By Sophia Angeline G. Delantero, UC student
During the pandemic, Filipinos found their own ways to cope with the situation. Some searched for ways to make a living without leaving their homes. Some devoted themselves to researching possible cures for the virus. Some became fanatics.
The silent colonization of Korean and Japanese pop culture conquered the minds of many, turning them into die-hard fans who fantasized over their so-called idols. They created fan accounts to track their move, and some became disturbingly obsessed.
Not until they carried this obsession into Philippine politics. People became fangirls and fanboys of alleged thieves, or devoted themselves to the son of someone who cannot even speak coherently. More recently, they have even begun “shipping” Senator Risa Hontiveros and Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, giving their supposed love team the name “WinRi.” How strange, absurd, disgusting.
Instead of being normal critical citizens who hold politicians accountable for their actions, they became puppets and defenders of the very people they once claimed they would never support. However, that is not all, they also worship these politicians as though they were gods. They praise them due to blind loyalty and unquestioning faith.
Just as they are willing to line up for tickets and merchandise from their “idols,” they are just as willing to line up for the minimum wage offered to them. Just as they choose to be blinded by the carefully curated images of celebrities they do not really know, they are equally willing to accept the carefully crafted façades of politicians who continue to deceive them.
I cannot accept the fact that, after everything the Spaniards and Americans did to the Philippines, we were supposed to have learned to become wiser and more discerning. Yet somehow, it seems we have come to accept this fate as though it were inevitable.
We have settled for the low standards these politicians have imposed upon us. We have become complicit. We have become part of the problem. We became fanatics.
As much as I want to believe that change is still possible within this country’s system, it is painfully difficult to imagine how or even when that change will finally come. To be honest, genuine change feels less like a promise and more like a luxury that is far beyond our reach.
This country is still far from progress because we continue to deny ourselves the very rights we deserve. From transportation, to education, to healthcare, what we receive is not dignity, but dysfunction; not meaningful reform, but the bare minimum.
So I ask… when will our dream country finally become a reality?**
