HIS posts on his social media account is often irreverent, satirical and downright witty. Reading these would be like replaying SNL, Margaret Cho, or reading Stephen Fry but the author, Jefry Tupas is in fact the head of the Davao City’s Information Office (CIO). Prior to joining the local government, Tupas worked with Philippine Daily Inquirer and headed Newsdesk Asia and won the top prize in the 2015 EU Peace Journalism Awards.
While accompanying the City Mayor to Marawi, Tupas wrote several posts that surely would have rumpled furs albeit, fake or borrowed. I’m giving my space to Jefry Tupas today.
(What I learned about hypocrisy)
If you are working in government, you must work for the government. You don’t need to like it, but at least, show that you support it. Work like you should. You have to bet. Magtaya ka. Murag lasto ba. If that you can’t even do, leave and save yourself. Imagine domestic violence. Imagine an abusive relationship. Always the best thing to do is to escape.
You see, the government doesn’t really need you. Ok, sorry, maybe the government needs you. But the ocean is so wide and so rich you are not the only fish out there. Daghan pag makita diha — smarter, committed, and willing to help the government. Huwag feeling invincible, beh.
If you work in the government, but you hate it, best thing is to keep the hate to yourself. You do not go around town telling everyone that the hands that feed you are also the same hands that fuck you.
But if you cannot, mahiya ka na, take a bow. Why because you have a job courtesy of the government, courtesy of the people.
Your money — courtesy of the government and the people — you use to buy food, buy clothes, rent a decent place, go places, and pay boys for sex.
Do yourself a favor. And the people who are religiously paying their taxes in support of the government that you so detest.
Again, mahiya ka.
But that is precisely what I learned about hypocrisy.
(What I learned about hypocrisy, this time with more feeling)
You think you are god’s gift to mankind and the poor needs you to be able to eat three square meals a day? Of course not. They need livelihood, access to credit, training, education — not you.
Tonight, some families wouldn’t even care thinking about you because they are too hungry to do that.
And because they cannot eat your puppy.
You say you helped the poor? Of course! You were paid to do that.
The projects were successful? Of course! Again, you were paid to ensure its success. Thank you? And we are welcome?
And the truth is this. There are a lot of people out there who can do what you are doing or what you have done way better — even with blindfolds on.
Another truth is — some people’s delusion of grandeur is really bigger than their beds. They should begin to realize that there is no dignity in overestimating themselves.
Again, if it is so rotten, why work in the government? If you really hate your employer — which is the government, fyi — show the world some decency.
Get out.
What’s worse than political prostitutes? Principled hypocrites.
They are those who fashion themselves as critics, the voices of dissent, the conscience of the establishment that employed them but they deeply loathe and chastise publicly.
While the transition of political prostitutes is always glaring and lacking in surprise, principled hypocrites slither their way into the system, slowly, like leeches — the shock comes only later, especially because they would make the public an audience of their continued expression of indignation.
Conveniently, they use the poor and the language of poverty and oppression to gloss over the fact that they are employed by the very establishment they despise and in the process, they will make it appear as if they’re giving the world a favor. They’re no ingrates, they say. They expect us to believe that.
Both have no shame — the political prostitutes and principled hypocrites.
P.S.: Apologies to the prostituted women and men out there.