In the vernacular, there is an expression that goes "ang Pasko ay ang panahon ng pagpapatawad," and they don't mean carolers. It's a sentiment that makes little sense, really: why would Christmas time be an extra-special time to forgive someone? Wouldn't any other given day do just fine, especially if you're not particularly a fan of Christmas, such as I am?
But no, I tried, anyways. Reached out to someone who I felt really wronged me. And it made me feel even worse.
I hate the holidays, really. Not a fan, and quite frankly, seeing how "appreciation" doesn't really count for much in this planet anyways, I'm surprised I even managed to live through this pointless merriment.
If I didn't love you, if I didn't love you like crazy...
I got to thinking about it, while I was having lunch with my best friend, Abby. Haven't seen her in a while, but it was good to note that she was in very high spirits, and I even ended up with an unexpected present from her, as well as an unexpected guest in Mike Unson. And as usual, we forgot to have a picture taken, but whatever.
Thanks for the present, though.
Thing is, as we were talking with each other over lunch at Greenbelt, I realized that inasmuch as I rarely can keep a grudge, the few that I manage to keep tend to be very difficult to let go of, indeed. And that's why I really can't help but feel very off by this whole enterprise. Forgiveness should come naturally, not because of a particular season, per se.
So it isn't time to forgive you just yet. Maybe I will, maybe I never will. Either way, you sleep soundly at night, anyways, not giving a damn how I feel about what you have done to me. So what does it matter, right?
.:Which Leads Me To This...:.
Look, I don't really have any plans on telling you what to do or what not to do, but after all that talk about 7107, and the fact that the organizers have professional ties to Jeff Napoles, count me out of even wanting to be anywhere near the venue unless they categorically go on record to deny this. And no, the oblique attempts at sidestepping the issue they offered me over Twitter certainly don't offer me any comfort, whatsoever.
But if I can't forgive people who have wronged me too soon, the last thing I intend to do is to "forgive" the Napoles family for pretty much taking our nation's coffers as their own personal ATM, and, if Mo Twister is to be believed when it comes to this whole 7107 issue, charging us tickets for it. Imagine that. Our money was stolen, and we have to pay them even more money?
"But it isn't true, right? I mean, it's Mo Twister we're talking about here!" Newsflash: Mo Twister is a lot of things, but a liar, he is not. That is a well-known fact about him, because however outspoken and off the wall Mo happens to be, he wouldn't just make something like this up for no discernible gain, whatsoever.
I'm not casting my hat into the veracity of the claims. I won't be here to tell you if it's true or not, nor will I be here to cite to you the many people who swear to me that my worst fears about the 7107 festival are true. And least of all, I have no desire to tell you what to do with your money if you really want to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers or the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus that bad. And really, who am I to tell you a single damned thing, really? I'm not a celebrity. I'm not an organizer, or a politician, or anything of the sort.
But you know what I happen to be? A taxpayer. And because I am one, I choose to speak out with my wallet, because I want to know. Hell, I need to know. Categorically. Explicitly. I don't want weasel words or half-truths and obfuscations. I've been in PR long enough to know better than to buy into that. I want something on the record.
In any case, if they're not willing to give me that much, on the basis of me not being someone worth addressing, that's cool, too. I guess it makes more sense why the Binays of this world get to ask people "Hindi mo ba ako kilala?" and get away with it with utmost impunity: you only have a voice if you're big enough, not when you actually have something legitimate to say. Who am I, really? I'm just a taxpayer who doesn't want to contribute another centavo to the Napoles bank account. No big deal.
But hey, if matters of integrity are of no import to them, and if it makes them sleep better at night, by all means, just go right ahead and call me a "hater" and ignore me, even if I want to believe this whole thing is on the level. It's a free country, and I'm sure enough people will buy tickets to your festival and not care who actually funded the damned thing.
One does wonder how Lourd De Veyra, frontman of Radioactive Sago Project, feel about the whole thing, though, seeing as he's slated to perform for the festival.
Para sa mga Napoles, hindi ngayon ang panahon ng pagpapatawad. At marahil, hinding-hindi na ito darating pa para sa kanila, hangga't sa lantaran pa rin silang nakikinabang sa pinagpawisang salapi ng bawat mamamayang Pilipino.
