Simon Bondoc is a recent BA International Relations graduate from the University of Calgary and a member of the Philippine Festival Council of Alberta. He is a community leader and an activist who is passionate about faith, community engagement, and political action.
GARY V AND THE PHILIPPINE ELECTIONS
First, I want to say thank you to Mabuhay Calgary for giving me an opportunity to voice out what I think someone like me would say or think. It’s crucial to recognize youth voices at a time when everything around us is changing, and everyone’s finally giving a damn about important issues.
Yesterday, I read somewhere that this upcoming Philippine presidential election will be the first time Gary V will be voting. Isn’t that crazy? Amidst the corruption, greed, and abuse of power that has always been conspicuous to Philippine politics, Mr. Pure Energy is only going to vote now because everything is changing and he’s finally giving a damn.
Now, this is no shade to him at all. But think about it. Corruption and injustice have always existed in the Philippine political system, so why are people like Gary V only caring now?
While I could write a research paper on this topic, let’s use one example.
We are now living in a period where Martial Law, a time of darkness and death in Philippine history, is being glorified as the ‘golden age’ of the Philippines.
For the most part, social media has a lot to do with this revision of history because Facebook seems to be the most trusted source of news and information among Filipinos.
So, just in case Facebook didn’t tell you what really happened back in the 70s and 80s (which, by the way, is relatively recent), here’s a little fact-check moment.
It takes a quick Google search to discover that Amnesty International recorded 70,000 people being ruthlessly detained, 34,000 tortured, and 3,240 killed by state forces over the 9-year martial law period. In addition, approximately 60% of the Filipino population remained poor as the national debt rose to almost 29 million USD. Finally, the Marcos family plundered approximately 5-10 billion USD from the nation’s funds, which is still being recovered today by the government. (Sources: Coconut Manila, Rappler).
Sadly, those facts only scratch the surface of the effects of Martial Law.
Like, come on! I didn’t introduce my mom to the world of social media to see posts with #MarcosDidNothingWrong! Where’s the funny memes? The prank videos? The heartwarming stories? The flashy ‘God Bless You’ GIFs with Mama Mary on it?
All this to say, I hope that people realize that Facebook isn’t the world. There’s a plethora of nuanced information and facts out there that social media just cannot capture. And since we’re on the topic of the Philippine presidential elections, don’t just rely on what content creators have to say about their favorite presidential duo, but be critical in your research.
Look at the good, the bad, and the ugly, and realize that after all the facts are considered, there is someone who accurately portrays what our inang bayan needs at this very moment.
PS: She’s been killing it so far.
