OPINION: A Take on the Filipino Standards

The Republic of the Philippines is no stranger to setting the highest standards for everything let alone their standards for choosing a Leader— except that their standards had taken a different turn resulting in last week's 2022 national and local elections.

First and foremost, let me express my disappointment in this year's elections and my deepest sympathies for those considering ditching this country for better opportunities abroad. It must be hard trying to find sense in this senseless turn of events. For those who have voted for Leni, I commend you for sticking to the age-old standards we have been raised to follow.

And for those who voted for Marcos, I abhor you.

To set the facts straight, I voted for Leni. I am not a #Kakampink or a "solid Dilawan" and, growing up, I was raised to have better standards than what my elders have expected of me. "Do better in school", "Get a college degree", "Become a Lawyer", "Learn how the economy works so you can set up a business one day", "You should do some volunteering work to strengthen your resumé" and so on... These are the phrases that most parents say to their children (or mine) and I know this because it's the only way for us to get ahead and be successful. Escape poverty even. 

And because of academics, approximately 91.6% of Filipinos (aged 10 to 64 years old ) were functionally literate in 2019 alone according to the results of the 2019 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) and it is still increasing yearly. This means that the majority of Filipinos are educated well enough to know how to pick the right candidates for the highest seat in the country. Right? 

Wrong.

Because of misinformation, constant trolling, and extensive social media manipulation, many Filipinos were fooled into voting for the son of one of the world's worst dictators to ever live. All of a sudden, the standards we, the Youth, were taught to uphold were either trampled by vote-buying schemes, threats of violence, or purely believing in constant exposure to distorted media content and manipulation. Gone were the outspoken activists of our time and the critics of today's politics. Red-tagging became the norm for individuals who disagree with the current administration's actions. And don't even get me started on political dynasties! 

Just last year, the Philippines ranked as the 7th worst place to become a journalist and by that, I meant the deadliest. With over 13 unresolved cases, thousands of casualties from drug-related cases, along with 32 journalists from the Maguindanao Massacre of 2009, our country is in for a long ride. That is more than a lifetime's worth of crimes against humanity for such a small archipelago. 

If only the adults stepped up and said "We have had enough", then I think this country could have had a better future than the bleaker ones. To make it short, I blame the adults who accepted payments and made fake headlines to make their clients look better in the court of public opinion; I blame the ones who hide under their elder's shadows and follow the will of the wads of cash being sent their way; I blame the uneducated individuals who absorb questionable and unproven content without questions, and I blame the children who grew into adults that ended up following the norm. There are so many people to blame. About 30.5 million people and it keeps on growing. 

I am not shaming somebody who didn't get a college degree nor degrading rich people who lie about having degrees. I am shaming people who believe that a bystander would use their ill-gotten wealth to bring the Philippines back to its "Golden Age" where having a critical opinion can lead you to a sudden disappearance, forced to be silenced, or untimely death. Pretty soon, we should expect a lot of historical revisions, media censorships, and so on. While we, the 12.3 million who fought and lost, would have to keep going and do our best in raising enough awareness for the betterment of this country.

Do your research using the most trusted resources. YouTube is for entertainment purposes only unless indicated otherwise.  Lastly, set the highest standards you can make because we deserve better leaders that fit the standards we make ourselves to be. Consistency is key, they say. Oh, what a bunch of liars we are. 

God bless the Philippines.

Cartoon by: Trave Rafols