Radical love
By Atty. Farah Decano
“MAS radikal ang magmahal.”
Netizens shared this statement of Presidential contender, Leni Robredo, several times through their social media accounts. While it is not yet her official slogan for the campaign, such unusual assertion captured the imagination of the Filipinos – for how, indeed, can the concept of being radical, which necessitates an almost extreme passion to effect drastic change, be compatible with that of love which requires great understanding, patience and gentleness?
In my humble experience since my political awakening in 1983, I have never encountered a local campaign slogan that mentioned love. Most of the tags used are descriptions of the politicians themselves, such as being stalwarts of democracy, honesty, incorruptibility, and toughness. President Gloria Arroyo positioned herself with the idea of the Philippines as a “Matatag na Republika,” while her then successor, President Noynoy Aquino, rode high on his vision of “Matuwid Na Daan.”
A campaign based on love is unusual. It is revolutionary. It is radical because it aims to influence the very core of individuals. It demands every Filipino to look into themselves and shift their focus – from the self to the country and the generations to come. It requires the individual to expand his world from the protection of his and family’s welfare to that of the nation’s. It strongly urges the person to be converted from being greedy and a power-seeker to a citizen who empowers others.
What really is radical love?
The discussion of Corrina Horne, a summa cum laude graduate with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the Southern Utah University in the United States, is worth reproducing here. She said, “[t]he term radicalis is used to describe something that is whole, complete and thorough. A radical change for instance is one that overhauls existing standards. Radical love then is love that is not fractured in its expression or experience. In more common terms, radical love is unconditional love. Unconditional love is considered to be the pinnacle of love because, as Shakespeare described it, it does not ‘[alter] when it alteration finds.’”
She continued to discuss what radical love is not. She stated that radical is not a free pass that entitles the other to behave in ways that are harmful. She emphasized that “radical love does not mean staying silent and sitting idly, nor does it mean staying still when change is necessary.”
It is worthy to note that it was the netizens themselves who picked the statement, “mas radikal ang magmahal,” from Leni Robredo’s message a few days after she filed her candidacy. They were inspired to create memes based on the now famous line and shared them with others.
This initiative of some netizens to publicize “Mas radikal ang magmahal” is very telling. It is not Leni’s official campaign slogan. We still have yet to hear her official tag. The fact that this statement has become the battlecry of some sectors signifies that they are tired of the oppression by the selfish, the greedy and the ignorant. With the culture of hatred, division, and devaluation of life encouraged by the present administration, the proposition of radical love as strategy for social transformation is a breather, a drop of water in a parched throat, and light at the end of a tunnel.
Overly romantic? Let us be reminded that the Filipino people, through the preamble of the 1987 constitution, collectively envision a just and humane society under the rule of law and regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality and peace. The advocacy of love therefore is not without legal basis.
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