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The Law of the Ruling Elites

Eight years ago, a 21-year-old sales clerk was arrested for taking a can of corned beef because of his gnawing hunger, a vivid example that the law applies even to minor and petty thefts. What if I tell you some people steal trillions yet are not held accountable? They embezzle money not from a supermarket but from the taxpayers’ money, from the budget allocated to projects that should be for the betterment of the community, yet siphoned by the insatiable greed of the mastermind who holds the state funds. Will the system ever change? Will the same cycle continue where the elites remain the only winners while ordinary Filipinos struggle just to even the odds?

A public uproar ensued when the issue of Discaya’s alleged corruption in flood control projects surfaced, and it became a national topic that put the DPWH under public scrutiny and jeopardy. In a recent hearing, a total of 84.7% of the project’s infrastructure was recorded as accomplished, even though work had only recently started—apparently a ghost project. Some dikes are reportedly finished, yet they are labeled as of poor quality and not functional, whereas most of them do not even exist. Suddenly, due process takes the stage, with a full and proper investigation conducted—quite the opposite of what marginalized people experience, where the law offers no mercy and punishment comes swiftly.

Just like what happened in a past Senate hearing, the hall became a mere stage for entertainment and echoes of “I can’t remember.” It paved the way for the lawmakers to subtly deliver their political stance, ask soundbites question to increase media exposure, and make the questions more emotionally compelling rather than clever ones, which lack substance and sense. Some try to save their image. Senator Jinggoy Estrada—who holds a family name that has long been associated with graft and corruption—asks whether there are senators involved in the corruption. Which was ridiculed by Senator Marcoleta, a humor but also a reminder that corruption is no longer strange in the hall. Meanwhile, the accused used the usual rebuttals, disproving the accusations, pointing fingers to clear their hands, and making numerous denials.

Think of this: DPWH is not the only government organization in the Philippines. It is not hard to think that practices similar to what happened in DPWH are also prevalent in other departments. It is just the tip of the iceberg, a pest that continues to grow because people let it; they manipulate the system to defy the gravity of law.

Remember, the investigation of the anomalies of the flood control projects only commences because public demand plays such a huge role. Imagine if the people remain silent and turn a blind eye, would the law and the government find a way to condemn and punish those who are behind it? So then, if this issue did not create noise, will there be a trial for the people who can make the system forget?

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The Grand Political Dispute: War of Two Tyrant Houses

                  In 2022, a carefully plotted alliance formed, the Dutertes and Marcoses fused to share the same goals, win the biggest positions, reclaim power, and set the political stage to widen their dynasty. It was a formidable union, clever and a practical one, the uniteam rose and successfully swindled 31,629,783 voters, a landslide as a matter of fact. But, just like the twenty-peso rice propaganda, the affiliation of the two was nothing but a political ploy. The once unified team turns to enemies, locked in a never-ending bickering between both houses. The asserted death threats from the Duterte clan and defiance of the Marcoses prepare the ground for a more dramatic clash of the two, a royal circus simmering.

                     The rift between the clans started when PBBM assigned Sarah Duterte as the Secretary of Education instead of her long-sought defense secretary role. It became a starting point followed by disagreements until the VP dropped an assassination threat mixed with strong profanities and remarks linked to PBBM and his whole family. It would be an understatement to say that it is chaotic; a vice president declaring such a vulgar statement, and apparently, she is an incumbent who holds the second-highest office.

                      The Office of the President and the Vice President are a respectable institution that governs the whole 7,641 territories of the Philippines; they are expected to hold the highest moral degree, yet what we witness is no more than political clowns who treat politics as personal baggage. It makes public service a spectacle, a rivalry that once unified, then decided to diverge because of insatiable and irrelevant personal wants. Government and the masses focus drift from demanding good governance to supervising the drama orchestrated by both parties.

                      Amidst these political conflicts and beset government, it will keep you wondering if they are really taking their role seriously. In each hostile remark, with each carefully woven rebuttal that will keep you intrigued, a question materializes: Where is the Filipino? How about the Filipino? Why are these public servants more immersed in disputes than the commoner who needs representation? Why does politics turn into a family feud that protects their own selves, never the Filipino?

[jdeim]

The Crayons

            Every time the election commences, the dance of colors appears, a representation for each politician that defines the nation’s future pigment. The Philippines is home to diverse political parties, each of which uses colors to portray its ideology and movements. It unites people who share the same ideals and divides Filipinos who do not. But do the colors really symbolize their ideology, or does the array of colors only represent the politician’s temperament? In the midst of rainbows and hues, do we really have democracy even with the same family fighting for power repeatedly? It should be condemned and challenged, as it does not represent the Filipinos, but rather the politicians who proclaim themselves with colors to advance their personal agendas.

          In first-world countries, they use two colors to embody their ideology, red for Republicans and blue for Democrats. The reason behind it is the sturdy party list system and a well-written constitution that confronts the old amendments. Contrary to the Philippines, the political palette ranges from green, red, blue, pink, yellow, etc., where Filipinos pick their champion. Such practices have become a norm wherein a color determines your beliefs, in most cases, the people you patronize. Quite confusing, government positions are defined as a place where you represent the common and marginalized Filipino, yet the party system we have depicts not the ideology they must uphold, but rather the politician’s disposition. This oversimplifies politics and condenses it into personality-driven campaigns, making no room for ordinary Filipinos.

          Case in point—in the previous presidential election, a flock of colors fought, people rallied and vocalized their stand, dissuading and persuading; it was chaotic. But none of them realize that variation of colors does not exist, that we are all Filipinos, and we simply share the same tone and tint. It is a trick orchestrated by the elites, making us believe that power resides in the colors—politicians—but not in our hands. In every election, we witness the same family using their colors to gain a seat, making the political landscape here in the Philippines predictable and static. Changes are stigmatized, power is in the hands of a few people, and colors change to other hues, yet they portray the same family, never the Filipino. Dissolving and undermining the democracy. It became a cycle: politics turns into a mere spectacle, an arena where Filipinos are the pawns fighting for loyalty and rivalry, offering limited avenues for good governance and reform. Could you really say that we have democracy even though we witness these colorful political dynasties controlling the whole narrative in which we are nothing but guilty cause we are the ones who painted it with ourselves?

         Political colors are nothing more than an illusion, a lie that is fed to us by corrupt officials. A mere shadow on the wall, we grasp for it, desperate for any meaning, yet what we found was nothing but nonsensical propaganda and clever facades. This is not the right time to change colors, but rather to accept what we truly are. We are Filipinos; we share the same color, and we are all hoping for change, so why would we divide ourselves when, in fact, we are in pursuit of the same aim? This is a unified political act, not to believe in rainbows but to hold hands and have faith in our countrymen. As Haymitch Abernathy says, “Remember who the real enemy is.”

[jdeim]

The Impending Destruction of the Philippine Sea

The Philippine Archipelago is surrounded by a vast body of water that is rich with various minerals, pristine coral reefs, and diverse marine animals. The position of the Philippines directed to the equator helps to produce rich and prolific oceans. Coincide with these numerous resources, the progression growth of humanity, and the increasing population. Hence, the demand for resources heightened to conquer the problems created by the people. The marine ecosystem faces a great deal of dilemmas, struggling to sustain the needs of the people living on earth.

In Atom Araullo's "Philippine Seas" documentary, he highlighted the alarming condition of the fisheries in Saranggani General Santos. He discovered the decreasing population size of Tuna fish witnessed by the Filipino fishermen who took 4-10 days and traveled 6-10 hours just to get a single tuna fish. One of the reasons behind this phenomenon is the ample number of fishermen gathered in the same area, showing the less capturing spots in the ocean. Around the year 2010 to 2017, 21,000 wildlife were confiscated, the poached fish were primarily sharks because of the immense demand of their fins in foreign countries. The Coron Palawan recorded high statistics of illegal poacher that ruins the living organisms below the sea. However, they are not the only ones who harm the environment, localities are no exception because most of them use illegal ways such as dynamite fishing, use of cyanides, etc. It contributes to the destruction of coral reefs, and polluted water, which if we look in the long run, everyone was subjected to this irreversible damage.

Uncontrolled and unlawful fishing causes a wide-range impact on marine wildlife. The expansion of the human population and their extensive needs is the root and top reason for this instance. It is essential that we acknowledge the importance of our ocean resources and their role in producing food and keeping us alive. Overusing and the irresponsible management of the ocean profusion might result in irredeemable consequences that soon knock us.