I’m browsing through the social networks, and reading how some respectable friends are bashing Nancy Binay, Grace Poe or any other candidate who they feel do not deserve to win.

My friends, that’s how a democracy works. If some candidates you abhor are winning, that just means other Filipinos voted for the candidate. That’s all. Let’s respect that.

I feel bad because people I respect have allowed the bashing, have become part of the bullying. I see the insults and jokes spreading through tweets, fb, photos, memes.

Yes, maybe some are funny — I was laughing out loud at some memes. LOL! And when I think about the memes, I realize it’s actually MEAN. I decided to stop and call it FOUL! It’s cyber-bullying. FOUL! I’m calling it FOUL!

People don’t even realize how disrespectful it is. When we lash out insults at people, we actually reflect our own humane-ness or lack of it.

  • Each time we call Nancy “negra”, we allow racism to spread within our very own race. Imagine how all dark-colored Filipinos are feeling when they see how Nancy is being ridiculed for her complexion. 
  • Each time we call other fellow-Filipinos “bobo”, we are labeling our own countrymen, forgetting that we are one and the same people. Ang tatalino natin sa facebook, pero ganun ba talaga ka-baba ang tingin natin sa kapwa Pilipino?
  • Each time we accuse others blindly of “mandaraya!”, we wash our hands and deny ourselves the role of keeping the elections clean. I’m placing my bets, I’d like to believe this election is the cleanest elections we’ve had in our history.
  • When our kids hear us treat other people with disrespect, our kids will think it’s okay to call their playmates: “negra” or “bobo” or “mandaraya”.

My appeal: Let’s stop the bashing. Let’s stop the prejudice. Let’s stop the cyber-bullying. 

RespetoPilipino
Let’s show our children what it means to be respectful of our democracy, respectful of Filipinos, respectful of ourselves.

What we need is RESPECT.
Respect for our democracy.
Respect for our process.
Respect for the candidates, both winning and losing.
Respect for the Filipinos, even if the majority’s voice is different from ours.

This is our collective voice struggling to be heard.
Let’s allow it to speak, and let’s respect it.

#RespetoLangPo #RespetoJuan #RespetoPilipino

Ka Edong
Filipino

p.s. Here’s a powerful video that shows how our actions impact the world-view of our children.

Photo credits: Mommysaurus75

 

38 thoughts on “Respeto Lang Po”

  1. Pingback: Walang bobo. Iba lang ang kanilang talino. | www.edwinsoriano.com

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