My voice, especially here in the Philippines, may not be heard in any corner of the Congress, Senate, or the Palace. Apathy is the best word that could describe the majority of my countrymen in our generation. Apathy, due to centuries of:
- Belief that corruption will never end here (so why care? we can’t make them stop stealing anyway)
- Belief that there is no hope in Philippine politics (so why vote, if its just going to be stolen anyway?)
- Belief that Filipinos have no power over their country. Free as we may seem, revolts and rallies are ignored so comfortably by the people “up there”.
Filipinos are very hard-working. The country’s wide-spread culture is based on “love for family” – which is their fuel to do whatever is takes, just for their families to have a better future.
Let me start by discussing my opinion towards the recent Senatorial elections.
For those of you who were unaware of what transpired: a big chunk of the news was about a seemingly unqualified candidate who won the election due to her last name. She was the daughter of a very famous politician, who is currently the Vice-President of the Philippines. There was an uproar of hatred, mocking and disbelief when she filed for candidacy. It continued throughout the whole campaign period, most especially when she was declared the official 4th placer (out of 12) in the elections. Everyone’s facebook newsfeed was filled with her face, memes about her, and a lot of stories about their family’s “ways” to allegedly “get what they want”.
Freedom of expression is one of the things that Filipinos don’t fall short on practicing. Everyone is entitled to their own, and people will hear them out whether they want to or not (thanks to social media).
Though their opinion on her eligibility and background make a valid point, I don’t see any reason to make fun of her physical features. People started creating demeaning memes on her skin color. That, I thought, was below-the-belt. Filipinos are dominantly dark-skinned, and these acts are racism. It’s saddening that some Filipinos still exhibit these racist acts at this day and age, especially to a nation who wasn’t known as a fair-skinned republic.
At the end of the day, I’d really like to see valid insights on politics. It’s great that we are all opinionated, and that we care about who presides over the country. But let’s not forget the morals and values that should preside over our lives. The Filipino culture was raised over values of respect, love and equality. It’s a shame that some men and women enjoy criticizing other on God-given features.
Guys, let’s do better next time.
Sober Rants 