Davao Death Squad: The Feared Peacemaker

Being born and raised in Davao, I am proud to say that life is here. When I went to Manila months ago, I feel so honored when the receptionist on the hotel we stayed in told me that “Sana may Duterte din kami dito sa Maynila”. Having heard stories from my older folks that Davao was once a nest for criminals, I felt different because that was not the Davao I know. Simply speaking, Duterte has transformed Davao into one of the most livable cities in the world. For Davao residents, the issue of the Davao Death Squad (DDS) is not new to us. Some of us are even thanking the feared peacemaker in maintaining peace, order and security in our hometown. Although its existence is not that explicitly confirmed, what gave rise to the power of the Davao Death Squad to instill fear among us Davaoeños, which led us to believe that criminals have no place in the city except in jails, detention centers, and when DDS is already involved, in funeral parlors?

Speaking from my observation as a Davaoeña, Duterte led us to believe that we must follow the law or else we will suffer. In a place which used to be a criminal’s nest, it is believed that diplomacy might not do the trick in introducing peace and order. Although I am not associating Duterte with the Davao Death Squad, I can’t still erase the possibility of them being associated. During his rule, most of the criminals have been wiped out from the city and that is something I am thankful of. The way I see it, Davao City is under a positive power play governed by an iron hand. In some ways, I can see him as a dictator, being steadfast in banning the criminals doing their thing on Davao soil.

Taylor (2010) would tell us that every one of us became a product of sublimated symbolic violence, and also simulated violence. This is true, given that we are made to believe that we should avoid on doing criminal acts or else we’ll die. The Davao Death Squad became a means to inflict violence to achieve a certain means. As a result, we fear to commit crimes and Duterte (or whoever is/are the proponent/s of DDS) has achieved their goal on maintaining peace, security and order in Davao. This is a manifestation of positive power play. This is symbolic and simulated violence being put into good use.

My position with regard to the said issue is that I agree with the effects of the so-called feared peacemaker in Davao. Although human rights advocates would not agree with my stand, I shout practicality reasons. It’s not that human rights should be put into waste, but on committing the act, did these criminals thought of respecting the rights of the people to live in peace? Yes, violence is not a good act in itself. Yet, the way it is being used, it produced a good effect in the lives of Davaoeños and Davaoeñas. Think of utilitarianism. With all that has been said, I say yes to the feared peacemaker.

REFERENCES:
Taylor, G. (2010). The new political sociology: Power, ideology and identity in an age of
complexity (p. 139-140). London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan.

Autonomy and Identity Recognition: The Bangsamoro

The issue on Bangsamoro has been one of the hottest political issues in the Philippines. In fact, there have been several forums and discussions that were conducted to educate the people about the Bangsamoro. The forums I have attended in school about the Bangsamoro tell me that the proponents of the Bangsamoro have been clamoring for identity recognition and autonomy. With all that observation, I think that it is all natural for them to clamor for identity recognition. Now, the problematic situation here is that what gave rise to this Bangsamoro issue and where shall it lead the nation, should this be pursued furthermore.

In the Philippine setting, our Muslim brothers and sisters are considered as part of the minority most of the time. Other Filipinos also think that they have this bad image, associating them with terrorists, rebels and the like. To add insult to the injury, Philippine history would also tell us that Moros have been here in the Philippines long before the Spanish colonization and they have been put sideways as the years went by.

After the colonial period, the Philippines became dominated by Christians and Western thinking, leaving the Moros and the Moro culture a minority. With that comes the birth of an identity thirst. Identity thirst would tell us that there has been social uncertainty with regard to questions of identity, culture, values and dignity (Taylor, 2010). In this case, the search for self-identity has been a tough quest for the proponents of the Bangsamoro.

Although Philippine independence was given years ago, it seems that the Philippines is still colonized by the Westerners with their line of thinking and culture. We cannot deny that the Philippine society is so westernized to the point of bearing the nickname “America’s little brothers” and also to the point of forgetting our pre-colonial roots. Added to that would be the perils of globalization. That leaves us Filipinos to ask this question “What really constitutes the Filipino identity?”

To a Moro with strong cultural ties, this spells disappointment, uncertainty, and anxiety. From this, we can trace why a draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law has been created, and why it has been advocated by many of us. As for my second question, I asked on where the Bangsamoro shall lead the nation, should it be pursued furthermore.

I believe that in every issue, there are pros and cons. For starters, the Bangsamoro Basic Law would give a sense of identity recognition to our Muslim brothers and sisters. In addition, they have been recognized and they have been given autonomy in their affairs. As I have observed, the BBL somehow tends to be Islamic fundamentalist. According to Eisenstadt (2006), fundamentalism means the establishment of collective and individual symbols of identity through the powerful mobilization to political action of an existing social order. The draft is Islamic culture and the Bangsamoro’s clamor for identity being institutionalized into law, politics and governance.

On the other hand, passing the Bangsamoro Basic Law might create another minority: the non-Muslim residents of the Bangsamoro state. Will their interests and rights be represented and respected, should this be pursued? In Fr. Jun Mercado’s 10 crucial issues on the Agreement between the GPH and the MILF, he questioned whether BBL would recognize and respect multiple identities (Mercado, 2014). I pose the same question: Would it advocate for unity in cultural diversity or perpetuate inequality and favor only a certain group of people?

I understand their clamor for identity, given that the West and globalization have already robbed that from us. Although I humbly respect and salute to the advocacy of the Bangsamoro proponents, I think I will say no to the Bangsamoro issue. The BBL is a bright idea to bring peace in Mindanao. However, I think that federalism in the Philippine government would be a better choice.

 

REFERENCES:

Eisenstadt, S.N. (2006). Fundamentalism. In Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology. Retrieved

December 7, 2014 from http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/cupsoc/fundamentalism/0

Mercado, J. (2014, February 19). 10 crucial issues on the Agreement between the GPH and the

MILF. Retrieved December 7, 2014 from http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/349100/opinion/blogs/10-crucial-issues-on-the-agreement-between-the-gph-and-the-milf

Taylor, G. (2010). The new political sociology: Power, ideology and identity in an age of

complexity (p. 139-140). London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan.

Panaghiusa: Religious Diversity in Mindanao

Being born and raised in Mindanao, seeing people of different religious backgrounds were not new to me. I even have formed friendships with people of different religions. In my four years of studying political science, I have been into several forums about religious diversity. Here in Davao City, I can somehow see the peaceful coexistence of Christians and Muslims on a daily basis. With that in mind, I personally think that peaceful living with people of different religious backgrounds is very possible.

Seems already familiar to others, but whenever I pass by the Bishops-Ulama Conference building in Matina on my way home, it reminds me of the efforts given by the state and the civil society to attain a peaceful co-existence between Mindanaoan Christians and Muslims. Similarly, different organizations that advocate interfaith dialogue are also in flourish, like the Silsilah Dialogue Movement along Claveria Street. In a citation given by the Goi Peace Foundation, the said foundation is said to advocate for the interfaith harmony and reconciliation in the Philippines for almost 30 years. It even has a contribution on the signing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (Goi Peace Foundation, 2013).

In connection to the Bishops-Ulama Conference, they have been one of the participants during a forum in Finster Auditorium. The said forum, which was conducted somewhere last year, was about religious diversity or the Bangsamoro Framework. People from different sectors, like the government sector, the non-government sector and the academia, have engaged in talks that would improve religious diversity in Mindanao.

In political science, power is the main ingredient to make things happen. This is where the relationship between the civil society, power and the state can be seen. Given that Mindanaoans have different religions, religious conflicts in Mindanao have been in existence. Added to that is the common Filipino thinking that the Muslims are subordinate and are even associated with terrorism.  Equipped with power, the civil society and the state can unravel the whys and the hows of religious diversity and peaceful coexistence in Mindanao.

Why the need to advocate further for religious diversity? Although this has been already an accepted concept in Mindanao, globalization factors and cultural factors still have led to conflicts between Mindanaoans of different faiths. In some cases, the minority bullies the majority and vice versa (Lidasan, n.d.).

I personally believe that the civil society and the state can make things happen with power. With the conduct of several interfaith dialogues, peace talks and even the signing of the Bangsamoro, they can even further the advocacy on the peaceful co-existence of Christians, Muslims and Lumads in Davao, on the basis of respect toward each other.

After all, Mindanao is our political stage, the civil society and the state are the political actors and power is our political resource. We all have the capacity to make this happen. From the word civil society, we all have the moral responsibility to be civil. That means we are all entitled and obliged to respect our fellow Mindanaoans. I really believe that religious diversity can be improved to promote further peace in Mindanao. This is where the relationship between the civil society, the state and power lies: to inculcate in the minds and hearts of Mindanaoans the essence of mutual respect and neighborhood: the political way.

REFERENCES:

Goi Peace Foundation. (2013, November). Silsilah Dialogue Movement in the Philippines Receives the 2013 Goi Peace Award. In Goi Peace Foundation. Retrieved November 16, 2014, from http://www.goipeace.or.jp/english/activities/award/award2013.html

 

Lidasan, M. S. (n.d.). Religious Diversity A Chance or a Threat for Peace and Development in the Bangsamoro New Political Entity. In Academia.edu. Retrieved November 16, 2014, from http://www.academia.edu/2604058/Religious_Diversity_A_Chance_or_a_Threat_for_Peace_and_Development_in_the_Bangsamoro_New_Political_Entity

 

Binay Can’t Just Let It Go

      Having the Vice-President embroiled in corruption scandals nowadays, the first thing that comes to mind is that he cannot let go of what he thinks he has worked so hard for the longest time. Looking back from his history, power and money were something deprived from Binay. Then he slowly went up by acquiring wealth, influence, power and even the title of Vice-President. On the premise that he came with a rags-to-riches story and is a person thinking of collective interest, Binay in the real sense does his game of gaining and maintaining power in the pursuit of satisfying his personal interests.

      It is no secret to us that incumbent Vice-President Jejomar Binay wants to run for the presidency in the upcoming 2016 national elections. He has already reiterated in several occasions his desire to run for such position (Roque, 2014; Barrita, 2014). In some interviews, he even stated that he want business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan as his running mate in the 2016 presidential elections (Macaraig, 2014). From that scenario, it is already certain that he wants to run. But why? Being the second most powerful person in the Philippines and having already experienced being the mayor of the richest city in the Philippines for 20 years, why the need for him to experience being the most powerful Filipino? Power is the answer. Despite being already powerful and influential, he just can’t let go of the perks he has been enjoying for a long time. It is very certain that he wants to wield more power (and money as well). Given the overpricing scandals he has been embroiled to, we can infer that being president or even politics in general, seems like a money-making venture disguised in public service for Binay.

       The Binays are known for their generous doing. In Makati, senior citizens are entitled to free birthday cakes every year (Arcilla & Estella, 2014). Similarly, the Vice-President also gave his share of relief goods to Iloilo-based Yolanda victims in November of last year (Umbao, 2013). At first glance, one can premise that the Binays are just being generous to people due to their patriarch’s impoverished past. It has been told that during his student life, Jojo, as he is fondly called, works in his uncle’s backyard piggery and tends his uncle’s fighting cocks (Information Security Asia, 2012). In fact, he is also an Iskolar ng Bayan. If we are not to think deeply, we can suppose that he just wanted to give back his blessings and help those who share with him the same situation he had before.

       However, I still see something strange here. For the cake issue, it seems that the giving of cakes has hidden agenda behind. Remembering these senior citizens during their birthdays is a political advertisement to me. It translates to me as “Vote Binay. Continue to support Binay. Don’t forget Binay.” On the part of the senior citizens, being recipients of these cakes would entail the may utang na loob mindset. Because he was so kind and generous, these senior citizens feel that they are obliged to vote for the Binays during elections. Filipino culture would tell us that it can be a way of repaying a favor done by these politicians. For the relief goods incident, it earned a lot of negative feedback both in social media and even in CNN iReport. In the said CNN iReport, Binay was described as someone who takes advantage of the situation (CNN iReport, 2013). This is true because the relief goods bore the Office of the Vice-President’s logo and also the words “Vice President Jejomar C. Binay”. If a person is really serious in offering assistance to the needy, why there is still a need to put stickers bearing your name and position? Isn’t it another form of political advertisement, given that Binay has already expressed his political dream of becoming president this coming 2016? Then again, I suppose that Binay’s hidden message whenever he gives assistance and benefits to people goes like this, “Vote Binay. Continue to support Binay. Don’t forget Binay.”

       If we are to put ourselves in Binay’s shoes, we would think that being impoverished is no joke. He himself experienced being oppressed, being deprived and being penniless. The common mindset among impoverished people is that “Balang araw, makakaraos din kami sa kahirapan”. This must have been Binay’s thinking during his younger years, which led him to strive hard on becoming successful. We can somehow infer that Binay does not want to go back to his past life anymore. With that, we can see that his desire of becoming president, his corruption scandals and all the ways he has employed to gain and maintain power is all because of his personal interest (or fear). He wants to stay in power maybe because he does not want to feel powerless, penniless and oppressed again.

Politicking the Papal Visit and its Backlash

Riding on a famous bandwagon.
Error: Campaign too early

Since last year, Filipinos have been very excited about the coming of Pope Francis to the Philippines. It was said that he is scheduled to fly to the Philippines to visit the victims of the super typhoon Yolanda and give them hope. Also, the pope is also scheduled to visit Manila to give his prayers and blessing to the members of the Roman Catholic Church.

However, even the papal visit is blanketed by different political sidebits that would reflect the defective culture of Filipinos. As I see it, it is so disappointing to see that the papal visit is being used by some traditional politicians to get some promotion, given that 2016 elections is fast approaching. Another thing would be the refusal of Pope Francis to receive special treatment from the Philippine government, given his simple living.

First things first, some politicians have taken advantage of the papal visit by posting tarpaulins indicating their warm welcome of Pope Francis. Sad to say, these welcome tarpaulins also bear their names and pictures. The way I see it, these are their early advertisements of themselves, given that 2016 elections is fast approaching. An example would be that of JC Leviste, who even placed the Papal logo and Pope Francis’ picture alongside his face. Because of that, netizens have bashed him in social media sites.

It is already in the Filipino culture that politicians always want to have a good image among their prospect voters. In analyzing this issue, we have to take into consideration that the Papal Visit in the Philippines is considered as the current phenomenon here in our country. This is their way to solicit publicity. Since this is a famous event, politicians would want to take a ride on this popular event to satisfy their hidden personal interests.

Another thing would be the unconventional nature of Pope Francis himself. As a Jesuit who seemed to have taken the vow of poverty, it was noted that he refused to receive any form of special treatment from Philippine government officials. There was this issue that he refused to use the golden chair during his visit in the Philippines. Instead, he would rather use a wooden chair that was made by one of the victims of Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban.

This unconventional gesture of the Pope sends a message not only to our politicians, but also to all of us Filipinos. The way I see it, Pope Francis is trying to say that we should live modestly and we must live according to what we only need. This is one of the ways of being persons for others and seeking more for the collective good rather than satisfying our own personal and selfish interests. As we can observe, most of our politicians live extravagantly at the expense of their poor, hungry and suffering constituents. Most of our leaders have put their interests first by using public money to make a lot of money. Having observed this, Pope Francis might have acted this way to exemplify a Christ-like leader: humble, simple and honest.

For sure, the Pope, as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has used his influence to change our politicians. This is his way of Cultural Revolution. Since he possesses considerable power, he has used it to instigate social change among Filipinos. This is his way of changing the society for the better.

What is really The Story behind Je Suis Charlie?

            The first time I have encountered the term Je Suis Charlie was when I read Mark Zuckerberg’s post about the freedom of expression. Back then, Je Suis Charlie was already a catchphrase but did not bother to know more about this catchphrase. I think I was clueless until today.

            So Charlie stands for Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical newspaper agency notorious for creating cartoon lampoons about Prophet Muhammad and Islam. Last January 7, their office was attacked by two Franco-Algerian jihadist brothers Charif and Said Kouachi. Most of the Charlie Hebdo’s employees were killed by the Kouachi brothers’ shootout, its office was destroyed and Paris has witnessed a bloody shootout. Thus, Je Suis Charlie was created, which most Frenchmen believe as another term for “I am for the freedom of expression and speech”.

            What is the story behind Charlie Hebdo and the extremist brothers?

It all started in 9 December 1805, when the French law on the Separation of the Churches and State was signed into law by their Chamber of Deputies. According to it, the state does not recognize any religion, minimizing church involvement in political matters (Wheeler, 2013). Influenced by their homegrown thinkers Voltaire, Diderot and Montesquieu, these people believe that religion could only cause division, rather than unity among the French citizenry (Astier, 2004). Since then, the verdict has form part of French culture through the years. Also, French secularism aims have faced different problems.

For some, French secularism has caused others to suppress their religious faith. Anything that depicts religion, such as headscarves, crosses and skullcaps are banned from French schools (Astier, 2004). On the other hand, periodicals which do religious lampooning like Charlie Hebdo have thrived in France. Showing off one’s religious devotion is somewhat an anathema in France, since they believe that religion divides and religious devotion is not accepted in French culture. It can be the reason why Charlie Hebdo was able to establish its name.

On the other hand, Charlie Hebdo is very notorious for lambasting Islam and their prophet Muhammad. As I have observed, several of their cartoons are indeed insulting the Muslim faith. Some of which involved Muhammad saying “100 lashes if you don’t die of laughter!” and changing their name from Charlie Hebdo to Charia Hebdo, which is a pun on Sharia or Muslim Law. This might have led the Kouachi brothers commit themselves on destroying the newspaper agency who is publicly mocking their faith.

According to the Muslim faith, it is banned to portray images of Mohammad because doing that would cause idol worship. Since Islam rose as a critic of Christianity, wherein Christ is elevated as a God, Muslims did not want to treat Muhammad the same way. They believe that Muhammad is a man, not a God (Burke, 2015). Thus, they think that depicting such images is a mortal sin punishable by death.

The French culture has played a big role on the Charlie Hebdo shootout. To their desire to refrain churchmen from invading French politics, the French culture of secularism has created a big divide between them and the French people who are defending their faith and feels the need to publicly display their faith. The French culture is the reason why Charlie Hebdo thrived among the French citizenry, why the people cannot publicly express their faith and why the Kouachi brothers became enraged did the gruesome act. Although I would never condone their act of killing others, I somehow understood where they are coming from. They might have put the law into their hands, because they might have felt that putting a stop into poking fun at Islam would not be achieved in France, if they did it peacefully.

Reading about the rationale behind Je Suis Charlie, I have discovered that culture can make or break you. Culture is a superstructure that is so hard to break. It has controlled people since the beginning of human civilization. Now, even their own citizens became sacrifices for strengthening secularism in France.

References:

Astier, H. (2004, September 1). The deep roots of French secularism. In BBC News. Retrieved

January 11, 2015, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3325285.stm

Burke, D. (2015, January 9). Why Islam forbids images of Mohammed. In CNN International.

Retrieved January 11, 2015, from http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/07/living/islam-prophet-images/

Wheeler, N. (2013, August 2). The French secular approach. In One Europe. Retrieved January

11, 2015, from http://one-europe.info/french-seculiar-approach

Kris and Ai-ai: Mending Ties, Gossiping and Media Manipulation

Bati na daw sila. Pero bakit kailangang i-publicize? I sense a political move here, Krissy. (photo not mine)

Peace na tayo. Love, love, love!

            I can really imagine how Kris Aquino sounds like while reading my intro. One of the side news of the recently headliner Dantes-Gracia nuptials was the reconciliation between Kris Aquino and Aiai Delas Alas. It was said that the rift between the two stemmed from Aquino being absent during the funeral services of Ai-ai’s biological mother in February of last year. Since then, the friendship between the Presidential Sister and the comedienne has caught fire. It was on the Dingdong-Marian wedding where the two decided to mend ties. Now, the fire has been put off at last.

            But then again, I suppose that this is one of the latest issues that do not need highlight anyways. Yes, they are celebrities and their actions are under the scrutiny of the public eye. However, does it really need to be highlighted this much? Ideally not. In reality, yes.

            I think that there are two reasons why this issue is so popular despite its nonsensical content. The first is because of the usisero culture of the Filipinos. The second is media manipulation.

            First of all, the reason why celebrity news fall on headlines or major news at times is because of the usisero culture of the Filipinos. We Filipinos love to gossip, either because it forms part of our daily pastime or it has become our temporary escape from life’s harsh realities. The scenario of a Filipino housewife going to a neighbor just to gossip about what is trending (both in the news and in their neighborhood) and salarymen eating by a roadside carinderia while watching the latest news are very common manifestations of our usisero culture. No wonder why Filipino netizens are getting active on commenting on latest issues that ired them or why the television show Face to Face has included sawsaweros and sawsaweras to add spice in their program.

            Since Kris and Ai-ai are both famous personalities, it is inevitable that this semi-political issue would also be the talk of the town. As anthropologist Abe Padilla would say, political happenings here in the Philippines are like telenovelas (Alegre, 2012). Gossiping about Kris and Ai-ai is really a nice gossip topic because Filipinos love to comment on others’ actions, like we commonly do when our peers have done something wrong or something controversial. Filipinos gossip because we want to be in, we want to be updated and we want to socialize.

            We should also take into consideration the fact that it is Kris Aquino who is involved in this issue. Everything she does becomes tabloid fodder. Her being opinyonada (opinionated) has made her influential. That celebrity-slash-Aquino-scion status made her gain a large following of usiseros and usiseras.

            That alone makes her powerful. She has the power to divert all attention to her. This Queen of All Media has mastered the art of legitimate papansin and has used it to her own benefit. Kris Aquino being famous and being the Presidential Sister, I do believe that this is another case of publicity and media manipulation.

            I think it is sensationalizing because there are so many news in the Philippines that are indeed worthy of discussion and publication, such as our never-ending corruption scandals involving high-profile politicians, typhoon victims receiving inadequate support, VIP treatment of selected inmates inside Bilibid, and the long list goes on. However, why this nonsensical news would get more screen time or newspaper space? Being the Presidential Sister, I suppose that Kris might have done this on purpose to divert the people’s attention from tackling the shortcomings of her brother as Philippine President.

            Her cards might have been perfectly matched. An usisero culture, her celebrity status, her mending ties with Ai-ai – all of these have given her dual benefits. Not only she regained her friend, but also she did her part in somehow diverting the Filipinos’ attention from what is really needed to be talked about (social issues). These issues would backfire to her brother’s administration, and this is her way of protecting him. Instead of people talking about the President’s shortcomings, she’d rather make an issue to divert everyone’s attention.

            It might look as a simple mending of ties between two estranged friends. But with all of these circumstances, even this event is a political move. The Aquino siblings are indeed smart.

References:

Alegre, B. (2012, January 27). Pagiging usisero ng mga Pinoy, nakabubuti nga ba o nakasasama?[Video]. In GMA News Online. Retrieved January 11, 2015 fromhttp://www.gmanetwork.com/news/video/107742/balitanghali/pagiging-usisero-ng-mga-pinoy-nakabubuti-nga-ba-o-nakasasama

Dingdong-Marian: A Wedding in the Midst of a Typhoon

This is the most controversial picture I have seen. PDI headliner pa oh. (picture is not mine)

---

A man getting married to his ladylove in a wedding grandiose enough to be every girl’s dream wedding. Sounds interesting, right?

A VIP-starrer wedding of the year has made 2014 of the Philippines come to a grand close. It has been the talk of the town to the point that even girls of my age are even posting their wedding pictures on Facebook, wishing a DongYan-like wedding for themselves.

However, them being public personalities, it is inevitable that their D-day would be subject to public scrutiny. Having an extravagant wedding like this one in a country where majority of the people are perennially suffering from poverty, it is deemed by some as a way of fortifying the idea of social inequality. There is even an internet article which said that Dantes and Rivera can be sued for “thoughtless extravagance”. However, who is to blame? Dingdong? Certainly not.

In my opinion, what made this wedding controversial is the presence of President Aquino. Alongside the wedding, issues about Typhoon Seniang and its Filipino victims were also on the news. People are clamoring why PNoy chose to attend the wedding first before visiting and checking out the condition of the victims of the typhoon. On how I see it, the president standing as the witness of honor at a celebrity friend’s wedding is still very political.

First things first, it is indeed in the Filipino culture the practice of utang na loob. Utang na loob, or reciprocity, is the act of showing gratitude by returning the favor “with interest” to be sure that the does not remain in the other person’s debt. With that kind of relationship, we Filipinos tend to be bound by long-term reciprocal interdependency, wherein one can expect help from the other in exchange for the favor being granted. This has affected most of our interpersonal relationships and also Philippine society as well.

The President is no exception. One has to take into consideration the fact that Dingdong Dantes was one of President Aquino’s fervent supporters when the latter ran for the presidency in 2010. Aside from appointing Dantes as National Youth Commission’s commissioner-at-large, I think that somehow, this is President Aquino’s way of repaying Dantes for the favor Aquino had received from the latter. Should the President declined to attend the wedding, Dantes would have been disappointed. This might lead to Dantes withdrawing support. That would be disastrous, as Dantes also holds significant power via their devoted fans. What he does might affect how their vast devoted fanfare might act towards the President.

Which leads me to my second point. As we all know, Dantes and Rivera have a large fanbase popularly known as the Dongyanatics. The fan base alone makes this couple a powerful one. What they say and what they do may influence their fans, may it be their thoughts, words and actions.

PNoy attending the wedding is a smart political move. He was able to gain publicity, solicit support from DongYan family, friends and fans alike (should he wish to run for a government post this 2016) and also strengthen supporting ties with Dingdong and Marian themselves. This was not just merely supporting a friend and celebrating with him in his wedding day. It was all political, with all the subtle power play and hidden agenda involved.

I think the wedding also works out for Aquino’s benefit. In my opinion, they might have used the wedding to divert the attention of the people from issues that are serious in nature and are reflecting the lapses of the present administration. Instead of highlighting the problems brought by Seniang, Philippine media chose to highlight the wedding of some famous celebrity. Yes, they are famous. But can this be placed on the showbiz corner of newspapers or showbiz talk shows instead of occupying the headlines? With past experiences of covering corruption scandals with other sensationalized news, it is inevitable not to think of the wedding as an avenue of media manipulation.

We are all being held captives by our defective culture. Instead of serving the people, our leaders are more concerned in gaining and maintaining their power. Utang na loob, power play, media manipulation, support seeking – all political agenda hidden in that wedding of the year.

Diary Entry 1

As I wake up today, thoughts of travelling abroad flooded my brain. Woah, I really wanted to step on the streets of Shibuya or walk beneath the trees of Namiseom. Seriously speaking, aside from being a diplomat-cum-lawyer, it is also my dream to be able to travel around the world with time in my hands. I also wanted to have intercultural experiences and again, I really want to travel.

Yet I am still in college, totally dependent on my folks. Strict, disciplinarian but loving folks to be exact. They provide me everything they are capable of. Except a litlle bit of freedom.

I’m not saying that I want to hang-out in bars or fool around until dawn. By freedom, I don’t even mean to have a boyfriend or to do whatever stupid stuff that can be distractive to the progress of a college student like me. I just want to have a good time (I mean good, clean and harmless fun) sometimes with my friends, either to reconnect with friends or to just ease the stress from tons of schoolwork.

In fairness to them, i acknowledge that they are just worried and protective of me. They just want the best in me. But you know, too much love can kill. I think this is overprotectiveness. Because of this, they tend to forget that I am still a person yearning to grow and improve. How will I know if I will ever exceed my potential if you folks always tend to lock me up in a cage?

Ever since high school, they had always been this strict to the point of choking. Yet I don’t want to tell them this for I am afraid that I will hurt them for the nth time. They have been good providers and parents, but the thing is, they are too strict so I can’t grow in full blossom. I’m not thinking of rebelling either, not in my dreams. Yet I will know that I can grow so dull and inexperienced.

Yet there is always a part of me that wishes that I was one of the responsible kids out there, having their parents trust them, support them in any good things they do, and do not hinder their child to reach their dreams.

Now, what I wish today is to do good in school, produce stellar records at the best that I can, graduate as soon as possible and get myself a good-paying job. Who knows, things may change. I can still fulfill my dreams and at the same time, come with a clean conscience because I didn’t hurt them along the way. With this, I may not hurt them but I am hurting myself, since I know I can do it, but just hindered.