Say Something We're Giving Up On You

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Final Project

Section C

Arrobio - Longakit - Perez - Remollo - Rondain - Sy

Politics is a very interesting topic here in the Philippines. If you turn on the TV and flip through the channels, there will always be something about anything related to politics such as laws being unjustly passed, senators stealing, and many others. However, with all these information being fed to the public, we wanted to know how the public reacts. We wanted to find out what they thought of our government.

We asked 20 people what they thought about the performance of our government. Here's what they wanted to say.

Question: What do you want to tell the politicians regarding their performance? You can mention someone specific. 

Age Group

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #future

Name: Angelo

Age: 12

Sex: Male

Status: Student

Quote: "Dear Politicians, please think of us every time you make a decision. Thank You."

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #ShortAndSimple

Name: Aien

Age: 11

Sex: Female

Status: Student

Quote: "They are bad."

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #ToKimHenares 

Name: Zenon

Age: 17

Sex: Male

Status: Student

Quote: "Kim Heneras[sic], WE ARE NOT A FIRST WORLD COUNTRY!!! Stop chasing street vendors and start chasing Pacquiao. "

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #YouSuck 

Name: Fel

Age: 17

Sex: Female

Status: Student

Quote: "YOU SUCK!"

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #build

Name: Mao

Age: 28

Sex: Male

Status: Businessman 

Quote: "Stop corruption, build the nation!"

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #reason

Name: Ria

Age: 28

Sex: Female

Status: Doctor

Quote: "Our people chose you for a reason. Be that reason!"

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #toPNoy

Name: Tonypet

Age: 48

Sex: Male

Status: Freelance Writer 

Quote: "To President Benigno S. Aquino III: 

Put your money where your mouth is or abandon the 'Daang Matuwid' platform of your governance altogether. While you may have noble ideals, it would be impossible to take the straight and scrupulous path as long as there are crooked officials in the government establishment.

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #AteAlma #AlmaMater

Name: Alma

Age: 47

Sex: Female

Status: Photocopier

Quote: "Ok naman. May nagawa naman sila para sa Pilipinas."
Translation: "They're good. They do something for the Philippines."

Social Class

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #PiggyBank #WheresOurMoney

Name: Josh

Age: 26

Sex: Male

Status: Law Student 

Quote: "Time to show us where the money is going."

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #close #WheresOurTaxes

Name: Joji

Age: 54

Sex: Female

Status: Lawyer 

Quote: "I pay a lot of taxes. How did you spend them, guys?"

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #Power

Name: Reden

Age: 21

Sex: Male

Status: House Boy

Quote: "Ibigay ang tamang benepisyo ng manggagawang Pilipino."
Translation: "Give the Filipino working class their rightful benefits."

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #StopCorruption

Name: Ging

Age: 25

Sex: Female

Status: Helper

Quote: "Tigilan ang pangugurakot."
Translation: "Stop corruption."

Social Institutions

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #NotAFool

Name: Ramon

Age: 60

Sex: Male

Status: Lay Minister

Quote: " I think that now is the time for our politicians to shape up and stop corruption in our country. Now is the time to show the people that the reason they're in politics is to serve the people. 

As one famous person once said 'You can fool some of the people sometimes, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.' "

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #ImpressionManagement

Name: Ammi

Age: 49

Sex: Female

Status: Highschool Christian Life Education Teacher

Quote: “Examine your conscience always as you serve God's people in the Philippines. Because you are so conscious about your popularity that you tend to forget specially the poor in our country. The economic situation has worsened so is graft and corruption”

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #ServeThePeople

Name: Jun

Age: 47

Sex: Male

Status: Father

Quote: "They are doing their jobs, but they can do more if they will just focus on serving the people."

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #WheresOurTaxes

Name: Grace

Age: 44

Sex: Female

Status: Mother

Quote: "Let the people know that their taxes work for them...not 'your' money."

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #Dramaturgy

Name: Ernie

Age: 63

Sex: Male

Status: Grandfather

Quote: "Bakit ang pambansang sasakyan ng mga corrupt officials ay ang wheelchair at ang pambansang piitan ng mga corrupt na officials ang hospital?"

Translation: "Why is the wheelchair the official car and the hospital the official prison of corrupt officials?"

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #FilipinosShould

Name: Babes 

Age: 60

Sex: Female

Status: Grandmother

Quote: "Majority of the people in our government are corrupt. They are responsible for most of our country's problems. But it saddens me because it is also us who placed them in their positions. This is a big challenge to us, Filipinos, because if we want a good government, each one of us must change for the better."

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #Lead #StartTheChange

Name: Tai

Age: 19

Sex: Male

Status: Student

Quote: "Gusto nito ng change? Bat di niyo kaya simulan."
Translation: "You want change? Why don't you start."

#Politics #MessageToPoliticians #GettingBetter

Name: Peabody

Age: -

Sex: Male

Status: Professor

Quote: "Poor but getting better"

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Observations 

Based on our interviews we conducted, our respondents, regardless of class, age, or social institution, generally had a negative reaction when it came to the performance of the Philippine's politicians. As a whole, they ranted about the how poorly the government was doing in different aspects such as economy, performance, and the like. 

However, their reactions did still vary. One variety they had was their manner of answering the questions. Sometimes, their status can affect the way they look at the performance of the government. For example, Josh and Joji, both associated with a law career, talked about the taxes and how this money was spent. They chose to talk more of the economic side of the government instead of just giving a very general answer. These two had a generally more in-depth understanding of the situation, in terms of transparency of tax records, since they are in a position wherein they are more exposed to the system as compared to others. Another clearer exemplification is Ammi's reaction. Being a CLE teacher, she had a more theological approach. She mentioned how the government was serving God's people and how they had to use their conscience in making decisions. This was clearly a manifestation of her role as a Christian Life Education Teacher. 

Another interesting thing we found was that even the children thought that the government wasn't doing a very good job. We were initially shocked since we originally thought that they wouldn't have any opinion regarding this topic (basing it from their ages). However, one possible cause for their way of thinking was from a very influential agent of socialization: their family. Basing solely on our data, it is possible that the parents of not only these children, but of the children who think that the government is "bad," also have a similar opinion with their children. These children were influenced from their surroundings and ended up having the same opinion as their parents. 

However, not all reactions were negative. It was nice to know that even through all the mocking and bashing, there were still some who looked at the situation at another perspective. One reaction that was interesting was from Babes. Even if she said that majority of the politicians are corrupt, she looked at the reason why they are there in the first place. Instead of commenting on the performance of the officials, she tackled the issue of proper voting. She said that we all need to take part in having a good government by voting wisely since we were the ones who actually put them in their position. 

It was also a good thing that others still had hope. One of our respondents thought that the officia's performance was "poor but getting better." Another one also said they were fine since they were able to do something for the government. It's a nice thing to know that amidst all these negative comments, there are still people out there who have hope. It's a good thing to know that Filipinos still have faith in our government in order to improve our society.