APEC 2015 is being held in Manila and because of this, the metro is in a standstill. School, work, and flights have been cancelled, traffic has been rerouted, and security measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of the vip delegates coming to the country. Not everyone is pleased with the disruption APEC has brought. One netizen speaks out:
Full text:
If you have to suspend work and classes to avoid traffic on an international summit, it’s evidence that there’s something wrong with public transportation.
If you have to provide a special lane for visitors and delegates, it’s evidence that there’s a problem in infrastructure.
If you have to hide the homeless for the streets to look good, there’s something wrong with social welfare and housing.
So, Filipinos, how’s the day of being slapped as a second-class citizen?
It hurts that we have to suffer traffic every day, but the government gives a fast lane to APEC delegates.
It hurts that street lights get fixed and public cleanliness is at its maximum for this summit, but we have been so used to being patient, silently suffering, for the poor services they provide.
It hurts that they’ll be provided with internet with speeds of up to 8.5gbps, while we continue to crawl at kbps speeds.
It hurts that Manila looks so presentable this week, not because the Filipino people deserve it, but because the government wants the APEC delegates to see our fake beauty.
It hurts that the government knows there is a problem but does not solve it unless foreigners will come. It hurts that the government can serve them so much better. It hurts that we are second-class citizens in our own nation. We all deserve Manila at its best every day, not only when foreigners come to visit.
When hospitality becomes too much, it becomes a self-sacrificing hypocrisy.
Do you agree?
April thumbs up!
I think this article is much bigger than APEC and, ultimately it’s about two things 1.) A disgruntled generation of millennials seeing the world pass them by in this globalized world. 2.) The internet and this hyper connected and globalized world has exposed Filipinos to standards outside The Philippines. I mean if we were still in the 70’s, 80’s and even early 2000’s I think most would still accept the state Metro Manila and the country is in now. People have waited for too long and now with more Pinoys travelling abroad and with more access to information many are saying “hey country X has this, why can’t the Philippines?”
People are no longer measuring standards The Philippines sets. That time is long gone, people are now using global standards as the de facto status quo. Which is partly why people are so upset that the government is willing to provide such standards to foreign delegates and not their own people.
Pati internet speed kasalanan parin ng government? Ung mga homeless pilit tinutulungan sila ung ayaw mas gusto sa lansangan, di naman araw2 ang APEC. Kaya nga visitors eh. Saka sa bahay mo ba di ka naglilinis pag my vip na pupunta? Kasalanan b ng government ang sobrang dumi n kalsada o lugar? Baka pwedeng mamamayan din ang may gawa diba? Government ba lahat ang nagkalat? Tao naman gumagawa ng traffic, pilit inaayos ng government pero walang disciplina ang mga tao. Alam naman ng government ang mga problema, ikaw baisasali mo pa ba ang visitor mo sa problema mo sa bahay mo? Mga leaders yan kung ano man ang mangyari sa mga yan tayo ang kawawa dahil nasa bansa natin sila. Ang dami ding naitulong ng ibang bansa sa atin lalo ang America nakakahiya naman kung di sila safe and secured dito sa atin. Kahit dun lang mabayaran ntin ng kunti ang kabutihan nila. Think before you post.
“From what I’ve seen online, people aren’t complaining about the conference itself. They’re complaining about how city officials are bending over backwards to accommodate the conference at the expense of its citizens. APEC lanes causing massive traffic james, clearing Roxas of vagrants, even PLDT granting huge internet speeds that aren’t available to the public is seen as a slap in the face to the citizens in Manila.
People are annoyed because all of a sudden, things like cleaning up the city, providing better internet, painting and lighting the underpassess; these are things that all of a sudden the government is capable of doing but they didn’t even bother until a special day came about. People are annoyed because they’re being treated as second class citizens in their own home and it seems the city officials don’t even care about making its citizens lives better”
-Carlo Casas
APEC as a meeting and as a summit is good but the way it was managed and planned by the government is bad. bakit ang hirap intindihin ng iba na hindi kailangan matrapik, pwede pala malinisan ang maynila, pwede pala ang mabilis na internet, pwede pala ma-mobilize ang mga law enforcement agencies; pero bakit kailangan pa magkaroon ng APEC para kumilos ang gobyerno.
“Three types of people commenting here. 1) Those who know what’s going on and can plainly see that this event was poorly planned, the location/s poorly chosen, the sheer amount and locations of road closures completely idiotic, the number of canceled international and domestic flights is inexcusable and, by the looks of it, said plans were drafted a few weeks in advance. 2) Those who, like sheep, believe that people should just grin and bear it quietly without argument or dissent. 3) Those who are unaffected by the event restrictions in anyway either because they are not here in Metro Manila or the Philippines, are unemployed and spend doing God knows what and choose to bury their heads in the sand.”
-Leonard Jones
If you have to suspend work and classes to avoid traffic on an international summit, it’s evidence that there’s something wrong with public transportation.
– “This has been an issue forever in the Philippines, no need to asked this stupid question.”
If you have to provide a special lane for visitors and delegates, it’s evidence that there’s a problem in infrastructure.
– “This has been an issue forever in the Philippines, no need to asked this stupid question. That is why they have provided special lane for visitor. It is also for their safety and security.”
If you have to hide the homeless for the streets to look good, there’s something wrong with social welfare and housing.
– “Hide them or not, there is really something wrong with social welfare and housing. No need to asked this stupid question.”
So, Filipinos, how’s the day of being slapped as a second-class citizen?
It hurts that we have to suffer traffic every day, but the government gives a fast lane to APEC delegates.
– “This has been an issue forever in the Philippines, no need to ask this stupid question. That is why they have provided special lane for visitor. It is also for their safety and security.”
It hurts that street lights got fixed and public cleanliness is at its maximum for this summit, but we have been so used to being patient, silently suffering, for the poor services they provide.
– “Street lights get fixed and public cleanliness may not always at its maximum but still the people who don’t have discipline are the one who ruins everything in our country.”
It hurts that they’ll be provided with internet with speeds of up to 8.5gbps, while we continue to crawl at kbps speeds.
– “I agree with this one. Government should fix this issue with our Telecoms.”
It hurts that Manila looks so presentable this week, not because the Filipino people deserve it, but because the government wants the APEC delegates to see our fake beauty.
– “Manila always look presentable not at least every morning but our Metro Aid always make sure that streets are clean. The people who don’t have discipline like the one who keeps on vandalizing and throwing garbages everywhere are those that makes our country notpresentable.”
It hurts that the government knows there is a problem but does not solve it unless foreigners will come. It hurts that the government can serve them so much better. It hurts that we are second-class citizens in our own nation. We all deserve Manila at its best every day, not only when foreigners come to visit.
– “I agree at some point that Government knows there is a problem but haven’t been solved at most 90%. Manila will be at its best everyday if most Filipinos knows how to behave and discipline themselves. BTW, no problem has been solved during APEC Summith.”
When hospitality becomes too much, it becomes a self-sacrificing hypocrisy.
– “Hospitality is a choice. If you’re not sincere enough for being hospitable, that’s self-sacrificing hypocrisy.”