Aquino's administrative order no. 40 is a reflection of the true regard of this government with its citizenry

Someone told me that the idea behind the creation of  Administrative  order no. 40, or infamously known as the executive order to establish interim bus terminal in Metro Manila came about one fine morning in President Aquino's life a year or so ago.

The tale goes that Aquino, who is a speed freak, met a severe traffic jam the minte his presidential convoy left Balintawak. He just came from Tarlac and was reportedly rushing for a meeting somewhere South. Because he cannot really use his wangwang, Aquinon waited patiently for traffic to ease. When it did not and he arrived late at his destination, Aquino was so angry he called up Mmda chairman and buddy Francis Tolentino and told him to remedy the traffic problem by eliminating all provincial buses in edsa.

What was one man's frivolous view eventually became a government policy. Without any study to back it up, executive secretary paquito ochoa gave the paper which is now called a.o. 40 for aquino to sign and which he gladly did, never  mind that his order had no scientific basis in truth and in fact.

That stupid order is now the cause of horrendous traffic along edsa and the continued suffering of thousands of commuters from cavite and batangas, who now bear the consequences of aquino's frivolous hair brained idea. On its month and a half of operations, the southwest bus terminal is being cursed every single day by mothers, students, old folks and the sick, the sickly and the disabledwho had to walk a mile come rain or shine just to ride that inter city transport to reach their destination. That order is also the cause why students and commuters had to fork out more fares now because they need to pay those buses, taxis and jeepneys which fetch them from the terminal to their metro manila destination.

Aquino's action reflects the true state of our affairs. We live at the mercy of capricious and frivolous individuals whose concern is entirely personal and class specific. Why do aquino want provincial buses out of edsa? Because he cannot accept the fact that private vehicles are the cause of every day traffic and he, as a politician, cannot really alienate the middle class and the elites where he belongs.

His logic is like this---roads are for motorists, never the passengers nor the commuters. Private motorists pay more taxes; hence the road should be theirs. And commuters had to pay the price for this.

This way of thinking predates aquino and is a common thinking of every single man or woman that sat in that throne beside the Pasig river. The masses are never really the bosses of this republic. The people are mere slaves and they are just sources of taxes which eventually go to line the pockets of a few greedy yet smart individuals.

Aquino never really meant what he said when he told us that we are his bosses. In truth, we are just his slaves, forking thousands of pesos every single day so that a few becomes rich while we suffer in ignorance, in silenceand in poverty.