By Franciss Nikole Elli | January 30, 2021
The nation may sometimes be a minion of uninformed followers and blind believers. From recent “patok love teams” to running political candidates, Filipinos quickly jump into the bandwagon of a beautifully packaged romance, drama, or whatnot.
Driven by emotions, Filipinos are often fanatics. Most times, fanaticism bonds Filipinos into a flock of blind believers. And missing a beat on the new interest or fad may deem you outdated. While this issue benefits entrepreneurs and the entertainment industry, it, however, obstructs good leaders to emerge.
We bring the culture of fanaticism in voting political figures and this skews our judgment on who are truly the good leaders. Filipinos love the narrative, charisma, and unfortunately sometimes, entertainment even in the world of politics.
While we spectate and applaud the international arena as statesmen debate about increasing minimum wages or fixing disputes about tariff laws, we also applaud the clowns that sit in the respectable seats of government. And while we may frequently bask in embarrassment over misinformation and poorly researched, sometimes even plagiarized, speeches by our politicians, the blame goes back to the people– for choosing the inadequate persons to fill these positions.
It is not new knowledge that politicians use celebrities to support their political campaigns. Political consultant Art Garcia (Sison, 2015) mentioned that an endorser’s value depends on his or her closeness to the masses. With around 90% of the voters population belonging to the D and E socio economic classifications, politicians sway votes through these people.
The election is once again nearing. But this time, it calls for more vigilant voters who do not simply rely on charisma and narratives. The nation should push for effective voters’ education which will tackle heavily on why certain candidates deserve to be voted for. Furthermore, there should be a widespread campaign for voters’ registration, especially the youth. This way, we gear the idea of fanaticism into more fruitful causes, especially in improving the condition of our nation. Truly, Mayroon pang pag-asa sa 2022.
—
Reference:
Sison, S. (2015, October 1). The trouble with Filipino fanaticism. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/voices/imho/trouble-filipino-fanaticism
