warfreak.

this national election really has stretched friendships and relationships to a limit. it has become a season of unfollows and unfriends on the social networks and perhaps for a few, even in real life.
it has seen filipinos finally making noise about who they want to lead. different experiences, different attitudes, different opinions, different takes lead to divergent choices. whereas before, the campaign was mostly limited to campaign rallies, tv, newspaper and radio reports, the social networking platforms have allowed people from all walks of life to level the playing field by the people finally getting their chance to speak out on issues, to share their ideas and reasons why they are for or against a candidate.

duterte’s run for the presidency is distinctly a grassroots campaign. filipinos from all walks of life are organising themselves, paying for or making their own campaign materials, being more loud and vocal about their choice on the social networks they are on. it has become akin to a david vs goliath scenario, given that the grassroots campaign is against well-oiled and well-funded political machineries. the common tao vs the powerful, the moneyed. the common ‘tao’ looks at it as one big fight to determine their future. their last chance at having an actual say on who they want to lead. and it doesn’t hurt that the common ‘tao’ is rallying behind someone who may not be “disenteng” tao but someone they see who will also fight for them, who will lead them, who will have their own interests at heart. someone they can identify with – frustrated with all the graft and corruption, the uncurbed criminality ( imagine: druglords running their business from behind bars), dealing with an empathy deficient government leaders who make themselves feel good by brandishing numbers that are only felt by a few (imagine: mamasapano, kidapawan, lumad killings).

this note is not meant to be impartial. i just cannot identify with the other camps.
this does not mean though that i have not tried to understand where they are coming from. this does not mean i have not done any ‘critical thinking’ and done research and looked at facts. this does not mean that i am ‘ungrateful’ although really, public service is not meant to put filipinos in a debt of gratitude.

call me a dutertard, a fanatic, an emotional warfreak but please don’t act like you are better or more intelligent than me and that you have a monopoly of thinking clearly and straight. i am just passionate in my belief that there is hope in the Philippines and that hope is hinged on a person who may be considered uncouth, unstatemanly BUT has a long track record of actually getting things done. last time i looked, the president is the head of the executive branch of the government. isn’t it just right to have someone who can actually execute on plans?