Is this where our taxes go?

Our secretary told me that while we were in China, a fire hit the grassy lot across our office. It was big enough to cause panic among our employees, prompting them to call our local fire department. Upon arriving at our office, with the fire slowly spreading towards our direction, one of the firemen called our secretary aside, and asked for some "gasoline money" as our payment for the gasoline they used up in driving to our office. Our secretary had no choice. She can argue and haggle with the fireman and watch as the fire eats up our office. Or she can pay the "gasoline money" and nothing gets damaged. She of course, chose the latter.

I can't say I was surprised when I heard this. I have already grown accustomed to the various forms of corruption in government offices. Besides, there was nothing else left to do. The money is already with them, and there were no damages in our company grounds. So I let it pass.

When Liza told me that the same thing happened in the fire that gutted the building of Eliong Commercial, I couldn't believe my ears. The married brother who rushed to the building the minute he heard the news was the one who recounted the story. When he arrived at the building, one fireman approached him and asked for money before they would start working. WTF? Is that the way it's supposed to work here? I mean, I could understand extortion in our factory. But to ask for money when human lives are at stake? Are these people so jaded that they now value money more than human life? How do these people sleep at night?

Got me wondering. How about the numerous fires that hit Baseco compound in Tondo every year? Do these firemen extort money from the people there too? What about the fire that hit the house of Spkr. JDV? Did they even attempt to bribe the speaker? Without this extortion thing, how many fires could have been stopped? How many lives could have been saved?

It just bothers me a lot to know that maybe, if the firemen had acted earlier, one or two more lives could have been saved. Some of the victims of the Eliong Commercial fire were people that went to high school with me. Liza and I found one of them cute (won't reveal who) and even stalked his brother to ask for information about him. And from what I've read, I think he's one of the victims that have been burned beyond recognition.

So the moral of the story is, always have cash with you. You never know when you'll need it to bribe some people to save your loved ones.

Crap.