Yesterday was Earth Day. Global warming continues. Species are becoming extinct. The earth is dying.
Meanwhile, in a small corner of the globe called the Philippines, members of Congress are still adamantly pursuing their parochial dream of Charter change as their constituents suffer and die in the face of unjustifiable oil price hikes, failed agrarian reform, and police brutality.
In an even smaller corner of that world, friends are starting to ask: Who should we support in 2010? In the past, I had ready answers for such a question, or at least there was a popular pick. Today, things are messier and people are even more cynical given what GMA has done and failed to do.
After days of reflection on that question, and inspired by rains sent down to wet Gaia on her day, I realized that it is not enough that we pose such query and seek answers to it through casual discussion with friends and family.
In the Philippine political forest, one fauna has yet to fully evolve, and that is the political party. I realized that because we don't have real parties that recruit, shape and offer to us their leaders and issue advocates in a sustained manner, and much less, that recruit regular members for solid party machinery building down to the grassroots, this country's typical voter is largely clueless come election season.
I have always been loyal to one particular party in this country (which shall remain nameless forevermore). So when time comes to choose leaders, I go by my party's choice or at least see how my party's principles apply to the necessarily limited choices offered to me.
I suggest that all of us, wherever we are in this archipelago, reach out to our political parties. If they cannot reach out to us, let us reach out to them and force them by our membership and participation to be more mature in handling themselves and our public affairs. Perhaps we should stop asking others and start asking ourselves. Ask this question: what have I done to help shape a better polity in this country? Why don't I belong to any political party? Not even a party list group for the environment? What do I stand for? Citizenship, after all, is not just about following the rules. Even more importantly, citizenship must mean shaping the rules as necessary and providing the leadership that enforces such rules in a fair and meaningful way.
Global citizenship requires even more. As the globe spins and slowly dies, let us ask ourselves, what am I doing with the short life that i have in this sphere called the Earth? Am I like those creatures and cretins in Congress who are wasting days left to them by pushing charter change in the face of the terrible poverty and despair of our people?
Some say that storms are nature's way of cleansing the earth. By 2010 we need a political typhoon to cleanse Congress of all dead and dying fauna. What will you do?
Feel earth's anguish. Belated Happy Earth Day everyone.
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ReplyDeleteIt is true that this country genuinely needs a 'political typhoon' and I really hope that would come in the year 2010. The citizens must participate in order to accomplish this. The Filipinos should be aware of or at least thinking of whom the best leader that would make a difference in the future would be. This way, the people would be able to vote for the right government officials instead of voting for some ‘famous guy’. The leaders must do their jobs too, of course. The leaders should keep their word about what they said they would do in their campaigns and stop themselves from becoming an egoist.
ReplyDeleteJin Hwa Choi [DLSU CBE POLISCI C33]
The Filipinos must keep an open eye to vote for the right candidate. Just because a candidate has wealth and publicity, he can make a good leader, Open your eyes people! Choosing the right leader for our country is not about how many promise they make but about how many promises they can actually turn to reality. The right leader is not only for the country but also for the greater good for its people.
ReplyDeleteJacqueline Shi Ong [DLSU CBE POLISCI C33]
It is hard to say if a candidate will be a good president because it is hard to trust people these days. They can just switch sides once they win. We are tired of listening to the speeches because we know for a fact that everyone has said the same thing and we are still living the same life. Nothing has changed. We should not vote someone because he/she is popular. We have to study each candidate well. We have to open our eyes and realize who to vote. We should take part in government practices and programs so that we become aware of what is about to happen. Take voting seriously. One single vote can change everyone's lives. So its time to choose wisely and be brave.
ReplyDelete-Sanjeev Gangwani CBE C36
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ReplyDeleteWe can't deny the fact that there are much more poor people in the Philippines. Based on my observation, these people live their daily lives spending the money they have earned for the day. To be more practical, they don't have anything in mind on what is going to happen. It seems like they are happy for where they are and don't even dare to improve their living status. In some way, it is happy-go-lucky but it some way, they seem to have no future at all. I think the state where poverty is a great issue has something to do with the problem in the government. I believe most of the voters are the poor people and what I see is that they like people who are regularly televised. Then later elections come, they would vote for people who are more popular. There was even a joke around the foreigners that "Pacquiao would be the next president!" Similar concept with Erap Estrada, personally it is quite hilarious that an actor would become a president. I mean, where is the relation to acting and governing??? Well, we can't do anything because people voted for him but what was the result? There were so many issues about gambling, corrupt and some even said that his advisers are the one governing the country, not him! Those are all past but not to any lower, I hope people would at least even dare to look at the platforms each candidates has to offer for the citizens and country before voting. Simply, vote wisely.
ReplyDeleteDa Eun K. Lee (CBE)
C33 POLISCI(DLSU)
When I was younger, I thought that you can only change the world if you are a Leader. I found out that a citizen can make a bigger difference. Being a leader is not all that. We can change the world with simple actions, like following the law. A leader is nothing without followers. We should be responsible citizens.
ReplyDelete-Srimata, Adisorn Jr. V.
Louie Montemar
CBE MMG POLSCI C37
I sometimes ask myself, what would the earth look like when my grandchildren are born? Maybe, even monkeys or worms will be extinct. There will be no trees but just machines supplying us with oxygen. No clean rivers will be seen but just polluted ones. This is how I picture it. Maybe the reason behind my vision is what the people are doing to our mother earth. We can hear it crying out loud but still here we are making things worse. Now, I can say that we are a little bit late in responding to mother earth's call. Consequences are now being experienced and global warming can be one of the worst. If we make a change now, we can still make it. We can't bring back the old days but we can preserve what we have now for future generations. Thinking that because of our selfishness, we are depriving the future generation of making use of the natural resources that were given to all of us. We can start by making little steps. Reusing, reducing, recycling and joining organizations to help the earth can be a good start.
ReplyDeleteMaria Theresa M. Nogoy
C33 POLISCI
ID #: 10935746
Aside from this global warming and the political issues heating up, there is also a global financial crisis on going which needs attention right now. Hopefully a political crisis could also lead to a political correction in the same way that the global financial crisis is considered as market correction.
ReplyDeleteAs a young individual maybe there is nothing much I could do but to support the right cause. Honestly, I don’t want any part of this politics because I’m a foreigner. But since I have been living here for a long time and I have been associating with a lot of Filipino’s I guess I have a responsibility to my fellow humans. The best way for me to help save the earth is by staying out of politics for a while and focus on being a good student and supporter of environmental movements.
Jo, Hyun Min, Lee(AnYeong)
POLISCI_C33
ID:10192756
"Pagwawalang bahala" Apathy..
ReplyDeleteLet's face the truth many people are not concern actually most of us are not. If we are really concern of our environment why don't we make a move. Mahirap kasi sa atin magaling atyo masyadong magasalita di naman sa gawa. Totoo to sa maraming tao.
If we really love our environment why many of us support plastic? Why many of us use harmful things that can destroy our environment. All of us contributed in this so called pollution. (Sino bang hindi?)
Ganun talaga in exchange of our good life or luxuries nature's downfall.
We are given the free will to vote for the best leaders that could bring our country to prosperity. Some may think that it's useless to vote, because they cannot be assured that the one they are voting for will win the elections. But this s what I have to say, every vote counts and by doing this we could aleady make a difference to our country. We should support the candidate that could make a difference to the Philippines.
ReplyDelete-Rochelle Cheng, Block20
What will I do? I can only hope for the better in the coming elections since I cannot vote just yet. I ask my parents, my families, everyone I know that can vote to do so wisely.
ReplyDeleteBut what good can that do when the majority of this country is just a cheque away...?
Rach C (Damage/d Contol) PoliSci c39
It is true that our political party is immature. The nominees are not exactly what the people chose. Instead what the upper officers chose for the party. For instance, Mr.BF and Mr. Teddy both announced that they are vying for the nomination and both said that if not chosen, they will have to separate from the party. This clearly shows how immature our political party is. With this kind of attitude, I suggest that we all do not be loyal to our party if politics would dictate the nomination for the party. I suggest that we go back to our old ways of voting someone even without any political party whom we think would perform best for our country.
ReplyDeleteComing this 2010 elections and to address the issue of not having any party list that takes care for the environment, I would like to endorse a friend of mine's party list which was established to mainly fight global warming and to protect the environment. PCL, their party list's name, saw the need to protect the environment because of the alarming truth about our environment. I personally know the founder of this party list and I could say that they truly believe that someone has to fight for the environment against commercial exploitation and personal gain.
Let us all protect Earth for it is our only home. We just need a little discipline to help protect our environment.
It's been years since people have tried and tried and tried even harder to bring change to this country. It usually says it begins with us, the citizens. But today I wonder if any of us really do something for the country because it's been years since people have tried and until today, nothing has improved. Everything has grown worse and people don't care. Majority do not care. Even the educated and the richest people of our country don't bother as long as they're not affected. So today, I wonder if there's still hope at all. Nobody bothers really. A simple act changes a few but the majority? Well, I simply am losing hope but I'm continuing to believe that one day, this nation will go back to what it used to be. Progressive and Happy. I love the Philippines even if so many people create more reasons why you should hate it, forget about it, and lose care to it. I guess everyone should think deeper, what is the best way? WHAT? People seem to lose they're hope as well. Or if they do say there is still hope, well maybe they're just saying that because they don't even have the solution or any solutions at all. I personally am still thinking until today what's the best solution since none of it are really working.
ReplyDeleteKaryll Puray (POLISCI C39)
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to depend on other people nowadays. So, I think the best thing to
ReplyDeletedo is act personally if we wish for progress. Like the cliche "great
things start from small beginnings", we can begin to work on simple
things to help ourselves become progressive and not be a burden of the
country. If we would all act this way, then the small things that we do
would make big differences.
I agree that if they can't reach out to us. let's reach out to them instead.
ReplyDelete"Some say that storms are nature's way of cleansing the earth. By 2010 we need a political typhoon to cleanse Congress of all dead and dying fauna. What will you do?"
hahaa !-- they should be taken away by that time!
--> I hope that it can start within ourselves to save our earth and not to be like our politicians.
Aine Therese Ong Tambalque
MMg
C37
I like the connection of the problem of mother nature with our very own political problem :) And what Sir said was right. We have such bithe big problems and they are too much to handle for a simple citizen like me. Even if, I want to include Michael Jackson's song, "Man in the Mirror" (R.I.P King of Pop |":), we must start with ourselves. Reach out to the country and to the earth! Be an active citizen and help in saving the earth. When the earth dies, we have no place to die. And in this, we weill all die and vanish with all the problems and secrets of our very own political world.
ReplyDeleteNicole Tracy M. Manzano
BSC-MMG CBE
C37