While Riding a Cab One Day

Cab drivers, I've discovered, are a hidden human resource we have yet to tap. Behind every wheel is a philosopher, economist, political scientist, and sociologist waiting to be discovered.

Here are snippets of their wisdom:

• "Dapat ibaba ang presyo ng gasolina. Pag umakyat 'yan, tumataas din ang presyo ng mga bilihin, at naghihirap ang mga tao." (The prices of gasoline should be lowered. When these increase, so do the prices of basic goods, and the people suffer.)
• "Ang problema sa gobyerno, puro sila dada. Wala naman silang ginagawa. Puro pulitika." (The problem with government is they're all talk. But they're not doing anything. It's all politics.)
• "Alam mo, dapat mag-invest ang gobyerno sa edukasyon. Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan, pero hindi nila ginagastusan." (You know, government should invest in education. The youth is the hope of our nation, but they're not investing in them.)

And my favorite:

• "Ang mga pulitikong yan, puro mga kurakot ang mga putang inang 'yan! Kaya 'di tayo umaasenso!! Sa pitaka ng pulitiko napupunta ang pera natin!!!" (Those politicians, they're all corrupt, those sons of whores! That's why there's no progress!! Our money is going into the wallets of these politicians!!!)

Sometimes I think our country would be better off if it were run by these people.

Or not.

Kidding aside, I think anyone with half a brain knows what's basically wrong with the Philippines. I also believe that anyone who's had a decent education can come up with solutions to these problems.

Unfortunately, the reality is this: a large gulf divides great ideas and their implementation. A smart person can think of ways to combat, say, tax evasion. But it takes more than intelligence to do that. It takes courage, political will, resourcefulness, good PR, an understanding of how government works, etc. To go after tax evaders, one has to be able to manage the bureaucracy necessary to catch, convict, and punish these people. Obviously, bright ideas aren't enough.