Tag: Election

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Abolish yourself, you are more corrupt; not the Filipino Youth.

Another one of the bizarre thoughts from the Philippine Congress — to abolish the SK.

With almost 20 million strong youth in the country waiting for their chance to participate in governance, where their voice will be heard and their actions will define the future of this generation, an insidious motion from the Congress is trying to reduce the youth’s image and influence from the mainstream into the side-lines—a mere spectator, while traditional politicians are enjoying the hard earned taxes of the Filipino people.  

It is not in the character of the Filipino youth to succumb to anyone’s erroneous and prejudicial accusations and generalizations. Some traditional politicians forget that they were once member of the youth, and youth participation in governance has always been a vital experience, that evidently shaped future leaders of this country.

This move both ridicules the constitution and the capacity of the youth to make things happen. This should not go down in history; this is a big joke, which the comics only deserve.

I would like to invite you to Article, Section 2 of the Philippine Constitution which provides:

“The State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs.”

It is clear as day that the state should do everything to encourage and empower the youth to become beneficial partners in nation-building. The move to postpone and worst to abolish the SK (Sangguniang Kabataan) slits the very throat of the youth. This is worse than extrajudicial killings.

Now for the 4th time, many legislators are starting to resurface the idea of abolishing SK, (the only venue of the youth to participate in governance), in the basis of corruption and inefficiency.

Just to return the favor, if corruption and inefficiency are the two contentions to abolish SK, then the youth should call also for the complete abolition of the House of the Representatives and the Senate where most of the corruptions are happening.  Remember, it is not the youth who has the ill-spent pork barrel. It is not the youth who does not have the balls to defend the constitution. It is not the youth who sells his/her nay or yae. Please do not overgeneralize the problem of corruption because if we are going to be strict with our calculations, we all know who is more corrupt here.

We already passed the reform SK law last year, and we are very happy because we can at least test the new measures, like the anti-dynasty and responsibility and accountability provisions. The new SK reform law if implemented very well can cure the disease infesting the Sanguniang Kabataan. Like other departments of the government, SK is not perfect; it needs guidance from higher political models on how to effectively serve the public’s interest.

Abolishing the SK is the worst decision the Congress could make. It will become an evil precedent for the future generations, that one time, in the history of the Philippines; the Republic removed the constitutional protected rights of the youth to help in creating their future. That one time in history, the government lose their faith in the youth. That for gazillion-th times, the government failed the youth.

The youth is a rich, vast source of innovative ideas, that when tapped can help in solving the most pressing problems of the country. The government as the pater of the youth should impose discipline and not death which tantamount through abolishing the SK. If there are problems in the system, then let’s fix it, learn from it and apply in the future.

I’m appealing to all thinking members of the Congress to stop this madness. The youth are your partners in building the future of this country. You should not lose your hope, trust and faith in us, because the good will always triumph over evil.

Lastly, as what the United Nations said, “The youth can be a creative force, a dynamic source of innovations, and they have undoubtedly, throughout history, participated, contributed, and even catalyzed important changes in political systems, power-sharing dynamics and economic opportunities.”

-Mutya

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Why the Philippines will not move forward

It will only take one kilo of rice and three can of sardines to win in an election.

Every Filipino should make a tough choice for the Philippines to move forward. However, in light of developing events today, our country’s chance of moving towards total development remains in the dreams of every Filipino.  When will these dreams come to reality?

Our leaders promised to build a straight path towards progress, a path free from corruption, yet we are confronted by scandals involving even the high ranking officials in the government. “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap, but if these corrupt officials are not placed behind bars, these words are totally useless.  Corrupt politicians kill the dream of every Filipino to a better life and this is comparable to crimes like genocide.

Some of our leaders brag their little achievement in their small municipality or city and used this to exaggerate their stories. “Ganito kami sa Jupiter, Sana ganito din sa buong Universe.” These kinds of tactics were proven effective especially when coupled with visual manipulation. These magicians and illusionist disrupt the real message. They are underestimating the Filipino’s critical thinking skill. But we cannot blame especially those who do not have food for their family, those who lack proper education and those who do not have the time to decipher between the truth and the demonic lie because they are in hurry to avoid the early morning everyday traffic.

Anyone who says “he or she will end corruption in this country” will only fail. It entails killing majority of the government officials. If not, that “clean” leader will die from assassination or will be ousted by a choreographed protest and paid mutiny.  Another EDSA revolution will come, we cannot ascertain if it will be only once, twice or thrice, it depends if how much meals and allowances these crocodiles can provide to the hungry mob.

“Halika ayusin natin ang Pilipinas.” Other candidates are asking the Filipino people to fix the problems of this country. This is unfair because in the first place it is not the Filipino people who created these problems. How many more years will it take before you will realize that we need to improve our transits in Metro Manila?  How many more lives will it take for you to take into consideration the peace in Mindanao? If our officials allocated the money to where it should be spent, we are not in this uncomfortable situation.

Singing “Ama namin” is not enough. Even “dasal lang “maawa ka” every day will not save us. Every Filipino should dig in and believe in their selves. Every Filipino is innately excellent and we have the capability to become great. Saying maawa ka is not acceptable and it is a sign of stubbornness. These unscrupulous politicians are afraid of an educated and wise electorate. However, despite the large budget given to education, still many could not even read and write- the happiness of crooks.

For now, I don’t have the choice but to throw little pebbles to these politicians. I am still hoping that one day, we, as a nation will vote with happiness and integrity because we believe in that leader, in his/her advocacy and in his/her vision for the entire nation. Unfortunately, since time immemorial, we vote because of the 1 kilo of rice and three pieces of sardines, the 500 pesos, the promises and the lies.

-This is a mutya_ngHardin views.

-Photo credit: http://www.todayonline.com