo that accompanies that article (which accompanies this one as well) is another one that is starkly illustrative of the deep degeneracy that afflicts Filipino society at the very threads that make up its fabric.

Second, I did mention in passing in my apples-to-oranges AP article how perhaps Filipinos are in the midst of a "bit of an inward reflection and soul-searching in the face of overwhelming shame brought about by the appallingly incompetent handling of the August 23 Mendoza hostage incident that resulted in the unnecessary deaths of eight foreign tourists". But then again, after re-reading my "How I became..." article, I realised that perhaps I am again giving Filipinos too much credit for thinking that we as a people are even capable of any sort of reflection...

The obsession with political solutions that underpins the mediocrity of the national “debate” I believe stems from the notion that ordinary Filipinos are more of victims of political circumstances and less of contributors to the degeneracy of Philippine politics. Therefore rather than mount the soul searching and reflection that may lead us down a path of enlightenment and, eventually, the formulation of real solutions, we instead choose to be mere spectators and passively take in the spectacle of political circuses that go on and on decade after decade.

... and that perhaps Edward Ngai of the Vancouver Observer was a bit more spot on with his prognosis of what is in store for us as far as any hope of a convincing resolution of the Mendoza hostage affair:

[...] just like other scandals in the Philippines, this story will surely wind its way quietly to an end. No one is willing to accept responsibility, even though there is more than enough to spread around. And in a country with such a long history of corruption and political ineptitude as the Philippines has, this latest tragedy is just another chapter.

So we should consider how "hope" lies not in President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III's promise of change, but in the Hong Kong government expecting results. There's nothing like a foreign power being on top of things that keeps Filipinos on their toes.