#WeArePhilippines

Recently, we have seen a lot of political disorder in the Philippines that has literally divided, and continue to divide, our nation.  Majority of the government officials, who the Filipino people have chosen to represent their best interests, have misused the trust and the authority that the people have given them to further their individual (and that of their party’s) political interest.  This observation is not only directed at one person or one political party.  Parties and individuals have been hell-bent on criticizing anyone who sits on the other side of the fence.  Privilege speeches and press conferences, under the guise of “at the interest of the Filipino people” have been used to either discredit another official or to defend a “personal attack” directed at them by a member of the opposition.  This has fueled the nation’s divide and has distracted the Filipino people’s sight away from the positive things that currently unfolds right in front of us. Our focus has drifted away from the accomplishments driven, silently in the background, by the very political parties and personalities that have been at each other’s necks from day one.  All we see are the negatives of the other side.

I have said time and time again in all my discussions with family, friends, and acquaintances both locally and internationally, the Filipino Nationalism is currently at the highest it’s ever been in quite a long time.  This is very visible on the streets, on the news, and on the social media.  It is very far from the stance of the Filipinos in recent memory, where a huge majority of us just chose to be indifferent to the Philippines’ affairs.  We are now more vocal in support of our chosen side.  We are now more critical of the words and the actions of those who oppose our chosen side – too critical, in fact, that we end up putting words into the mouths of those who do not go along our personal and political views.  We make assumptions, draw up conclusions based on assumptions, then declare beyond reasonable doubt, devoid of any sensibility or logical explanation, that the other side is nothing but pure evil.

The constant bellowing left and right on whose side best represents the interests of our nation has resulted to not just a divide amongst us.  This has brought the focus of the entire international community to us.  The louder our shouts get against the side that opposes our views, the more leverage the international community has to getting involved in our own domestic affairs.  We even come to a point where some of our elected officials encourage the international community to meddle in our affairs.  Do we really truly believe that the international community knows much more about what is best for our people?  Are we really a bunch of imbeciles who need outside intervention to sort out our own issues?  When are we, as a people, going to decide that enough is enough?  When are we going to finally use our voices, or our silence, to influence a better future for our coming generations?  Do we wait until we become the next Iraq, the next Syria or the next Yemen?  Do we wait for international forces to come and take control of our land because we refuse to take the responsibility of shaping our own future as a people into our own hands?  

We, as responsible citizens of this nation, must make a stand today.  Regardless of where you stand in this debate, we have to accept the fact that this government is the only government in past decades that has truly given, at least for the majority of us, the greatest fighting chance at a better, more lasting change.  The same government that is made up of the very same fiercely opposing sides is hard at work in making sure that we realize our true potential as a people, without any undue sacrifices of freedom or of life.  At the current divided state of our government, it still makes gargantuan strides towards a better Philippines.  The streets are much safer, the corruption is much less, and the focus on every man’s rights has never been as active and as passionate.  If we can make steady progress with a divided government, just try and imagine what a collective government can do.

Change does not happen overnight.  It will take time before our leaders can come to their senses and learn to work cordially in pursuit of a common goal.  Let us not forget that even the government itself, along with its institutions, is currently undergoing a transformation – a transformation away from a traditional political institution model to a more commonsensical and more connected representation of the people.  Let us play our part to support the change towards our nation’s new awakening.

This is a challenging but a very hopeful time for us.  The forces that divide our nation are boundless, both domestic and foreign.  How we react to every post we read, to every press conference we hear, and to the news reports published by media outlets, will either make us or break us.  Let us not be blinded by our emotions or our individual sense of self-righteousness.  Instead, let us channel our energy into something more meaningful and productive.  Yes, we may be an economically poor country as was pointed out by some prominent members of our society.  We are a so called “Third World Country” and our people are branded as “Third Country Nationals” for whose and whatever purposes it serves.  But this does not mean that we are not capable of greatness.  It is only our mindset that binds us to our current predicament.  We are the rightful owners of a land rich in natural resources.  We are a people of great technical, both hard and soft, skills that can compete at the international stage against anyone from any developed nation.  We are capable of breaking through the economic barrier to become a developed and prosperous nation.  But we can only do so as one, armed with the right attitude and an undying optimism.

While we wait for the president to develop a less foul-mouthed and more diplomatic vocabulary, or for our government officials to stop using their offices to discredit our other officials or our established institutions and its processes, or for the media (both locally and internationally) to start focusing more on broadcasting news “in service of the public” rather than the economics of the broadcasting business, let us do our part in uplifting our nation as a whole – our people first and foremost,  then our government and our established institutions and its processes.  Let us not dignify any negativity we read or hear against our chosen standpoint by jumping on the social media bandwagon and coming up with our most logical, most witty or most vile defense and see how many others agree or disagree.  This only helps sow seeds of hatred and further fuel the current divide.  You can have as many likes for your posts in defense of your chosen side but it still does not automatically make your views right.  Your posts can garner hate response in the millions and it will not automatically make your views wrong.  Life is not a popularity contest. 

There is nothing wrong in being vocal when we see a potential abuse in power or authority.  It is our duty to each other and to our children to use our voice and to raise a red flag so that we may rally others to be more vigilant.  But in doing so, let us not stray from its main purpose – to serve the best interest of our nation.  Raising a red flag on the killings while saying, with conviction, that President Duterte is behind it and calling him a murderer is a direct attack against the president of our land.  Verbalizing our disgust on the proliferation of drugs and corruption while saying, again with conviction, that Senator de Lima is behind it and tagging her as the “Bilibid Queen” is a direct attack against a senator of our land.   People discrediting the trustworthiness of our institutions by saying that evidences, testimonies and allegations are “sure fabrications” before our courts can even begin to hear the merits of them is a direct attack against an institution of our land. Branding our own as a “Dutertard” or “Yellowtard” in public forums, depending on where we stand, is a direct attack against a citizen of our land.  An attack, both foreign and domestic, against any of our people or any of our institutions is an attack not just against a side you either support or detest, but against every Filipino.  Any attack we throw at any people or institution that puts them in a bad light puts our whole nation in a bad light. 

Instead of being divisive and blindly supporting only one side, let us, for a change, try and support a revolution of calm.  Let us try and bring order and sobriety in the ongoing chaos.  There is, and will always be, the other side of the coin.  It is the both sides that makes it and gives it its value.  There is value in opposing opinions.  If we can only focus more on the accomplishments of both sides rather than fixate on their failures, then maybe we can learn to appreciate what our government does for our people, despite its current limited resources.  If only we could follow an old and simple mantra, “If you can’t say anything nice, do not say anything at all” then maybe we can give the dust a chance to settle so that we may once again find harmony in disagreements. Let us, as a people, carry a message of hope and bring positivity back to our nation.  This is a very hopeful time.  It is a time to unite.  Let us stop messages of hate and disrespect.  If we cannot propose better solutions to our ongoing problems, let us not criticize the groups or the people who try to solve them.  If we cannot say a good word about our government or our fellow citizens but really have that itch to have our opinions heard, at least choose kinder words and voice them out with dignity with respect. 

Each of our little voices holds a tremendous amount of power and influence.  Let us use this voice to support our government, not any political personality or party.  Yes, we may not fully agree with some of the rhetoric or some of the policies or some of the methodologies of our government, but we finally have a government that tries.  It is time that we rally behind our government and exercise our true power as a people.  The political divide in the government will always be there.  We should clamor for calm in the midst of heated debates while our chosen officials discuss differences in stance and approach in solving the challenges we face as a nation.  Let us stay watchful during the discussions as with any debate or heated argument, there will always be a politician or a party who will try and demonstrate how better and more capable they are than the other -- sometimes even by discrediting or demolishing the opposition.  They manipulate us to support their cause and become their advocates. The more supporters they have, the more powerful they become.  This is the politics that politicians play.  After all, this is how they build their case and their support base for the next election campaign.  We must be mindful of these maneuverings and put a stop to them.  We must refuse to take part in their numbers game.  Let us make a clear and unmistakable statement that we do not support political figures or political parties, we only support one government.  Once elected, public officials should really only have two distinct choices: (1) be a part of a government that works, or (2) resign.  Being part of one government that works does not mean that they just blindly follow one leader.  One government that works means having different people within the government with differing opinions who can calmly disagree and yet come up collectively with a way forward without resorting to discrediting or demolishing another. 

It is time we put things in perspective here.  We are Filipinos.  The Philippine government exists and works for the Filipino people.  This effectively makes us the boss of our own destiny and the government, effectively, our servant.  If we, the bosses, argue amongst ourselves, disrespect one another and, in the process, elevate one elected official and/or party over another, we relinquish our power to the will of that elected official and/or party we choose to support.   Let us put an end to this cycle.  Let us stop the senseless bickering.  We Are Filipinos.  We are one.  We want one Government.  Let our voices be heard.  #WeArePhilippines