Have you ever looked into a mirror and wondered if what you see is truly what others perceive?
Imagine a scene from The Simpsons where Lisa Simpson is standing in front of a carnival mirror. The mirror is one of those that distort the reflection, making you look taller, shorter, thinner, or wider than you are.
Lisa walks into the dark House of Mirrors, her footsteps echoing. She stops in front of a tall, wavy mirror.
Lisa (contemplatively): “Wow, this mirror makes me look ten feet tall!”
She moves to the next mirror, which compresses her reflection.
Lisa (giggling): “And this one squishes me down like a pancake!”
Finally, she stands before a mirror that, surprisingly, reflects her image accurately.
Lisa (thoughtfully): “This one seems just right, but is this really how others see me or is more than meets the eye?”
The camera pans to Bart sneaking behind her with a mischievous smile.
Bart (teasingly): “Looking good, Lis? But remember, it’s not the mirror that’s funny, it’s the face!”
Lisa rolls her eyes, and the scene fades out with her reflection pondering the nature of perception.
In the same vein, the recent political landscape in our country invites us to ponder: does the leadership of a nation truly reflect the character and values of its people? The controversy surrounding the leaked PDEA report about President Bongbong Marcos (PBBM) as a drug user has stirred not just local but global conversations. It’s a moment that compels us to reflect on the nature of democracy and the choices we make as voters.
Democracy’s Mirror
Democracy is often hailed as the government “of the people, by the people, for the people” -- Abraham Lincoln’s hallmark catchphrase from his revered The Gettysburg Address. But what happens when the reflection in this democratic mirror seems distorted?
Faced with such a democratic dilemma, the Roman Republic which lasted from around 509 BC until 27 BC, one of the earliest examples of representative democracy in the world, is a cautionary tale of a democracy that lost its bearings along the way. The Republic had a complex system heavily weighed in favor of the noble classes, and the wealthy.
Candidates for public office engaged in various forms of campaigning, including making promises (Wassup, P20 per kilo of rice, Tallano gold, and what have you?), holding banquets, and resorting to corruption (Headline: International observers: May 9 [2022] PH vote falls short of free, fair election standards).
Over time, the Roman Republic’s electoral process became increasingly corrupt which led to the election of leaders who were more interested in personal gain than in the welfare of the republic. (Remember PBBM rationale for why he entered politics: “not only the legacy of my father but even our [family’s] own survival.”) The erosion of electoral integrity contributed to the decline of the Republic and the rise of autocratic rule under the Roman Empire.
The Roman Republic’s elections illustrate how the quality of elected leaders can be a reflection of the electorate’s values and actions. When citizens tolerated or even participated in the corrupt practices of the electoral system, they ended up with leaders who were a product of that system. The Republic’s history shows that when the electorate allows corruption to influence their choices, they may get the leaders they deserve – the outgrowth of the compromised electoral process. As Thomas Jefferson once said:
“The government you elect is the government you deserve.”
Echoes of 2022 and Weight of History
The 2022 presidential election was a cacophony of disinformation, unfulfilled promises, history revisionism, and controversial “golden years” legacy. (Post-election headline: Misinformed electorate contributed to Marcos Jr. win) PBBM’s victory against the backdrop of his father’s dictatorial past raised eyebrows both locally and internationally. It begs the question: how did we get here, and what does this say about us as a people?
History is not just a story of the past; it’s the shadow that follows us into the voting booth. The Marcos legacy, much like the tales of the Roman Republic, serves as a reminder that the past is never truly behind us. It influences our decisions, our politics, and the leaders we end up with. How we engage with our history is indicative of the leaders we choose and the future we carve out for ourselves as a nation.
A Teachable Moment
The drug use allegation against PBBM is more than just headlines; it’s a mirror held up to the Filipino nation. This is our teachable moment – a chance to scrutinize the integrity of our electoral process and the veracity of the information that guides our decisions in choosing our future leaders. With the 2025 election on the horizon, it’s a crucial time for voters to reflect on the importance of informed voting and the impact of their choices.
What’s Wrong With The Philippines?
Right after the 2022 presidential election, independent journalist Gwynne Dyer whose works are published in 45 countries, wrote the article What’s wrong with the Philippines in Bangkok Post, I am excerpting below:
“Bongbong Marcos didn’t just win the presidential election in the Philippines this week. He won it by a two-to-one landslide, even though he is the extremely entitled son of a former president who stole at least US$10 billion and a mother who spent the loot partly on the world’s most extensive collection of designer shoes (3,000 pairs).
“Moreover, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to give him his real name, has yet to achieve. his accomplishments other than that name. (Remember what his father Marcos Sr. said about Bongbong? “Bongbong is our principal worry. He is too carefree and lazy.”) Yet his name and his inherited wealth, originally have enabled him to hold various political offices almost continuously (apart from five years in exile) since he was 23.
“Equally deplorable is the electoral triumph of his vice-presidential ally, Sara Duterte, daughter of the incumbent Rodrigo Duterte. The latter is leaving the presidency at the end of his six-year term, and he is still wildly popular despite the many thousands of extra-judicial killings of accused “drug fiends” that he has ordered.”
The international community’s puzzled query, “What’s wrong with the Philippines?” is not an indictment but an invitation to introspection. It’s a prompt for us Pinoys to examine our political system and the factors that lead to the election of our leaders. This moment of global attention is an opportunity to address the issues within our electoral process and to demonstrate our commitment to real democracy.
As we stand at this political crossroads, the Filipino nation is presented with a choice: to learn from the past or to be doomed to repeat it, as philosopher George Santayana once forewarned.
PBBM drug allegations and the subsequent discourses they’ve sparked are not just about one leader or one election; they are about the essence of our democracy and the soul of our nation. Let’s take this teachable moment to reflect, to learn, and to ensure that the leaders we elect are truly the leaders we deserve.
Content put together in collaboration with Microsoft Bing AI-powered Co-pilot
Head collage photos courtesy of YouTube, Dailymotion, & Instagram
Video clips courtesy of YouTube
No comments:
Post a Comment