A Different Kind Of Love

My family is not exactly poor. I had my first designer footwear when I was in third grade and my very first haute couture gown at the age of 12. We take a trip abroad on a regular basis and we also happen to live in a village that is quite posh. Yet and still, my father is cooking up a plan of doing business in Dubai.

The pending Dubai venture was discussed over customary Sunday lunch at my mother’s ancestral home. One aunt asked my father if it was necessary for him to put up operations in a foreign land too. To this daddy jokingly replied: “I guess, so my wife won’t ever have to line up for Wowowee.”

Deeply disturbing questions soon flooded my mind. Is the economy in such bad shape my family might have to eventually leave the Philippines? Are the times so hard that it drove twenty thousand people to camp out Ultra and brave the perils?

I never really got the answers I was looking for. All I know is that most Filipinos have lost hope in the government and thus they rely on game shows and leaving the country to alleviate poverty. The stampede is heartbreaking reflection of the real state of the nation. Most people see it as a proof that we’ve gone to an all time low.

Call me crazy, but in spite of (not apart from) the Ultra stampede, the *56pesos to a $1, the EDSA series, and Erap, I still love the Philippines. After all, it is the land of Ate Shawie, SMB (I don’t drink though), and of course DiVi 168. I wouldn’t have the MY country any other way.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!