Democracy

President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent actions re: the “separation” of the Philippines from the United States of America while allying closely with China and even Russia have alarmed everybody in the country. This issue, together with the peace talks, the strengthening of the police force and the unending extrajudicial killings have led to speculations that democracy is slowly dying in the country and is being usurped by communism and dictatorship.

But is Philippine democracy really dying? In a nutshell “demos cratos” had its roots in the polis of Athens. Democracy in its purest form only manifests itself once native Athenian men gather in the Agora to perform a ceremony called ostracism or the banishing of a person for about 10 years through voting.

Philosophers like Plato then altered the perception of democracy using the concept he wrote wherein he stated that “the country ought to have a form of government that makes people happy.”

Ancient Rome polished it further with the birth of the republic wherein a leader represents the whole place. In the USA, it further evolved with the help of Abraham Lincoln, who said that democracy is “for the people, by the people and of the people.”

Now democracy has evolved together with the Philippines. Democracy has become a need of the people. But as what Spiderman was told, “with great power comes greater responsibilities.”

Yet Filipinos being a lover of freedom sometimes abuse democracy. They use it to alter what is supposed to be the truth to gain the upperhand, not knowing that it could destroy others. What’s worse is that with the use of technology it got more complicated.

Hearsay or gossip posted on the web is not news. But because of the belief that we are free to do anything we continue doing it.-- from Rey Colin F. Anticamara