By Patricia Gaille Tiu (Grade 10 – Luna)
From the get-go, the prevalence of backwardness in the Philippines can be found deeply rooted in the system by which ignorance is utilized as a stepping stone to power, by which urgent issues such as poverty and scarcity are left in the dust.
In preceding administrations, we can espy a trend in leadership, where the general public can be swayed by popularity and charm, rather than their advocacies and experience. People tend to vote for whomever they know, whoever impressed them with their humor, whoever spoke eloquently. The standards of today’s leaders need to reach beyond the facade of a well-versed leader who knows how to play their cards right, and into whether the policies themselves are viable for a country to progress, whether the person has a reason to be trusted, and whether the development will reach the most vulnerable of sectors.
In conjunction with the leadership in our government, transparency into the ins-and-outs of government organizations needs to be increased. As the case of the PhilHealth scandal in 2020 showed fellow taxpayers, the lack of transparency and misbehavior of various officials allowed for the billions of pesos to be thieved away sub rosa. It allowed for corruption and negligence to fester in organizations that were meant to support the people of the Philippines, along with various others.
The health system, as we know it, needs massive improvement in terms of technology, as the pandemic exposed the severe lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), and our government’s dependence on foreign aid. It is notable, however, to mention how a wide assortment of people in the community took initiative during this time to compensate for the severe shortages of equipment. Especially since the country has had to undergo one of the longest lockdowns in the world, with a record of nearly one million cases of the virus, Filipino citizens need to stay vigilant with the state of the country, and do whatever they are able to do for the community.
With the pandemic crisis at an all-time high, the overwhelming debt that the country holds (amounting to about P10 trillion as of February 2021), and the restlessness caused by the ambiguity of justice systems, what this country truly needs are competent leaders free from personal interests and close-mindedness. In order for development to finally take hold, we need to become aware of these issues ourselves, and if not to take up the torch for our people, then to recognize and support the ones who will.