Democracy is the Worst Form of Government
...except for all those other forms that have been tried. – Winston Churchill
I've never liked democracy much. It's slow, not very efficient, and fails us from time to time. Even more so, the Filipino brand of democracy. It's corrupt as hell, backward in many aspects, and is essentially one giant, glorified popularity contest. Many will not even call it democracy, being dominated by generational wealth and big political names that treat the office as a hereditary position rubber-stamped with approval by the people. I could go on and on about the flaws of this system—complaining about the electoral processes, the voter culture, and the cringe-worthy campaign fests.
Yet, despite all that, it is the democracy we have—the democracy which millions of Filipinos have died fighting for—from activists to soldiers to everything in between. Philippine democracy is like that sibling of yours that you shit on and complain about all the time, yet deep down, you know you would have it no other way. It may sometimes be called the most chaotic and problematic democracy there is, but in true Filipino fashion, we still can be proud of it.
After all, Manuel Quezon said it best: "I prefer a government run like hell by Filipinos to a government run like heaven by Americans." Or maybe, in today's setting, it may be more relevant to another foreign power trying to encroach on our territory and bribe our government.
It is for this reason that we should remember each year the anniversary of the People’s Power Revolution: the ultimate show of force of the power of democracy. When the people unite and act on a common goal, we have seen that it can topple even the most oppressive of regimes. The EDSA revolution is a stark reminder to our governing politicians that power ultimately belongs to the people, and they would do well to keep that in mind.
It is no surprise at all why our politicians might try to erase it from memory—it is an existential threat to their comfortable positions, knowing that they're only there because we allow them to be. And this is why we must never forget. Never forget that power lies in the people.
And this coming midterm election, the fate of our democracy once again lies in the people's hands. I am, of course, still skeptical about the capacity of the Filipino people to vote wisely. Yet, I would like to take comfort in the fact that whatever the result of the election may be, it is at least the will of the people. And maybe that is the whole point of democracy—not for the Filipino people to pick the best government, but for the Filipino people to share accountability in whatever government gets elected.
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