By Jan Vicente B. Pekas
The Philippines, throughout much of its history, has been a subject to a more powerful country. Our very name, Philippines, is one that came from a foreign land, bestowed upon by a foreigner, and even to this day, a sickening preference of all things foreign continue to affect much of us. More often, we are the oppressed more than the oppressors.
The Philippines has an idea of what it is like to be on the receiving end of ambitious conquests. To have your lands stolen and be displaced forcibly from your own home by colonizers was very much once a reality for many Filipinos. To be discriminated against and looked down upon. To be forced to live like animals. And to serve foreigners as they walk around our own nation as if they own the place. All of these are bitter experiences the Philippines has gone through.
The Philippines therefore, should always stand with the oppressed. Stand with the minority. Stand with the Palestinians. We have nothing in common with the imperialists and oppressors. There is no reason to support these warmongers and fall for their propagandas. Because even after all these years, the white man still often looks down upon their former brown subjects. Discrimination remains an issue for many OFWs abroad.
All across social media, I see pleas from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for donations, to be used for pregnancy kits. I also saw babies so thin it simply looks unnatural. And every now and then I would read the headlines talking about Palestinian schoolchildren being shot by Israeli soldiers. We should be a nation that also stands with the children. Our own national hero emphasized the importance of the youth for building a proper future. Yet here we are, we see Israeli soldiers killing them left and right and some of us still fiercely defend Israel and their ally the United States.
We are a simple and content nation. We prefer drinking and simply sleeping off the days. The people here prefer a life filled with laughter and fun. With these values, there is no reason whatsoever that we should support nations that aim to eliminate any shred of peace in other countries. Bullies that seek to erase laughter on the streets and killers that target children.
Stand with the little guys. With the oppressed not the oppressors. If Filipinos are often praised for their jolliness, then we do not belong on the side of those who seek to steal happiness away from others.
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