Shyla Karylle C.

Oraye
BA Political Science – 2
21-00536

Philippines, a Home of Conservatives…. and Hypocrites

Ever heard of the song, Banal na Aso, Santong Kabayo? The two verses of the song,
despite its short length, speak directly about the contrast between belief and inaction, in which a
believer faithfully obeys but fails to act on it. This observation is made explicit in the two verses,
the first of which describes the elderly woman praying the rosary inside the jeepney but spewing
profanity whenever the driver causes her discomfort. In a similar vein, the second verse describes
a preacher who, when approached by a beggar, refuses to accept the money, claiming that it is
for the church. The song speaks about the hypocrisy of the religious, not just in the Philippines,
but in the whole world.
The Philippines is the home for the hospitable and loving Filipinos. Others may say that it
is the only conservative country in South East Asia. We do not have divorce, abortion, same sex
marriage, death penalty and any other controversial issues we've been rejecting for decades on
account of our values, beliefs and religion. Nevertheless, the Philippines is also a home of many
things unfathomable.
This time, allow me to express my hatred and disappointment about the absurdity of
Filipinos standards when it comes to politics.
Most people claim to be moral and ethical. Of course most people tend to think that they
are better than others especially when they witness one’s filth, even ridiculing and laughing off
someone's financial status, their emotional sensitivity, or even their mispronounced words.
Filipinos love the phrase ‘don’t settle for less.’ That’s the reason why business owners would
prefer a college graduate with at least a year experience to wash their dishes, to become their
waiter, cashier or any other job as a staff or crew in a restaurant or whatnot. You can hardly find
any decent job if you didn’t finish high school or college let alone finding a job without any
education at all. At the beauty industry, show business, and even around the neighborhood,
everyone always has comments on other people’s lives, giving unsolicited advices. However, it
is different when politics is involved. Majority of people are blinded with questionable and
horrid propagandas. It is painful to witness the foolishness of our countrymen when it comes to
choosing a leader. Because they seem to enjoy to get fed with deception and dishonesty.
You name it, one can be a councilor, mayor, governor, congressman, senator and even
become the President without having a real diploma. And it does not even end there, and it gets
so much worse, because Filipinos will still vote for those who have been convicted of graft,
corruption, tax evasion, etc. You know, it is painful and frustrating to see how gullible these
people are. They would rather live in a narrative that suits their delusions and foolishness.
Filipinos are hypocrites. Yes, most of us would admit to it, but the worst of us will
succumb to the feeling of pride and self-righteousness. I saw a story about the crab mentality
once, but I read it as many times as I could. It says that it’s not our fault that we are pulling each
other down, because we are not supposed to be inside a bucket anyway. We are meant to be free,
to be in our lands, in our seas, in our lakes and dunes. We are not supposed to be in a bucket. But
someone had put us in there, someone who is powerful enough to make bigger decisions in
behalf of everyone. And those are the corrupt politicians that drown us in debt, drug lords,
protectors, criminals and other demons of their sort. They are the ones responsible for putting us
in a bucket. Indeed, we are foolish, because we are manipulated to fight each other, to gossip
about each other, to spread misinformation, and to condemn artists and influencers yet worships
dogs and puppets that have their seats in the government. Indeed, I am brave enough to say this
and would say this over and over again that we, the sovereign Filipino people are bunch of
hypocrites.
As I am ending this speech, how about you? What do you think? How can Philippines be a
conservative country regarding on values, sex, religion but at the same time, when it comes to
politics the moral compass just become questionable?