The Apoptosis Of Change

Written on Sunday, May 25th, 2008 at 1:25 am | by Benj

It doesn’t take much for one to realize that major changes are needed to improve the status quo. From the bare essentials of livelihood, shelter and food security, the government could definitely do a lot more to stave off these problems. It may be easy to dismiss, but once you realize that we have posh shopping centers like Serendra and Greenbelt and yet many Filipinos still go hungry just a few kilometers away from those establishment, the problem becomes a lot harder to ignore. We may get the  occasional melodramatic moment when we see a mother holding her baby  while trying to navigate the busy streets of the city, but those incidents are isolated. We are a hardened people. We see the poverty, hunger and other hardships of others as mere trivial events that we have to endure as we make our way to school or work.

Like any other young person living in an imperfect society, there is pressure on the Filipino youth to be the sonorous voice for change and reform in the country. Most teenagers would like to believe that their voice would matter and they could do a much better job if they were only given a  chance. Back in the 1998 elections, I wondered why a thirteen year-old such as  myself was not allowed to vote. The now-deposed and pardoned-plunderer Joseph Ejercito Estrada was poised to win via a landslide but I still wanted to cast my vote for the late Raul Roco. The senator from Bicol definitely captured my idealistic sensibilities and made me believe that he could truly make a difference.

Three years later came the very tumultuous time of the second EDSA “People Power” Revolution. Political  sentiments were at an all time high. Filipinos from different parts of country whether young or old wanted to have their two cents worth heard. I remember the majority of my third year classmates picking on our class adviser for being a loyal supporter of Erap through thick and thin. At that point, teenagers in their high school years were socially aware and were more confident in talking about their political leanings and insights. Teenagers would definitely be the outspoken and talkative ones but those who were exposed to the events that led to the 2001 Revolution - the impeachment trials, the over-the-top unintentional comedy during the hearings and the melodramatic final voting — were clearly more savvy (or at least we thought we were) and more importantly, more interested in talking about national issues and Philippine politics.

I again asked the question. Why was I not given the chance to vote in the midterm elections? The spin by the now-ruling administration was genius. It was a virtual “good versus evil” campaign with the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo coalition ruling the airwaves with catchy jingles and glossy television ads. It was so easy to see the race as something so black and white. For a moment there, I actually believed that people on the other side had no business of winning a seat in the Senate and that a 13-0 sweep was the only thing that would be good for the country. I wanted  my vote to count. I wanted  to vote for Winnie Monsod - an economist who I would latter on discover as a very wealthy woman herself. Up to know, I still like her for going out of her just to say that Hubert Webb and company are innocent despite the decisions of the courts.

At age sixteen, I also saw how an election happens in the local level. Apparently, nobody really cares about the liquor ban. In the provinces, candidates usually send boxes and boxes of  hard liquor (usually gin) to baranggay leaders to ensure their victory. Countless people also queue outside a candidate’s home asking for anything from money for hospital bills, sponsorship for basketball uniforms and other causes that lazy people could think of.

This is when I realized that change wasn’t forthcoming and the youth was destined to be frustrated by society itself. When you’re young, it’s easy to romanticize the hardships of the poor and their daily struggles. Like most children from a middle class family, I didn’t exactly grow up knowing poor people - i.e. the people who struggled  to eat three times a day. The picture of poverty that I had were those of beggars who sit one the side of the road or those of squatters as their houses are being demolished during a 30-second news spiel. Needless to say, they were pretty much easy to ignore. And it was that easy to romanticize them as the people who want change and would grab the opportunity the moment that they could.

After seeing how an election works and getting feedback on how similarly it happens in other parts of the country, I was disillusioned on just how many people genuinely want change in this country. Change seems to a very ephemeral and purely theoretical concept that just exists in intellectual discussions but never as real-life examples. When more than half the people in your town would rather sell their vote, it doesn’t really make for a great substrate for dedication to change. Unless one is masochist, no one really likes to spend time and effort for a lost cause.

It’s a vicious cycle. The politicians have the majority of voters where they want them. They are a needy sector who loves to be wooed during election time. For this brief moment, politicians actually try to create the impression that they are serving their constituents. It’s a sad system that we have now, and though glittery catch phrases like voter education can make seem like a genius, its real life manifestation will never be likely actualized.

I’m a twenty-three year old young man who’s aware of his extreme jadedness with the status quo. I could only imagine how people in their thirties and  forties feel. Come to think of it, the  exodus of Filipinos to foreign lands makes imagining things optional.

And oh, back in 2004, as the coup de grace to what was left of my practical idealism, I voted for Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

apoptosis. Noun. programmed cell death

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About The Author: Benj is a frustrated rockstar, sports enthusiast, collegiate debater and a travel junkie who happens to be atheist.

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9 Responses to “The Apoptosis Of Change”

  1. benign0 on May 25th, 2008 9:45 am

    I am a strong believer in the role of the youth - considering specially that the youth make up a vast chunk of Pinoy humanity (another one of those ironies on account of the continued monopoly of the Old Fart mafia over the thought patterns of Pinoy society).

    We made a video that makes a call for the youth to step up:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bMNXYn3sWI

    It highlights a need for the youth to look beyond the contructs of society that clever marketing had built over the last several decades and have a bit more originality and imagination in the way that they conduct themselves and on the output they generate over the Web.

  2. [splice] on May 25th, 2008 10:02 am

    “The senator from Bicol definitely captured my idealistic sensibilities and made me believe that he could truly make a difference.”

    To this day, I’m still Roco all the way. The man is already dead, but his principles are still fresh in my memory.

    And quite ironically, genuine people in this country are forgotten long before they are buried in their grave. Some people, or a large part of this nation, (I think) easily forget.

  3. Nick on May 25th, 2008 5:27 pm

    @splice, I was a big Roco supporter. He reminded a little of Ninoy, an excellent speaker.. An excellent mind, and an excellent politician.. And most of all, a great leader.

    I always struggle with the what-ifs, I’m just sad that Roco became one of these situations..

  4. cvj on May 26th, 2008 3:30 am

    I also voted for Gloria Arroyo so i’m curious to ask what was your reaction to Hello Garci?

  5. If opportunity is provided, they will prosper | Filipino Voices on May 26th, 2008 9:47 am

    […] observation Benj made about how the idealistic but naive mind sees the plight of the poor in his recent blog entry: […] it was that easy to romanticize [the poor] as the people who want change and would grab […]

  6. Benj on May 27th, 2008 6:13 pm

    cvj: As you could’ve predicted, I was apathetic.

    –

    By the way, I would’ve voted for Roco had I not “met” him in a student forum in my school. He was asked by a med student for his actual plans for health care problems and… he couldn’t give concrete answers. He just joked around about naming certain alumni of our school to the top brass of the Department of Health.

    That singular event disillusioned me and made me think that he was no different from the other traditional politicians.

  7. cvj on May 27th, 2008 6:27 pm

    Benj, thanks for your reply.

  8. Benj on May 28th, 2008 1:46 am

    Maybe apathetic isn’t really the apt term. It’s more of “deafeated” and “jaded”.

  9. cvj on May 28th, 2008 5:27 am

    Disillusionment can lead to apathy.

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