“But where are the middle class Filipinos now?”
What ever happened to the Filipino middle class who only recently voted in favor of a paradigm shift in the Philippine political system – by way of supporting former Vice President Leni Robredo and the Angat Buhay Para sa Lahat Movement?
It is evident that after the May 2022 elections, Ma’am Leni has gone into a bit of – what some would call – a sabbatical of sorts after choosing to teach in Harvard instead of pursuing a continued presence here at home.
Leaving her supporters—after that dismally unbelievable loss to now-President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.—with nothing to cling on to but the objectification of the Angat Buhay Para sa Lahat Movement’s catchphrase into nothing more than just being a certified, true-blue, stamp-approved NGO.
That catchphrase now sits at the core of this newfound belief/attitude in the Filipino still in search of a change for the better for the Motherland.
That is the nail in the coffin for that brilliant slogan, which was unwittingly transformed into a beautiful movement that could have moved mountains via its more than willing core-base: the Filipino middle class.
But where are the middle class Filipinos now?
Where are they when the former Acting Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology has been sounding the alarm bells in lieu of what we could see as proof that the last Presidential Elections was rigged?
Where is the outrage of the Filipino?
Or, more precise, where is the outrage of the middle class Filipinos? Why are they silent? Are they not outraged at all?
Maybe the answer lies in the continued presence of the Filipino super-rich and the Filipino ultra-poor – seen everywhere and every time one goes out to worship, shop, or go to work, etc. – who both still comprise the majority of the populace?
Unbelievable? True, but that’s just what it is.
(Gil Garcia is a non-practicing registered nurse who holds Master of Science in Program Management from UP Manila who started his career as a sports journalist before working briefly as a media relations manager for a public relations firm. He is a member of the Hunters-ROTC Historical Society and spends his time advocating the teaching of World War II History in the Philippines.)
