As I write this post, the Philippines is leading the Southeast Asian games medal tally. Something to be proud of, really, for Filipinos not just here in the Philippines but also overseas.
This is refreshing news after weeks of controversy over the ₱50-million cauldron, the complaints of unfinished venues and media center, issues in logistics and lack of provisions for both local and foreign athletes, participants being removed from the games for voicing out irregularities, etc.
While this was all going on, supporters of the administration were quick to defend the committee handling the games. It got irritating how some of them say that all of these are just attempts to put down the current administration, even if the complaints were pretty obvious as it came from the foreign delegates and athletes.
The other side has not stopped as well.
The 2019 Southeast Asian Games opening ceremony last Saturday, which was met with mostly good reviews and comments, was still not spared by a few who just can’t seem to set aside their political agenda for once to appreciate it. A writer described it like “perya” (tacky circus) and suggested they could have ballet dancers perform instead.
Supporters of President Duterte and the opposition (Liberal Party) were both having it on social media, throwing shade at each other and it already got so toxic I can’t even begin to describe it. It’s sad that respected news outlets and journalists had played their hand too; some of them would only report based on their personal biases.
I don’t think this is going to stop anytime soon because it’s all about propaganda. Now more than ever, it’s pretty easy to spread fake news, hate, and criticism because of social media. Even if fact-checking these days is easier and should be the first thing one should do, we all have gotten too lazy that we just impulsively react and share what we see.
But if you want to remain sane these days, then you should stay away from such discourse. This is the very reason I hardly join in on debates online or allow myself to get triggered by nasty headlines. Aside from the fact that I am neither pro-Duterte nor pro-LP, fighting over it will only be a waste of my time and energy.
I’m willing to bet that there are even some who hope that the games will fail, but let us not forget that the success of the SEA Games is the country’s success too. If it fails, it’s not only the Duterte administration that would go down, but the Philippines as well.
There’s nothing wrong with having a political stance but I believe there is a right time for everything. At the moment, what’s best is to set aside the differences and be pro-Filipino more than anything else. We should all stop the bickering on social media and just give our all-out support to our athletes, not to any political party.
Make no mistake though—after the games, I think it’s only right to order an audit on the expenses and investigation on some of the lapses that happened. If this government wanted faith from their people and at the same time silence their critics (if that will ever happen), then transparency is the way to go.
Until then let’s all WIN AS ONE.
While this was all going on, supporters of the administration were quick to defend the committee handling the games. It got irritating how some of them say that all of these are just attempts to put down the current administration, even if the complaints were pretty obvious as it came from the foreign delegates and athletes.
The other side has not stopped as well.
The 2019 Southeast Asian Games opening ceremony last Saturday, which was met with mostly good reviews and comments, was still not spared by a few who just can’t seem to set aside their political agenda for once to appreciate it. A writer described it like “perya” (tacky circus) and suggested they could have ballet dancers perform instead.
Supporters of President Duterte and the opposition (Liberal Party) were both having it on social media, throwing shade at each other and it already got so toxic I can’t even begin to describe it. It’s sad that respected news outlets and journalists had played their hand too; some of them would only report based on their personal biases.
I don’t think this is going to stop anytime soon because it’s all about propaganda. Now more than ever, it’s pretty easy to spread fake news, hate, and criticism because of social media. Even if fact-checking these days is easier and should be the first thing one should do, we all have gotten too lazy that we just impulsively react and share what we see.
But if you want to remain sane these days, then you should stay away from such discourse. This is the very reason I hardly join in on debates online or allow myself to get triggered by nasty headlines. Aside from the fact that I am neither pro-Duterte nor pro-LP, fighting over it will only be a waste of my time and energy.
I’m willing to bet that there are even some who hope that the games will fail, but let us not forget that the success of the SEA Games is the country’s success too. If it fails, it’s not only the Duterte administration that would go down, but the Philippines as well.
There’s nothing wrong with having a political stance but I believe there is a right time for everything. At the moment, what’s best is to set aside the differences and be pro-Filipino more than anything else. We should all stop the bickering on social media and just give our all-out support to our athletes, not to any political party.
Make no mistake though—after the games, I think it’s only right to order an audit on the expenses and investigation on some of the lapses that happened. If this government wanted faith from their people and at the same time silence their critics (if that will ever happen), then transparency is the way to go.
Until then let’s all WIN AS ONE.
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