By Farah Decano

 

ON September 21, I watched as Filipinos rallied across the country to protest government corruption — the kind of corruption that steals billions meant for something as critical as flood control.

The rallies in EDSA and Luneta were supposed to be massive, a reflection of our collective outrage.  Sadly, the turnout was a letdown. The gravity of the issue – a multi-billion-peso scam – didn’t translate into massive crowds. Maybe it was the looming super typhoon, the ease of just posting online, or maybe it was the different political factions like DDS and BBM supporters that made people wary of a confrontation.

But what struck me most was the presence of some politicians. It was a jarring, cynical spectacle. Their participation felt utterly disingenuous, a cheap attempt to look virtuous while their own records were stained. The boos they got from the crowd were a powerful rejection of this performative solidarity.

“We feel you,” they say. But do they? Do they walk through the murky floodwaters with their constituents? No, they send their aides to make a token appearance. How can they be so callous? We are mostly immersed waist-deep in filth with rats and waste, while they remain in absentia. We could only surmise that they probably are sitting comfortably in their air-conditioned homes, watching Netflix, served juice and sandwiches by their yayas.

Performative empathy is disgust in disguise. To these hypocritical leaders,  we are just a means to an end. We are not humans; we are merely “buyable” votes.

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For three straight years, my village, Pagasa, had been continuously flooded. After a typhoon, the rest of the city recovered  in a week, but we remained isolated. I’ve had to miss court hearings, all while worrying about my family’s safety.

This is why I’m grateful to our city government under Mayor Belen Fernandez. They took the initiative to elevate our interior road. It has been a crucial lifeline, finally giving us access to the outside world. While we still have flooding in our yards, the improved road has made our lives undeniably better.

So, I find it hard to join the “rampage” against the current administration. We need to be realistic about what Mayor Fernandez has faced. For three years, she was hampered by an uncooperative Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP). Now that she has their support, we can’t expect a complete turnaround in just one year.

We need to urge our leaders – Congresswoman Gina de Venecia and Mayor Belen Fernandez — to finally work together. Our city needs a comprehensive, science-based 10-year Master Plan for flood control and urban development. This can’t be a temporary fix; it needs to be an ordinance or a law that binds all future officials. We need to move beyond short-term political games and focus on a sustainable future for our community.

So, Representative Gina and Mayor Belen, can we finally do this together?