the president’s been having a bad week, what with 21 areas under a state of calamity, on top of having to make an emergency landing on a flight to tarlac with his pet senatoriables, so maybe to cheer him up, and maybe to distract us, even give us a sense that we’re not totally helpless, here’s what his communications team cooked up: a twitter campaign with the hashtag #lubak2normal, no kidding.  lubak, as in potholes.  the message is, things are back2normal (the “new normal”?) so let’s get the potholes fixed.

Edwin Lacierda ‏@dawende
Nothing is impassable. Help DPWH repair potholes on national roads by tweeting photos/details to @pcdspo w/ hash tag #lubak2normal
6:45 PM – 10 Aug 12 via Twitter for BlackBerry® 

Manuel L. Quezon III ‏@mlq3
Shot through the heart the rain’s to blame you give lubak a bad name! Report potholes to @pcdspo to help DPWH fix. Tweet photo, location…
6:44 PM – 10 Aug 12 via HootSuite6:44 PM – 10 Aug 12 via HootSuite

Abi Valte ‏@Abi_Valte
Lubak stops here. help DPWH repair potholes on national roads by tweeting photos/details to @pcdspo w/ hash tag #lubak2normal
6:25 PM – 10 Aug 12 via TweetDeck 

nothing is impassable, mr. lacierda?  what about the waterways that are. clogged. with. trash?  the rain’s to blame for potholes, mr. quezon?  hindi ba it’s the poor quality of materials?  and lubak stops where exactly, ms. valte?  the buck, i know, stops with the president, but lubaks are the last thing i’d nag the president about at a time like this.

but okay, i get it, nagpapa-witty kayo, nagpapa-cute, but puns are the lowest form of wit, did you know?  and i suppose natuwa naman ang presidente?  good job?  lol?

gross, actually, na nagpapatawa na kayo, e hindi pa tapos ang krisis.  at kahit pa matapos na ang krisis, bakit lubak, na hindi naman deadly, ang poproblemahin, sa halip na basura, which is super-deadly on all sorts of levels?  mas madali kasing solusyunan ang potholes?  mahirap kasing magpatawa tungkol sa basura?

the levity is unseemly, coming from government officials.  show some gravitas naman.  or fake it, at the very least.