#pbed

Despite the continuous ravage of the virus crisis in our country, the administration’s popularity remains intact. The country’s firebrand leader registered an approval rating of 91%, reaching his record high, up from 87% and 83% last December.

The overwhelming thumbs-up for the recent administration has been very alarming. With unconventional methods of governance we’re receiving today, it should be a given fact that the people would dislike him.

As we continue to be locked in our homes and face our screens, social media has been an obituary of people who died from the virus, or a main source of news for the mass, and also an arena where the noise Filipino youth makes are resounding.

Netizens have been openly criticizing the administration’s pandemic response online, holding their leaders and public servants accountable for their lapses in dealing with the health crisis, calling fellow youth voters to choose the right leaders in 2022 where the outcome will dictate who will be leading the country and how the people will survive and recover from the ravaging virus. But online criticism doesn’t translate to a vote, it is still important to hold officials accountable and one way to successfully do that is by exercising our democratic rights.

Voting is a right so is not voting. Our current situation is very uncertain for sure, but it is not a reason to back out from it. You may think your one vote wouldn’t change anything, but backing out will throw away the chance to elect officials on all levels, and will throw away our power to take control of the future.

Our one vote combined with others with the same views will resonate a collective roar, and even though the one you voted for loses, it still makes a statement that Filipinos want new politicians and possibly encouraging other aspiring and hopeful leaders to run, too.

To conclude, thinking that your one vote doesn’t have an influence jails you in your illusion of choice. And ‘not being interested in politics’ doesn’t make sense because politics is interested in you. Elections don’t just have consequences for you, they have consequences for everyone around you.

Unfortunately, that’s not the reality we have at the moment. Our government, our supposed leaders, have led us nowhere. We’re in a dark tunnel with no light in sight. Our leaders have no concrete plan and timeline regarding the pandemic; there’s no transparency and we’re buried in so much debt because of all the mishandled funds. According to Rivas (2021) from Rappler, the Philippine government secured and loaned billions of dollars from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank and the government’s national debt is now about ₱10.33 trillion. With all the money loaned, where has it gone? There’s no improvement in our situation and it has even worsened.

Our healthcare workers are still overworked and underpaid with no benefits. Students struggle to keep up with online classes while others don’t even have easy access to education. Teachers do their best for their students despite the low pay and their own worries due to the pandemic. So many Filipinos have lost their jobs, are struggling to make ends meet, don’t have access to proper healthcare and are mourning the loss of a loved one or two. That’s the reality we have right now.

As a student myself, I’m uncertain about my future. With all that’s happening in our country, at times my mind is in turmoil and overwhelmed. News of additional covid-19 cases, corruption, and the fact that many people I know have passed away, all these affect me and I know that others are even more affected than I am. I’m anxious about whether I’d be equipped for college, be accepted into one, and have the tuition for it. I’m anxious about what comes next because our future seems so bleak.

I know that many of the youth are just like me. We’ve been robbed of precious years and opportunities in our life. We’ve been robbed of the normal experiences we never would’ve thought we’d miss out on. The pandemic has gotten so much from us. However, our government and its incompetency has robbed so much more from us than the rampant virus.

Who exactly put these leaders in their positions? We, the Filipino citizens, bear the brunt of the government’s incompetence as a consequence of voting for the wrong leaders to lead our country. Where we place our vote can either make or break our country.

This coming 2022 elections will be the first time for the youth to participate and vote for the right leaders. The youth are encouraged to register to vote because we have the power to take control of our future. According to the Department of Education [DepEd] (2021), Usec. Pascua stated that the youth vote has taken a considerable percentage in the last two elections.

To the youth who think that their vote is merely a drop in the ocean, think again. Remember that a small voice, when combined with others’, could make a thunderous roar and I believe the youth can make that happen. We have the privilege of having our voices heard through our vote. Let us not let go of the opportunity of voting for the sake of our future.

It’s high time we take an initiative and vote for a leader who has the Filipinos’ interest at heart. It’s our time to grab the reins of fate and vote because believe it or not, a “mere” one vote matters. If we want change to happen, remaining apathetic must no longer be an option.

According to Cabo (2018), the Philippine youth is a promising generation as we hold critical views regarding politics. The youth today knows to criticize and demand quality, not just the bare minimum. We can do more than just rant on social media about this administration’s incompetency. We can register to vote and vote for the right leaders.