Opinion-Columns | Perspective: The futility of dedication and hard work in the Philippines

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What was even more inspiring was knowing that everybody went to these sorties out of their own free will while sharing food and drinks with others, walking for many kilometers to reach their respective venues, and voluntarily cleaning up after each event, among many things. Outside of these schedules, a lot of them went out of their way to do house-to-house visits reminding fellow Filipinos of the significance of the 2022 elections and enlightening them on the truth – particularly the fact that, from the mid-1960’s until 1986, our country experienced human rights violations masterminded by an oppressive regime and our economy facing yearly recessions on the back of billions of dollars stolen from government coffers, both by the very man with his family whom Filipinos voted for first as senator and then president.

Speaking of inspiration, artists from all over – be they famous, up-and-coming, or commonfolk; lent their talents for free to create murals that made walls and open spaces everywhere in the country bright and colorful. They created fanciful tarps that easily attracted attention from passers-by. They composed and sung catchy jingles, wrote and directed snappy commercials, as well as performed dynamically onstage to spread to everybody the message of faith and hope for a better Philippines. There were also unpaid individuals who regularly uploaded social media posts to dig up the truth that is being systematically and deliberately buried under the guise of historical revisionism.

But despite months of such dedication and hard work, majority of Filipinos continued turning a blind eye or opening their pair to an envelope filled with cash to vote for that dictator’s son as the next person to “lead” our country of more than a hundred million people where one out of four of them belongs to the poorest of the poor – the irony being that the major cause of poverty was attributable to his father’s regime and now they believe that his son can solve it.

In spite of Vice President Leni’s six years of genuine public service with her office’s track record of good governance, three years previous to this of her impressive stint in Congress, and many more years before then of helping the marginalized as a private citizen, these voters ignored her dedication and hard work choosing to get tricked instead by fake news, trolls, spliced videos, black propaganda, and smears – not just directly targeted at her but also at one of her daughters and spokesperson.

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The candidates on her slate also gave a lot of themselves to our country and the people. To name a few, Senator Kiko Pangilinan was instrumental in helping uplift the lives of farmers who, up until now, remain landless; and Senator Dick Gordon was responsible for exposing the Pharmally anomaly which, up until now, remains fully unresolved. Chel Diokno has provided free legal services to those in need all through these years; and Teddy Baguilat was one of the most outstanding civil servants many years back. Yet majority opted to vote for another, less qualified person as Vice President; and they decided to have an actor, broadcaster, and plunderer as three of their 12 senators.

I should not, however, be shocked that VP Leni, those around her, and their supporters’ sincere efforts were utterly disregarded by most Filipinos. Personally, I have postgraduate degrees from overseas and years of international work experience – yet I was not successful in the government openings I applied to because, as it turns out, they either already have someone in mind but are required by law to post that vacancy or I do not personally know anyone who can vouch for me for that position.

That frustrating and demotivating experience of mine is nothing compared to millions of our Filipino laborers who are contractual workers. For six months or less, they work their hardest to earn minimum wage – sometimes even less when their employers are able to get away with it. I know those who receive a daily wage of a measly P400 and spend up to P200 a day for food and transportation, yet they work tirelessly hoping that they will eventually be hired as regular employees. In the end, their companies choose to save money by employing new staff.

The same, if not worse, thing goes with our doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals. Due to their hospitals or clinics being understaffed, they have to work 12-hour shifts and are usually denied days off. But they carry on working and providing their patients with utmost care even if they are barely given a raise and have not received their Special Risk Allowance in this pandemic. Inasmuch as some of them want to work overseas to earn much more money for less amount of work, they do not have the savings to spend on its requirements.

• The Filipino ideology

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These said values are neither recognized nor rewarded in this country. What is incomprehensible is that there are, however, a dedicated and hardworking few who invest a ridiculous amount of money in fooling Filipinos whenever they can. They condition them to think that there is a need to maintain the status quo of the elite holding and wielding political power as well as to reject any sort of positive change that will bring about a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. And with the Congressional canvassing of votes already underway, they succeeded with more than half of the electorate picking a new president who is absolutely nowhere near half the dedication and hard work of the woman who courageously ran against him.

The writer used to be a columnist for The Philippine Star. He believes in the concepts of right versus wrong, truth versus perception; and fears that the Philippines will become a worse place to live in much so than it already is.