For Better Or For Worse

As far as I can remember, I and my whole family often go on a night stroll in the well-known Baywalk in Manila. Especially when Christmas is fast approaching. I and my folks enjoy this very special moment. They take a cup of coffee at Figaro while I prefer a steamy cup of cocoa than some other cold drinks for kids.

Today, what once was a jam-packed Baywalk is now an empty, quiet spot in Manila. The jolly, beaming lights it had before seem to fade while vehicles pass by every second. The cafeterias sand singing bands that used to entertain people are all gone.

What happened? Is it for the better or for the worse?

Out of curiosity, I tried to ask questions to my mom and to other people who are most familiar with the city of Manila. And they give me on common answer. "It's because of the come-back of Alfredo Lim in the Manila City Hall."

It means a new Mayor has dominated the city. Well, should I say a re-elected one?

I overheard that most of the citizens still trust Alfredo Lim than Lito Atienza. There are also rumors that there was an anomaly in the "buhayin and Maynila" project of former mayor Atienza.

And now that Lim is back in the position, his constituents have great expectations for him. They hopefully anticipate that crimes all over Manila will be solved just like what he has done before.

According to them, my Baywalk is and will never be gone. All of the establishments there were swept away because of prostitution and illegal transactions. But the place itself will always be there.

I feel some kind of lonely. But what matters is the betterment of the whole city. Not my own, selfish leisure.

Now, you judge. Lim or Atienza?