No doubt <insert your presidential bet> is the most ideal candidate for the 2022 presidential seat, in terms of competency and integral role in safeguarding democracy as the opposition leader. It is a clear-cut choice that he/she will be a bridge to the neverending darkness the Philippines has undergone.
This prevalent and passionate desire for change stems from the reality that the Philippines has visibly regressed into a downward spiral in all faculties of society. It seems logical to cling onto any available political figure for our redemption.
However, the ingrained notion that only politicians have the utmost power to redeem the country has become the very reason why we are constantly returning to square one—no matter how ideal the politician is. With the foundation of change reliant on fleeting elements, clinging onto this distorted version of hope has visibly resulted in futile efforts—as Philippine history shows.
Nearly 30 years ago, Cory Aquino was the icon of modern Philippine democracy. A woman who, at least Filipinos believed, was capable of returning all that had been lost to the Marcos regime. The birth of the 1987 Constitution is a witness to the Filipinos’ determination to ensure nothing of its kind, ever again.
This was short-lived in a sense that our current situation is a manifestation of history repeating itself. The People Power Revolution I was thought to be the last of its kind, as its impact defied the immutable status quo. Nevertheless, a decade and a half later, the People Power Revolution II occurred against another president. Joseph Estrada was found to be guilty of plunder; an act that embodies systematic corruption, rather than a one-man lapse of judgement. His downfall paved the way for Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who later was found to be involved in the “Hello, Garci” electoral fraud in the 2004 national elections. Leading up to us today, with a president who resembles a splitting image of these administrations—one that kills injudiciously and sanctions corruption schemes.
All these are just fragments of a wider picture towards how nothing has changed, and the root problem lies within us.
If there is such a pervasive rise-and-fall of good and bad governance, it reflects on how we are the cause of our own demise. The current state of the nation is a mere manifestation of the values the people uphold—we have given the wrong people power over us, yet expect redemption whenever we please.
The failure to realize that true change comes from us, ordinary Filipinos, is due to the inability of safeguarding the responsibilities that come with it.
Whomever the presidential candidate one has in mind is a mere deluded escape from the current administration—that we will be bound to meet again if we do not remember our why. They may be able to address the extrajudicial killings, pandemic corruption schemes, and West Philippine Sea dispute—but if we do not acknowledge the why’s behind these, then we will be doomed to the same eventual fate.
In order to put a stop to the driving force behind the vicious cycle of having to predict what side of the coin would determine our country’s fate, we must claim and understand our integral role in securing stability.
This does not in any way mean those in power have the license to continue these practices, nor are the atrocities justifiable. While we are rid of the foresight to determine the political pathway of a politician, it does not mean we turn a blind eye and naively hope for the best. In fact, this shift incurs a much higher degree of accountability. What matters most is how we, as the people, collectively respond. We cannot undo the dark moments of our history, but we have the power to change its direction for the future generations.
This applies to every single candidate, from any political party, for any given position. Apart from objectively assessing candidates, reassessing our values as individuals is the first step towards making the right decisions that create a ripple effect that relies on our capacity as people and not on certain politicians.
Yes, we exercise our right to vote, but our civil duty does not end there—it should not be the final determinant of the country’s new era. Whomever may win the presidency, the fight for change should never cease.
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