Law and Order
The first thing that strikes me every time I return to Manila from
abroad, especially when I come in from Australia, is the high level of
chaos that
rules our lives here. The airport is still somewhat orderly,
but it kinda ends there.
After coming out of the NAIA or Centenial
airport and hitting EDSA, one is amazed, no, shocked and depressed at
how disorderly and wild the
traffic is, how dirty and shabby the
buildings are, how unsightly the power lines are that hang across a big
portion of the sky and how undisciplined and cavalier the
people are
about crossing the streets and using the side walks. Are there even
sidewalks? I''m not sure.
Then there are the billboards, those monstrous pictures that rape what
remains of the sky and the cityscape that not even the death of a few
people and a Presidential
Order can put an end to.
In less than two minutes, I can count what would be considered numerous
and wanton traffic violations where one could lose a
license in an uber
orderly
place like Sydney. But of course I am not in Sydney, and boy,
do I know it. And what is amazing is, even while I am distressed at
what I see, within two days, Sydney can already seem like a faraway
place and my Manila instincts kick in and I am a ''native son'' once
again, who survives and even thrives in the craziness that is life
here. I find a kind of parallel with the Disney version of Aladdin
where Aladdin sings, and I paraphrase, ''welcome to the land where your
hands get cut for stealing but hey, it''s home. (Italics mine).
Our first few months in Sydney were quite confusing and traumatic for
my family and me. To our unaccustomed eyes, everything was just way too
orderly and too much by the rules. Even just trying to get proper
identification to be able to do things like rent a house, open a bank
account, pass the driving test and get a driver''s license was
problematic.
To this Filipino who was raised in a jungle that regarded traffic
signs, laws and lanes as mere suggestions, there were just too many
rules.
More summaries about the law and order by jim paredes