By Yeressah Nissiah Sabior
Have you guys ever wondered why political issues in the Philippines are easily forgotten?
Does it cross into your mind, despite history being taught in the school, documentaries being presented on every television and any news media outlets producing historical movies and series, that Filipinos still always forget what happened before?
In our country, political issues follow a predictable pattern. It always starts when a scandal is exposed, just like how corruption is being exposed in the news. After the scandal is exposed, it would always be followed by people presenting the evidence, documents, numbers reaching billions and naming those people who are involved. Now that the people see and know the evidence and documents, the people would rant on every social media platform, demanding every government agency, from the executive to the judiciary, for accountability. After the social media outburst, follow-up investigations will be announced and hearings will begin.
It was such a great feeling that justice is within the hands of the people. Everyone would always tune up their radios, always watch the news and even debate regarding the issues. However, the legal process is so slow that new issues emerge, shifting the attention of the people. Then, the anger slowly fades away.
This is how a political issue unfolds in the Philippines. Seems like another episode of demanding and forgetting.
During the fourth State of the Nation Address of the President, the issues regarding flood control were announced, then after that issue another issue emerged regarding confidential funds, which made most Filipinos upset. The corruption scandal made most of the people walk and gather in every corner of the country to protest against the issue and demand accountability from the government and those people involved.
In most cases, especially graft and corruption cases, it would take years to solve. Making some of those people involved had a time to rebrand their names and time to appeal to the public’s eyes to regain their trust. In such a way that some people would forget what they are being accused of and disregard the weight of the issue. And when they get elected again, another hopeless Philippines will enter the picture. Therefore, forgetting is not accidental, it is a natural result of a slow system that is designed to deliver quick and meaningful consequences.
To assume that a political issues dies so easily because people do not care enough would be so unfair if the system is so slow to deliver justice to everyone. Those people who marched, followed the news and stayed informed , they care. But the problem is not being able to care enough, but to stay engaged for a long time with such an issue is so exhausting because the system is so slow to deliver what is supposed to be delivered. Basically, it is us staying engaged versus the slow system.
This slow system has made it very clear to us that it is manageable for everyone who is convicted and accused to just dodge it. We have seen senators and congressmen, or even higher-ups who were once convicted and accused, who are just chilling and smiling in their chairs, flying in and out of the country and still get hyped to be reelected again. It is very evident to us. Why are we still not learning?
Each delay and unresolved case reduce accountability and allow corruption to continue.
Exhaustion is a natural response for those people who stay engaged and pay their attention but the system fails. But such exhaustion should not be seen as weakness. We can be exhausted for a moment, but we should not stop because we are tired. We can be exhausted for a moment but we should never forget. As for stop paying attention and forgetting would pave another way for corruption to exist and could destroy us as a nation. Therefore, we can only be exhausted but can never stop demanding and fighting.
They may rebrand who they were but we should never forget what they’ve done to us. Every moment of silence and forgetting is another moment of power for those who abused it.
