The Wow-wow-wee Mentality

I was listening to senatorial candidate Ruffy Biazon last Wednesday, when he guested at 89.9's Good Times with Mo Twister, when he mentioned about the "Wow-wow-wee Mentality".

Well, I'm not a fan of "Wow-wow-wee". I find Mr. Revillame insufferably over-bearing. Anyway, I'm not writing this blog to talk about him.

As an old Chinese proverb would say, "give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime." What the show "Wow-wow-wee" is doing is merely giving fish. I admit that the show does have a lot of sponsors and have tons of money to give, however, this is no different from giving alms.

I'm totally against giving alms. Call me cold hearted but as much as possible I don't easily give in t0 the proddings of a begger. I'll always tell a begger that if he'd offer me to buy a sampaguita I will not have second thoughts of buying. I hate it when I encounter beggers who looks able bodied enough to earn a living. I shun at having encounters with beggars because I would always feel bad whenever I had to turn them away; evenso, I find it more annoying when you give to a begger once and it would seem to them that your gesture is already a lifetime commitment and then you get badgered by everytime you cross paths.

I'm sure you've been witnesses the various "pa-awa" gimmicks just to get a peso or two---now remember this when you watch Wow-wow-wee. Same thing, right? Whoever's life story is most pitiful gets more money! No wonder even after the stampede, hordes of hopeful spirits still pack the studio for a chance to get themselves their share of alms!

What this program is doing is making beggars out of the Filipino. The indiscriminate shower of money does not do Juan de la Cruz any good. Poverty cannot be cured by alms giving. The problem runs deaper than that. I do believe that we Filipinos are an industrious race. Given the opportunity, we thrive to make it better.

A chance to change our country's destiny will come on May 10, 2010. Choose the candidate who can provide the opportunity for us to rise from desolation. Steer clear of false promises and let the candidate's past actions speak for itself. Do not let lineage justify one's worth. Do not be mesmerized by catchy commercials. Make your vote count!