The Swamp logo

The world never forget, except us

Should be never again but it happened again

By Hermione Hope Published 2 years ago 5 min read
Like

May 9, 2022, as the old saying goes, the playing field is even for all classes of people during election as everyone is given the chance to choose the leaders they want. The presidential election was not the ordinary choose the lesser evil race. This is the head to head battle of a widow vice president and the dictator's son.

During the campaign period, there were 5 presidential candidates, but amongst them, there was a tight fight between the dictator's son and the widow VP.

She was able to visit almost all of the provinces during the campaign period. Tirelessly going to 3-5 campaign sorties daily, just to make the supporters feel her presence. She started the revolution of initiative and volunteerism. When you go to her campaign sorties, the ambience was so joyful, food and freebies are overflowing from the supporters who expressed their trust to her. Despite hours of waiting, the attendees were jolly, chirpy and patient. She was present to all debates, explaining and showing her programs if elected as the 3rd woman president.

The widow VP, despite the scarce support from the president, was able to launch programs with the help of private sectors. Housing projects, livelihood projects, medical programs such as cabs which were converted into swabbing facilities, dormitories for health workers who were front liners during the pandemic, distributed medical supplies to hospitals, free shuttle services to health front liners, incentivizing communities for availing vaccines and establishment of online consultation project. She even received the call and messages on this project. Before the pandemic hit the country, she consulted the experts on the best ways to minimize or delay its effect, while those who should do it was brushing off the virus and didn't prepare. She is visible on all disasters that happened in the country. Typhoon, volcanic eruption, landslides, flashfloods, her office was quick to respond and her partner private companies lent a helping hand as they know their donations were put into good use. She even got the highest audit rating by the group who are assigned to check how people's money were spent. Meaning, the budget was well spent and liquidated accordingly. No corruption issues, no pending cases and pristine track record.

She lived a simple life, during days that she can go to her province, she used the public transportation (bus) along with her daughters. She lived in a simple condominium unit that was owned by her in-laws. Her daughters are children that you will be proud of, one was a doctor, who also took duty on her online consultation program, one had a master's degree in one of the university in the US and her youngest just graduated in NYU with double degree under a scholarship. Why not? Their mother is a lawyer and with doctorate degree.

Meanwhile, the dictator's son, partnered with the president's daughter has a very short track record. Served as a governor on his hometown, but can's speak the mother tongue language. Became a senator, but has no exemplary bill authored, mostly piggy banking on his colleague to became co-author. When a nearby province of his hometown was hit by a typhoon, he didn't make a move to help. The ghost of his father's crime is still haunting his family and didn't even has the audacity to face and appease the victims. He continues to deny the allegations of malversation and corruption that his father committed that made him family live a lavish life. It is true that a father's crime is not his son's fault, but the son knows that the money and resources they have are ill-gotten but still opted to use it. He could have returned it, as a sign of regret, but chose to do otherwise. So, the dictator's son have its own crime.

During the campaign period, he didn't attend to the debates, possibly, evading the issue of his family. Even if the debate was sponsored by the one of the government bureaus. His campaign sorties only talks about unity. No concrete platform, but unity. His league of candidates for national and local positions were either traditional politicians/reelectionist with cases of graft and corruption, members of political dynasties or those who ride on his top spot in the survey. Exact opposite of the widow VP's line up.

His education attainment is still in question, claimed to graduate in a prestige university abroad, but can't show diploma and was refuted by the university he mentioned.

During the time of his father, 70,000 people were arrested including church workers, human rights defenders, legal aid lawyers, labor leaders and journalists, 3,257 were victims of extrajudicial killings, 35,000 were tortured using different ways no one can fathom, 77 just disappeared or what they called desaparecidos according to Amnesty International. The numbers may not be the actual number as some were afraid to talk and show their faces. They were thrown out by the peaceful revolution, went to Hawaii to hide and return when the president who replaced his father finished the term.

I have friends and personal acquaintances who experienced the horror of the dictator's presidency, and rallied using all their efforts to prevent his son to take the highest position of the country. It is like going back to the nightmare which you persistently avoid.

But it seemed we never learned. The history is now being distorted by using the social media to show the golden years of the dictator and blinding those gullible voters that it can be done again by the son. The horror of Martial Law is being reversed as stories of those who are against the dictator. The historians became the less credible sources for history, the vloggers and content creators became the most trustworthy in terms of information.

The whole world knew what happened during the dictator's years, even named him as the greatest thief, but my countrymen turned a blind eye and deaf ears even if it happened in our own country. Despite the testimonials of victims, evidences of crimes and unexplained wealth of a family with no other business but politics but can afford to buy posh condominium units, expensive paintings, lavish clothes and live a luxurious life while majority of their countrymen has nothing to eat, lives in a house as size as matchbox and work relentlessly just to make ends meet, they were able to go back to power.

It is an eye sore to see that his name is in the top spot, garnering 31M votes, against the most qualified to the position who garnered 15M. I'm proud to be one of the 15M (if that is really the number). A tiny voice in my mind says there is something wrong, but I don't have evidence. It just boils down to this, the world learned and never forget, but my country did not...

humanity
Like

About the Creator

Hermione Hope

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.