Super Human

Unity in Diversity.

“A person is of more value than the whole world.” -St. Mary Euphrasia

This line has been instilled into my mind by my alma mater ever since when I was in elementary. At that time, this was just something that had to be memorized because it is expected from us as students, but as I grew older, I slowly came to realize how powerful the meaning of this sentence is. As I am approaching the last months of my undergraduate life, it is very interesting that I am going back to this line again, but this time, with a clearer and deeper understanding of it.

From our very own Parañaque City which is one of the most business friendly cities in Metro Manila, to Taguig’s Disaster Preparedness, to Pasig’s environment-friendly bike share, to the wonderful museum of Valenzuela, and to San Juan’s Greenhills Shopping Center until Navotas that surprised us with its efforts on its development despite being tagged as one of the poorest cities in Metro Manila, it was clearly shown how each local government unit in the Philippines is unique from its size, population, products, tourist spots, leaders and their kind of leadership, budget allotment, and the people living in them.

Although we have 17 different administrative regions that seemingly divide our country, we should appreciate how rich and diverse the culture and biodiversity of the Philippines is which contributes a lot to the progress of our country, combined, of course, with the strong support from its citizens. All these differences put together are actually what makes our country more lovable and a strategic place to live in.

Every action of individuals combined with the aid of the government can really be world changing because that is how powerful citizenship and governance can be. On May 13, 2019, the Philippines had its national midterm elections which is one of the best examples to support this statement. Some people might think that their vote will not change anything, but in actuality, these people who do not vote can change the result of the elections if they will be gathered together and counted collectively. This is how strong an individual can make as impact.

I voted for the first time in 2016 during the presidential elections and exercised my right again this 2019 for the midterm election. What I realized is how lucky I am to be exposed in a very woke environment such as UP Diliman where I am given a proper education and I am able to choose more competent candidates who will contribute for the improvement of the country. This is how privileged I am. What I want now is to use this education to raise awareness on other people so that they would know their true value. People around me are very much angry with the results of the elections and although I understand where they are coming from, we should not just end with becoming angry. We should use what we know to enlighten other people who were not lucky enough to receive the same kind of knowledge and information that we receive and learn everyday. There will always be more than one side of the story. I remember being able to watch one video where people were explaining why they support Bong Revilla when we know that he had a case of graft. They explained that they feel “kilig” because of how good looking he is and that they do not believe that he actually stole something from the country because he is already rich. We know that this answer is not well thought of, but can we actually blame them? We should not stop at being angry at them and telling them they are bobo. We should use what we know to help them unleash the power within them and so that we can reach our full potential and help one another in improving our beloved country, the Philippines.

We cannot do everything alone, but if we are able to ignite the light within every people around us and share the knowledge we have with them and encourage them to think critically and logically, then we can make wonders.