For the past few months, the many candidates vying for the different positions in the government have been trying their very best to sway potential voters in their favor. And for a lot of them, their advertisements and promotional materials have been focused on the youth—the first-time voters in Generation Z from the age of 18 to 24.
Though a nonvoter due to my birth date being a few months after the guidelines set by the Commission on Elections, I am happy to see that all of the candidates hoping for a seat in office recognize the importance of this generation, and the potential that we have for the future of the country in the many different fields that we like to specialize in. More opportunities from government organizations and companies have popped up in the past decade for young people to express themselves and, for the most part, it has been quite positive, something that should be credited to the current crop of politicians.
Nevertheless, I cannot help but look into what we want in our politicians.
A politician’s role
Certainly, a politician’s role in our society is extremely important to the well-being of us all. The amending of laws and current policies that are inefficient and outdated allows for a better functioning government as a whole. Moreover, the passage of new laws that align to our ever-changing world allows for the country and its citizens to not fall behind to the rest of the world, keeping us at par with some of the more technologically advanced and capable nations around the globe.
Despite this, I at times find it very difficult to understand why we need to wait for the so-called next administration, next Congress, or just the next group of politicians to hold power, before we as a community start the change that we so ever desire. Shouldn’t we all do something right now that impacts our community, instead of toggling through our social media for hours? Can’t we all try to improve ourselves, some way, somehow so that we could be of valuable service to other people in the near future?
Yes, I 100-percent support and agree that voicing out your concerns is important, and is integral to a well-oiled democracy. With so much misinformation and disinformation littering the internet, it is important that information going in is properly filtered.
However, at times, it just feels that we as the youngest generation have been very hypocritical with the current state of woke culture threatening the definition of true change for the community, leading to more intimidation and hate being spread online. As a result of the current structure of how social media functions nowadays, it promotes constant bickering and fighting between the people who have totally opposing views, causing online feuds and insults to be thrown at one another.
The desire to be correct
For instance, our desire to be correct causes a “crab mentality” where where we feel it necessary to stomp over other people. As media companies out there have put the majority of their resources on the campaign trail of the aspiring candidates, it has caused people to be overly loyal to the candidate of their choosing. This totally omits from the picture those who desperately need the news features and front page stories—the less fortunate who have been affected by alcoholism, abuse, natural disasters and mental health issues, to name a few.
What is perplexing is the fact that despite the country seeing a reported increase in depression and anxiety, as well as numerous natural disasters that have displaced many during the COVID-19 pandemic, many media stations still would rather flood their pages to report on the drama that surrounds the political landscape. Yes, politics is important, but with so many Filipinos who are unemployed and limping through the past two years of the health crisis, is it really necessary to report about those never-ending fights? Why not focus more on the farmers, the doctors, the students, the micro, small and medium enterprises, and so many more who have been negatively affected?
Especially at the moment with this campaign period, it is confusing to see the news articles on political endorsements and the money involved in the process, when there are other key issues that should be prioritized over this political polarization. Creating division in the campaigning season will only bring about more challenges to the succeeding administration.
In addition, with a lot of these politicians getting huge sums of money from us to push their political agenda and enrich the countless different media outlets nationwide, it is not surprising to see how many of those that actually need the money are not receiving it. With the huge sums of money pumped into these political campaigns that create hate and division in society, I wonder why this money can’t be given to those that are affected by the Marawi crisis, or those that are affected by the natural disasters, or given to nonprofit and nongovernment organizations that help those who are suffering from depression, heart diseases, cancer, violence and so much more.
Yes, the government has a significant slice in the blame pie for the problems that this country faces. However, we also deserve a part of the slice as well for some of the issues in the Philippines.
The overreliance that we have on one person and one government to somehow be able to change the country in a six-year term in office is bogus and unfair to them. Despite being given the position by the electorate, recognizing that the country will not be able to progress without our on-the-ground action is important as well in becoming a better Philippines. —CONTRIBUTED
