By Sukha Valdez of the DZAS Social Media Team. Sukha is an Information Management & Evaluation Research Specialist.
First of all, let me define Citizenship. I googled and found in Wikipedia this:
First of all, let me define Citizenship. I googled and found in Wikipedia this:
Citizenship denotes the link between a person and a state or an association of states. It is normally synonymous with the term nationality although the latter term may also refer to ethnic connotations. Possession of citizenship is normally associated with the right to work and live in a country and to participate in political life. A person who does not have citizenship in any state is said to be stateless.
To be a citizen of a country therefore means three things: to live, to work and to participate in political life. However, it gives a person possessing Citizenship one important thing: her Rights.
I am borne from parents of Filipino heritage in the Philippines. Citizenship under the Philippine Constitution can be given to people whose parents are Filipino. Hence, I am a Filipino Citizen. Ergo, I have a right to live, to work, and to participate in this nation’s political life.
The right to live and to work are self explanatory. However, what I wanted to zero into is the right to political life. In many ways, politics for every Pilipino means barangay captain, congressman, or senator. It is also synonymous to voting, election, and worse case scenario, to dagdag-bawas, corruption, and “dayaan” (cheating). For someone like me who find such acts depressing and often times, “kagalit-galit,” we do not want to touch it within a ten-foot pole. We say to ourselves, why should I get myself too emotionally attached to something that is hopeless?
Now that I am writing this essay, I ask myself, is the Philippine political life really hopeless?
The reality is there are two phenomenons that are happening around us. While there are widespread corruption happening: the Maguindanao massacre, the prevalence of political dynasties, and unresolved fertilizer scam. There are also good things happening as well: the resolve of the DILG to pursue anti-epal policy, the detention of Mrs. Gloria Arroyo in Veterans, and the good service delivery of Marikina City to its local constituents. Like the parable of the wheat and the tares, it both co-exist in the same plane.
The good news, while this phenomena is happening, we can rest assured that the tares will be plucked out in the field and be burned when the harvest day comes.
Who determines the seasons, and created the expanse of day and night?
It is God.
We know, no matter how seemingly powerful the tares in our Philippine political life , as it seemingly overcome the wheats from time to time, there is no doubt, when the right time comes, these tares shall be burned to the ground!
Poop!
Therefore, for you and me, the ones who plow the wheats in the field. We should not tarry in working, in plowing, and in participating in the philippine political life as active citizens. We should continue to read our news, learn about the hot issues, and most of all, to pray for God to bless the Philippines.
To actively wait means, knowing when to take action.
You and I will know when it is time to burn the tares to the ground. The Lord of Harvests shall make you and I know it.
I am borne from parents of Filipino heritage in the Philippines. Citizenship under the Philippine Constitution can be given to people whose parents are Filipino. Hence, I am a Filipino Citizen. Ergo, I have a right to live, to work, and to participate in this nation’s political life.
The right to live and to work are self explanatory. However, what I wanted to zero into is the right to political life. In many ways, politics for every Pilipino means barangay captain, congressman, or senator. It is also synonymous to voting, election, and worse case scenario, to dagdag-bawas, corruption, and “dayaan” (cheating). For someone like me who find such acts depressing and often times, “kagalit-galit,” we do not want to touch it within a ten-foot pole. We say to ourselves, why should I get myself too emotionally attached to something that is hopeless?
Now that I am writing this essay, I ask myself, is the Philippine political life really hopeless?
The reality is there are two phenomenons that are happening around us. While there are widespread corruption happening: the Maguindanao massacre, the prevalence of political dynasties, and unresolved fertilizer scam. There are also good things happening as well: the resolve of the DILG to pursue anti-epal policy, the detention of Mrs. Gloria Arroyo in Veterans, and the good service delivery of Marikina City to its local constituents. Like the parable of the wheat and the tares, it both co-exist in the same plane.
The good news, while this phenomena is happening, we can rest assured that the tares will be plucked out in the field and be burned when the harvest day comes.
Who determines the seasons, and created the expanse of day and night?
It is God.
We know, no matter how seemingly powerful the tares in our Philippine political life , as it seemingly overcome the wheats from time to time, there is no doubt, when the right time comes, these tares shall be burned to the ground!
Poop!
Therefore, for you and me, the ones who plow the wheats in the field. We should not tarry in working, in plowing, and in participating in the philippine political life as active citizens. We should continue to read our news, learn about the hot issues, and most of all, to pray for God to bless the Philippines.
To actively wait means, knowing when to take action.
You and I will know when it is time to burn the tares to the ground. The Lord of Harvests shall make you and I know it.