What does it mean to be a Filipino? 

These conversations have taken my beliefs to the next level when the campaign season and the election come. Society was flooded with historical distortions and revisionism.   

I felt bad for Renato's Constantino's Writings, which has the word "revisited" in its title. I felt    suffocated by the side-by-side arguments on who’s the most fitting candidate for the position    of presidency.

Rallies started, the social media began to be an instrument for fake news, brothers turning from one another because of their political views, one man belittling the other and wishing for its demise.    

It is classic. And I have not been the only one to see it. Yes, the    campaign season with "bardagulans" and everything is starting to create a division among    people.    And the red ones, let us just be honest this time, started to blame the pink ones for    initiating some change.

The argument have became more complex when they have brought the    existence of NPA and activists on the line, claiming that students from prestigious universities,    including a large number of activists, have been brainwashed by an institution when, in reality,    the institution is just one part of the student's life, and they have their own brains to do the    thinking for them.

Yes, there’s a division, and there has been a long-running comparison of the    number of voters placing emphasis on the dominance of red camp in polls. There are so many    of them, and while others think that it is already a sure win for their candidate, others just make    sure it does not change till the date of the election by silencing the sounds of justice.  

They have been ready to mock every activist or person against the historical revisionism    that is happening, but they can not understand the struggle of these people to just prevent the    dictator's son from going back to the Malacañang palace because they have been able to see    that behind those glamorous infrastructures built during the father’s regime, a massive number    of people have had to sacrifice their blood.

In order to make it appear as if it were the golden    age, a lot of farmers had to be grabbed by their lands, ending up in a street with no haciendas    to go back to. In order to speak freely with conviction, you have to be ready to see yourself    dwelling in prison cells.

Everything has a cost during martial law. Maybe then it is called a    "golden age," because in trade for its name, people pay for things as expensive and rare as gold.   And now, that election has been held, with the results favouring the other party.

We are    forced to return to our lives, homes, and current states, knowing that changes are about to be    carved in the new face of history. And whether we like what is happening now or not, we just    can not do anything about it, because we have been in a democratic country and it has always    been wrong to take the voices of the people, especially if what they voiced cost them a lot—   their dignity, integrity, health, wealth, morals, or even their family member’s life. 

The challenge has always been centered on how to become a better Filipino, and in the    present state of the country, the challenge remains the same. I am a Filipino with all these flaws,    shortcomings, little victories, and a mindset. With this blood and adherence to the country's    rules,   To become a Filipino for me means being in service to the Filipino people in any way    that I can.

No matter how small or big the act is, as long as I have been transparent and honest    with what I do, that is enough for me already. My voice is just one of those wailing for justice    for the oppressed and the unprivileged, and in this society where the face of activism has been    tagged as the enemy of the state, the freedom of speech is nearing the possibility of being    erradicated again.

The struggle has become more intense and the desire for victory over    injustices is starting to become like fruit being fermented and kept in a barrel only to taste    sweeter after some time. And what I can do as of now is to make the environment where I’m    at exhibit a lower sum of inequality and fake news by using my voice to speak up with love    and compassion.  

These people who go astray are like sheep lost in the meadow because it’s either their    shepered have not been with them and are not able to look out for them, or they have been    carried with some herds of sheep, partly owned by other shepered.

They are lost simply because    a lot is happening in their environment, and for them to go back, they need someone they know    to say it to them or to guide them. Thus, this also implies that if I want some change, I should    start with the ones who know me and have trust in me to guide them.   

These tactics work in all sorts of situations. What is crucial in this approach, however,    is your reason for doing that. If it’s for the better, then that’s good. Go for it. If it's for    destruction, please have time to reflect on it. So it is a good thing that people will see how    truthful your legacy is today.

Change will come to this country, and some will see it from    different points of view, but kindness and generosity cannot be limited by these boundaries;    they are limitless and should be practiced daily. Hence, in this kind of set up, the strength of    the people lies in their numbers.

As a result, if more people doing kindness, more people coming   into light and clean slate, those who abuse the motherland will be outnumbered, and    we will once again live with the proper kind of love for the pearl of the Orient Seas.