THE GREATEST MAGICIANS have something to learn from Mr. Mistoffelees’ Conjuring Turn – PRESTO! And look! Right across the bay they’re “stealing” fortunes on the go. Over there the rich are “riche,” and the money is nouveau—or is it?
It is almost poetic to witness how the repeated onslaughts of typhoons and other natural disasters in the Philippines has gradually exposed realities beneath grand façades of supposed perfection, revealing a land stripped of adequate mitigation systems, sustained by nothing but a worn-out prayer of utter resilience.
“Ultimately, with the State’s persistent failure to uphold these rights, one cannot dismiss the possibility of history repeating itself: Filipino people, long pushed to the margins, rising once more in the spirit of revolution, and a modern-day Marie Antoinette meeting her reckoning. Who knows?”
And so, following this familiar narrative, stones were cast at corrupt politicians and negligent flood control contractors for failing to honor their duty to safeguard and uphold the general welfare of the Filipino people. What proved most striking, however, was the swelling public outcry that extended beyond these officials themselves, reaching even their next of kin. And, truth be told, it is long overdue that voices be raised against them as well.
We’ve heard stories and read accounts of their ignorance and insensitivity to the realities before them. There was, for instance, a “controversial” woman by the “river” who cackled in the face of public contempt for political dynasties, openly admitting, indeed even boasting, that she was a descendant of such reviled families. Others, too, paraded their privilege, flaunting helicopters, and thanking their corrupt parents for an “unending bank account,” fully aware that their extravagances was financed by the ordinary Filipino struggling each day to make ends meet—the very same people victimized by the greed and negligence of political officials these influencers/children seem to glorify.
What is worse is the troubling rise of public sympathy for these “nepo-babies,” which, ultimately, exposes how the much-celebrated Filipino traits of hospitality and friendliness can distort into misplaced tolerance for privilege and corruption. Arguing that “these children don’t have a choice,” and that “they didn’t ask to be born into such a family,” doesn’t hold water. Because even if we were to consider such circumstances, it remains that their insensitive remarks and ostentatious displays are still made out of their own volition, utterly detached from, and indifferent to, the struggles of the poor, the working class, and the ordinary Filipinos. At the end of the day, while the people are left to wonder how to cross roads submerged in floodwaters, these nepo-babies could only wonder when they might purchase their next designer bag. And yet, we are told that they deserve our sympathy?
In the words of Isagani Cruz and Carlo Cruz, “one cannot enjoy the sunset when he must worry about the oil to light the lamp when darkness closes in.” Such is the plight of the ordinary Filipino people who, burdened by daily survival and can scarcely savor life’s joys, still somehow manages to extend even the slightest of sympathy towards children of political dynasties. While such compassion, in itself, might warrant admiration, it must not come at the expense of justice. For just as the setting sun surrenders to night, so too will injustice prevail if the people allow their sympathy to dim the light of their resolve to defend their rights and dignity. After all, no single class holds a monopoly on supremacy, it belongs to the people.
Ultimately, with the State’s persistent failure to uphold these rights, one cannot dismiss the possibility of history repeating itself: Filipino people, long pushed to the margins, rising once more in the spirit of revolution, and a modern-day Marie Antoinette meeting her reckoning. Who knows?
Oh! Well, I never! Was there ever a cat so clever as magical Mr. Mistoffelees?