Photo courtesy: TED ALJIBE / AFP
This narrative cuts deep because it finally gives voice to what I—and millions of Filipinos—have long felt and believed: the crushing exhaustion of watching a government that seems willing to bend the law, stretch its power, and hide behind technicalities, while ordinary citizens bear the pain.
It is the story of a poor man who dies while waiting in line for his Perayuda. Of families who lose their homes to fire and are left begging, hopeless, for immediate government assistance. Of a father who dies in an emergency room, leaving behind two young sons—his life lost not only to illness, but to the lack, inadequacy, and failure of public healthcare in a city that prides itself on wealth.
It is the story of a graduating elementary pupil who still struggles to write a single paragraph about his dreams, or to read a short story with confidence simply because of a failed educational system.
A nation where Perayuda has become the last remaining lifeline, instead of a bridge toward long-term solutions to recurring problems.
It is the story of students who risk their safety every day just to get to school—crossing rivers because a bridge has been missing for decades—while “farm-to-market roads” mysteriously lead to private estates and the farms of the powerful.
It is the story of a government that appears more present in the pursuit of self-interest than in the service of the very taxpayers who sustain it.
How much more pain must we endure before we receive what we rightfully deserve⁉️
What stronger laws must be enacted to finally curb and eradicate corruption?
Until when will this nation breathe freely and live in peace?
How much louder must the people’s outcry become before those in power—leaders and opportunists alike—truly understand the depth of our desperation?
Or will it simply be… ’til death do us part?⚰️
