Beyond Politics

This is to remind everyone that this is my point of view about our country's politics nowadays.

I am from Manila and voted for VP Leni Robredo in the last national election in 2022 but I do not call myself Kakampink. I voted for Leni and Sara Duterte because of my belief that there should be a check and balance in the government. I am not someone who "votes straight political party" because it is more prone to corruption (just my opinion).

My husband is from Zamboanga City and voted for President Duterte before and Pres. BBM in the last national election. Let me tell you, he is a civil engineer by profession and also holds a master's in business administration with other professional diploma certifications. He is not someone who you can call "uneducated" or "bobo" as some elitist citizens would claim concerning someone who continues to support Duterte. But look at what he sent us (our daughter and I) last Sunday.

Someone is proud to fight for what he stands for. The picture was sent through personal DM and was used with consent.

Despite our different political views, we respect each other's opinions on why we support the candidates we stand for. But let me tell you a story first before you cut me off from your ties for defending people who still support Duterte.

During the pandemic in 2020, we were locked down in Zamboanga City and I met with some of my husband's friends from Jolo, Basilan, and other parts of Mindanao. We talked about politics and one of the people told me then--- he didn't understand why people in Manila were rallying in Mendiola or elsewhere for people in Mindanao (during that time red alert or martial law was being implemented in Mindanao) when it was what made them feel safe and secure in their hometown. Our wedding organizer was a personal acquaintance who was also vocal in supporting the -then Pres. Duterte said, "the president that made them feel like they belong. That the Philippines is not just all about Manila". After hearing their statements, I have been more open to their opinions because I realized our experiences differ.

I am not a DDS, but I find it sad when people are mocking other people because they still choose to stand for Duterte despite the "extrajudicial killing" trials. Do you know why there are still people who choose to stand with him despite those? Because they have lived a life differently from us who are mere observers of everything.

Let's go back to the Zamboanga City Crisis in 2001 when the Zamboanga City Crisis or the Cabatangan Siege happened.

photos from https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/09/bloody-philippine-siege-brought-to-an-end/100599/

My husband together with his whole family and relatives were included in the 114 people who were held hostage at that time. They were part of those who had to walk in the fields together with the other hostages. An experience that they will never forget and an experience that we are fortunate enough not to experience on our own.

Before our wedding in Zamboanga in 2014, there had been another incident that shook their city. In September 2013, the MNLF launched an attack that left them devastated.

Aerial view of Zamboanga City Siege in 2013. Click photo for reference

Displaced villagers in ZC during the 2013 Zamboanga City siege.

That has been the lives of many of our fellow Filipinos outside Manila. They live in fear not only of the drug addicts but they have lived in fear throughout their lives because they do not know when will be the next terrorist attack will happen. When people from Zamboanga City, Jolo, or Basilan said they felt safe during the term of Duterte, they were not referring to the drug addicts--- they were referring to their lives, of being able to live normally without fear of being displaced or dying because of a war.

While many of us are choosing people because of progress, some of them are choosing people simply because they just want to be alive.

Let us not mock those people who support them, they have their reasons for doing so. Do not call them names that degrade their intellectual capacities, we have not lived their lives so we are in no position to make fun of them.

Again, I have voted for Leni because I believe that she is a capable woman who could nurture our country with her intelligence and compassion but my preference for her doesn't make me a better person to those who have different opinions from mine.