Superheroes

Everyone knows how miserable life is in the Philippines right now. With the Philippine Peso breaking records in terms of all-time lows, with crime and poverty continuously spreading like wildfire, and with corruption slowly becoming a permanent element of the state, there seems to be o cure for this ailing third world country. No wonder why there are some who seemed to have had enough and decided to search for ‘greener pastures’. Others do that as well, not to stay there for good, but to look for an elusive high-paying job that they cannot grab here. They are the Overseas Filipino Workers or simply OFWs to which we proudly call as ‘mga Bagong Bayani’ (Modern Heroes).

And why not, considering all the sacrifices they made like living in a foreign country and being away from their family, enslaving themselves and ignoring the threats of discrimination and the bitter truth, even death, they truly are worthy of one’s admiration.

There is one major problem, though, and it is something that I think most people (especially the ones involved) fail to see.

Let me first share this to you: One night as I was watching the news, my full attention was suddenly caught by this woman being featured regarding the Peso’s declining value. Apparently, she’s a relative of an OFW she was gleaming at the camera, wearing a smile that reaches her earlobes then she made this devastating remark, “Of course the weak Peso-Dollar exchange rate is such a big advantage for us, for one thing, it will increase the value of my husband’s salary.” I couldn’t believe my ears! Unbelievable. She said it with so much pride and conviction as if money is the only valuable thing for her. The problem is that people would rather let others suffer as long as they continue to live in affluence. This is the root and also the fruit of all this depression – people doesn’t seem to care but them.

The issue now here is not whether you’re in relation to an OFW or not, nor whether you’re a Filipino or a foreign blood. The real issue now here is us – ALL of us. And how we are all accountable for whatever’s happening to the society where we exist.

People, let us be reminded: the roots of real change springs from within us. It is only ourselves who can MAKE it; it can never be brought by one person alone. We cannot continue living in a world of superheroes; there’s no Superman to save us times of despair. Only us. After all, we can all be superheroes in our own rights.