Opinion > Columns
The futility of dedication and hard work in the Philippines

As an outsider looking in, words cannot express the sense of awe, wonder, and excitement that I felt every time I saw on TV and on social media the campaign rallies of Vice President Leni Robredo. Swarms of people were in pink carrying posters and placards of the same color or similar shade with witty statements of radical love and unending support for who we believe would finally and truly start purging the Philippine government of decades-long corruption, nepotism, and political dynasties.

What was even more inspiring was knowing that everybody went to these sorties out of their own free will while sharing food and drinks with others, walking for many kilometers to reach their respective venues, and voluntarily cleaning up after each event, among many things. Outside of these schedules, a lot of them went out of their way to do house-to-house visits reminding fellow Filipinos of the significance of the 2022 elections and enlightening them on the truth – particularly the fact that, from the mid-1960's until 1986, our country experienced human rights violations masterminded by an oppressive regime and our economy facing yearly recessions on the back of billions of dollars stolen from government coffers, both by the very man with his family whom Filipinos voted for first as senator and then president.

Vice President Maria Leonor ‘Leni’ Robredo