One year since ex-president Joseph Estrada’s impeachment, and not all is well. When we ousted the Corrupt Incompetent earlier this year, it was hoped that the country would learn from the tribulations of its recent history and begin a path towards mature socio-political improvement.

That has not happened. Loyalists from the Marcos/Estrada establishment continue to clash with the now-entrenched administrative dynasty, both sides disrupting legislative and judicial processes with conspiracies, accusations, investigations, and coup d’etat rumors.

Estrada’s own plunder trial has been delayed time and time again, both by his lawyers’ dilatory tactics, and by political infighting within the judicial body prosecuting him — even among the justices of the Supreme Court.

Peace and order have suffered. Nida Blanca, a famous TV/movie actress, was brutally murdered last week. Communist rebels in the North have attacked telecom relays, while in the South, extremist Islamic bandits continue their kidnap-for-ransom activities, evading our own deficient military. Kidnappings are on the rise here in Manila as well, and foreigners fear to tread the streets of the city — with good cause.

Dirty politics, rising inflation, record unemployment, unmanageable poverty, civil unrest, rampant corruption in the government and military and police, intolerable levels of air pollution, traffic, crime, drug trafficking, kidnappings, overpopulation…

Yup, just another average day in the Philippines.