The way the government is handling the issue of Mariannet Amper, the 11 year-old girl from Davao who hanged herself because of her family’s impoverished situation, is very typical of the establishment’s pattern of covering up for the consequences of its evils and its other such shortcomings. Unfortunately some people readily buy these spins. Primary of such spins is to dismiss the entire issue as an isolated case, and to trivialize the girl’s reasons for committing suicide as largely personal and psychological. And to match such issues with the harping of news that proclaim economic progress by the numbers–numbers that are largely intangible to the vast number of impoverished Filipinos. Too bad the benefits of the apparent strength of the peso, or the booming stock market didn’t “trickle down” to the Amper family, huh, Ms President? You know what’s worse, the President has used this issue as an instrument and as a reason to hasten the implementation of her highly-controversial, corruption-laden Cyber Education Project, a sister project of the highly-controversial ZTE National Broadband Network Project.
You know, these kinds of spins fuel the mentality that blames the poor for their misery because they are lazy, because they are born poor, because they have too many children, that’s the way it is, etcetera. Bullshit. Think what this kind of mentality leads you to do. Nothing. This kind of mentality only leads you to go on with your middle class life. To be purely guiltless. These spins only serve the prevailing order.
I would like to echo what Anton said regarding this issue:
In our present society, everyone and everything can be grouped into two: those who support the status quo in their actions, and those who oppose it in their actions. while some peasants certainly spend their lives praying that the afterlife is somewhat better, there are those who realize that it was not ordained by the heavens that they should be slave to some master. while some workers spend their lives in diversions to the misery of their existences, some try to smash the instruments of their misery. and while some students spend their time trying to feel good here in multiply, some are trying to use this very instrument to enlighten others.
there is no neutrality. no one put the noose around mariannet’s neck. no one told her to jump. but certain people made her short life miserable, and they can be divided into two categories: first, the ones who are in power and who make the policies of our country. second, the ones who just watch by.
Indeed it is not enough for one to feel sad or angry over the tragedy. There’s a prevailing order that sustains these conditions and tragedies. And there are collective ways of challenging this status quo.
law student, national democracy activist, film school graduate, photography hobbyist
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9 comments to “There are millions of Mariannets”
Unless society will get its act together, poverty will not be addressed. In my opinion,
The RC Church must cooperate in population management. Preventing the sperm from meeting the egg, whether natural or not, is not abortion. But messing it up after the union is already a crime.
The rich in society to act like a big brother to the poor ones
Employers to give and do more, when capable
The rich barangay for a poor barangay
In our own little way, we can share our time. resources, talents to educate, assist and help the less privilege get out of their situation.
Citizens action, poltical will to rid our society of the corrupt and cheaters.
More budget for education, health and other public services.
Is it collective guilt or not? I suppose not. We have all been doing our share.. The problem is accessibility. Government continues to be indifferent to its people’s plight. It busies itself with feel-good statistics but forgot the people its suppose to serve.
Sa Newspaper ko lang nga nalaman ‘to eh. Panggabi na kasi yung sked ko, di nako makapanood ng balita. Midnight nako nakauwi ng bahay.
Keep the fires burning and never lose sight.
so what are YOU doing about it ?
You’re right about “spin” … more people should be more critical of these “spinsters”. Sometimes, we readily take the opinions of men in power and people in the media as “truths”. We must spread the word that there are people out there who bend the truth to suit their interests.
I’ve visited the Philippines on a number of occasions. What I saw there was a culture of corruption. You might convict one or two blatantly corrupt officials, but until you all”“as a nation”“teach good moral character, corruption will flourish at all levels. This corruption at all levels is what keeps the PI so poor (the only thing keeping the economy afloat are the Filipinos working abroad sending money home). American friends of mine have tried to start businesses there, but everyone from the town mayor, police, and up want bribes”“and they’re like flies on Sh*&”“they keep coming back for more! Then their employees kept stealing everything not nailed down. When we visited the PI, we couldn’t even leave our hotel in Manila without our driver being pulled over by corrupt police officers (our drivers did nothing wrong) who demanded bribes or they would arrest our driver (for nothing!). This happens daily. It is very sad how totally corrupt things are over there”“it’s even sadder that Filipinos accept all this corruption as “normal” behavior.