There is a glaring, painful truth in Philippine society: public institutions remain neglected because those in power are not truly invested in their success. Tama ang ang inihayag na nakalulungkot na kabalintunaan ni Prof. Joselito delos Reyes sa kaniyang Facebook:
“Hangga’t walang mataas na politikong nagpapaaral ng kaniyang anak sa pampublikong paaralan sa elementarya at high school, at hangga’t walang politikong nagpapagamot sa pampublikong ospital sa kaniyang mismong nasasakupan, walang maayos na paaralan at ospital ang maglilingkod sa atin.
“Hindi nila maiintindihan ang problema natin kung hindi nila mismong dinanas. Tigilan n’yo na ang pagboto sa dinastiya at nepo-baby na tagapagmana ng posisyon sa pamilya.”
Mahirap itanggi ang nakasusukang katotohanang ito: Hangga’t walang mataas na opisyal na kayang ipagmalaki na sa pampublikong paaralan nag-aaral ang kanyang anak o sa pampublikong ospital sila mismo nagpapagamot, walang insentibo upang ayusin at pagandahin ang mga ito. This is not just a matter of policy but of empathy, accountability, and justice.
Hindi kailanman maiintindihan ng politiko ang problema ng masa kung hindi niya ito ramdam sa sarili niyang buhay. Politicians talk of “improving education” and “reforming healthcare,” yet their children are tucked away in exclusive schools abroad, and their medical needs are attended to in private rooms at the most expensive hospitals. Paano nila malalaman ang tunay na hirap ng masa? How will they grasp the urgency of broken chairs, overcrowded classrooms, or the humiliation of being turned away due to a lack of hospital beds?
Public schools and hospitals are supposed to be the great equalizers, the services that promise every Filipino a fighting chance. Pero sa totoo lang, nagiging simbolo na lang sila ng kawalang-pakialam ng maraming namumuno. When a system is designed and operated by people who never have to rely on it, it fails. Nagiging bulok, luma, at walang saysay.
Mahirap umasa sa pamumuno ng isang taong hindi man lang kayang ipagkatiwala ang seguridad at kinabukasan ng kanyang pamilya sa mga serbisyong pampubliko. How can an elected public official turn a blind eye to the crumbling state of their locale’s hospital while their own family flies out for treatment in Singapore? This double standard is not just unfair but a clear betrayal of public trust.
Ang tunay na lider ay hindi dapat lumalayo sa nararanasan ng kaniyang nasasakupan. If public schools are good enough for our children, they should be good enough for their children. If government hospitals are safe for ordinary citizens, they must be safe enough for politicians and their families. Anything less is hypocrisy… pandaraya at panlilinlang sa bayan.
But what do we see instead? Same old stories, same old politics, same old faces in the public offices. Walang accountability, walang tunay na malasakit. They inherit not just the authority but also the detachment and privilege that keep them insulated from the struggles of the people.
Sawa na tayo sa mga pangakong napapako. Every election season, we hear promises to fix education and healthcare, but every year, the problems only grow. Bukod sa kakulangan sa pondo, kulang sa malasakit at malasakit sa serbisyo ang namumuno. Ang nakakalungkot, mas inuuna pa ang pagpapaganda ng opisina kaysa sa classroom. Mas pursigido pa silang magpa-facelift ng mga government building kaysa magpaayos ng ospital.
The result? A society divided by privilege. While ordinary Filipinos endure the daily indignities of poorly funded schools and hospitals, politicians’ families live in comfort, shielded from the consequences of their own neglect. Hindi nila nararanasan ang pila, init, siksikan, at pagod. They do not witness the heartbreak of parents who cannot afford medicine or of students who drop out because of a shortage of classrooms.
This profound disconnect breeds apathy and self-preservation among leaders. Habang hindi sila apektado, hindi sila kikilos. Why fix a system you never have to use? Why invest in a future that does not touch your own family? Ito ang ugat ng katiwalian at kabiguan ng mga institusyong pampubliko.
The solution is simple, yet radical: Demand that leaders and their families use public schools and hospitals. Let them line up, wait, and suffer, just like every other Juan and Maria. Only then will they truly understand the urgency of change. Kung hindi nila kayang gawin ito, hindi sila karapat-dapat mahalal.
It is time to break the cycle. Tigilan n’yo na ang pagboto sa mga maling pulitiko. Choose leaders who will walk among us, whose children will learn with ours, whose loved ones will heal beside us. Pumili tayo ng lider na may puso, hindi lang ‘yong may pangalan, hindi lang ‘yong may ospital at paaralan.
Hangga’t patuloy nating hinahayaan ang ganitong sistema, tayo rin ang talo. The quality of our schools and hospitals is a direct reflection of the values of those who lead us.
Let us demand better. Dapat sila rin.
