Ron Michael

Anyone else tired of the endless government gaslighting? It doesn’t matter how obvious something is, we are always told that there’s a complicated component that you and I can never understand. That’s why you need them. Take the most obvious ones. We’re told that electricity is expensive because of systems loss and that shouldn’t be passed on to the customer. But they tax us 12% on that thing they say shouldn’t be there and that we never got. Imagine being robbed by someone, so you go to the police and on top of your loss, you have to pay a 12% tax on what they stole. That’s where we are now. Then there’s the price of gas. When it goes up they say it’s because of MOPS, but when it takes longer to come down, all of a sudden there are a lot of moving parts to consider. It’s not that simple, they say. It’s complicated, they say. But conveniently, it’s always only on one side. And when we let them get away those things, they get bolder and bolder. Today we have lawmakers hiding in the open, evading warrants of arrest, making a mockery of the justice system they are sworn to serve, openly refusing to face trial for their own crimes, but hey, we’re told not to jump to conclusions, its not how it looks, it’s a lot more complicated than that. It’s not. Because when you or I break the law, or are even accused of it, we have to stand trial and go through the process. No ifs, no buts. But when one of our lawmakers do it, they simply call it something else and drown you in semantics and legalese. Every single time, for every single thing. Take gaming ads. Every time the pressure builds, they tighten the rules just enough to look like they did something, billboards down, ads pulled. And every time, it comes back wearing a different costume. Oh, but it’s not the same thing, Tito James. This time it’s a PSA for responsible gaming. Educate yourself. Same celebrities, same casino branding, same call to action to follow the page for a chance to win an iPhone or whatever TF. The label changed. The business model didn’t. And they call it reform. Then there’s the city of Bacoor, still confiscating licenses months after the DOTr suspended the practice nationwide. When the LTO called them out, the city’s answer was that the Supreme Court ruling only applies to Metro Manila LGUs, so they get to keep doing what they want. Never mind DILG, who they are directly under. Never mind the DOJ, DOTr, the LTO etc, all of which are national government agencies. They don’t even bother to come up with a legal argument. They just say, basta may ordinance tayo. And like magic, 48 hours of outrage and ranting later, we move on. But at a cost. Because while our attention is being hacked, so is the credibility of our entire nation. These all add up. Yes, netizens will move on to the next shiny thing, whether it’s another scandal or a much needed win in sports. But good news or bad news, the result is the same. We’re being professionally distracted. Because once you strip away all the noise, the bottom line is and has always been, rules only bite when you’re small. Break them big enough, publicly enough, and you don’t get a penalty. You get a rebrand, a press statement, or a courtroom debate over what every grade schooler can already tell you is wrong. That’s not law. That’s leverage, and it only ever points down. You cannot build a culture of compliance on a foundation of selective enforcement. Every time an institution lets a blatant violation slide, or just lets the violator rename it, it sets a precedent. One that calcifies into jurisprudence that the average Joe is just supposed to accept. I’m tired of being told it’s complicated. It’s not complicated. It’s just inconvenient for the people who’d have to enforce it. And that’s the real trick. Keep everyone arguing about the last scandal so nobody notices the one happening right in front of you in real time. It’s time to wake up, Philippines.