3 presidents needed to turn PH around: Hindi nakakatulong ang away politika – Ping

At least three administrations will be needed to turn the Philippines around, and only if the next three Presidents are in the mold of a Lee Kuan Yew, Angela Merkel, and Jacinta Andern, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Thursday.

Lacson based his estimate on the Philippines’ “really bad” situation amid the coronavirus pandemic, made worse by the deep political division between the DDS (Diehard Duterte Supporters) and Yellows (post-EDSA Revolution groups).

“Amid this pandemic, our situation has gone really bad it might take three administrations after President Duterte‘s term ends next year to turn the country around. That is, assuming we are led by a Lee Kuan Yew, an Angela Merkel and a Jacinta Ardern in the next 18 years,” he said in his commentary published in The Manila Times on Thursday.

“Being a deeply divided nation doesn’t help. It has been said that we Filipinos are not only our own harshest critics, we are also our own worst enemies,” he added.

Lacson lamented that while Filipinos appear “united” in showing our national pride when we cheer for our fellow Filipinos’ victories in international competitions, that unity seems elusive “at times when we really need it — such as asserting our right to our territory in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) amid China’s repeated incursions.”

“The truth hurts, but here it is: we are so divided, largely due to the so-called DDS (Diehard Duterte Supporters) and Yellows (post-EDSA revolution groups) bickering about any issue, as in anything. Worse, they wrongly assume that everybody else is their proxy. Right or wrong, they assert that either you’re with them or against them,” he said.

Lacson said he has personally experienced this political division on social media.

When he calls out shortcomings of the administration, even when he proposes sensible solutions, he is branded a “Dilawan” by the DDS and promptly bashed online.

Similarly, when he expresses approval or support for what the administration does right, or when his views do not jibe with those who are against this administration, “I get a similar treatment from the ‘Yellow’ group and their allies, who call me Duterte’s ‘enabler,’ among other baseless names,” he said.

“One can only imagine how other ordinary Filipino netizens who do not identify with either the DDS or the Yellows are similarly bullied,” he said.

Yet, Lacson said there are signs both the DDS and Yellows dominate the conversation with the use of troll farms.

“Having been on the receiving end of online bashing for so long, I have observed so many accounts lazily using the same arguments, sometimes word for word; or using the same set of memes (aka copy-paste). It doesn’t matter how flawed and irrational their logic is, or if there is any logic in what they say at all. What matters is they flood your inbox or social media feed with their insults and hateful messages. Joseph Goebbels would have been proud — or may even be turning in his grave. To those who may not be aware, one available defense weapon, at least on Twitter, is the block feature of this particular social media site. In my case, I have so far blocked almost 2,000 Twitter accounts, mostly trolls,” he recalled.

Yet, Lacson maintained there are tens of millions of Filipinos who are independent-minded, who are neither Yellows nor DDS – and can contribute to important issues including the WPS, based on their own experiences and backgrounds.

“This is why I continue to call on the larger segment of our population not to be intimidated anymore by the noises deliberately being created by these two camps,” he said.

“I am sure many Filipinos — not only those who are neither DDS nor Yellows, but even some from either political camp, whether they admit it or not — share some, if not all, of these views. We should thus continue speaking our minds independently, especially in pursuit of our national interest,” he added.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)