Politicians' last words: Today, I will bring you to Paradise

With apologies to our Lord, Jesus Christ, who promised Paradise on the same day to a repentant criminal, today we bewail, denounce, and condemn the politicians who keep on fooling the people with their own promises of paradise. We also express our disappointment why many people keep on buying empty promises from false prophets, the politicians, and keep on believing false news hook, line, and sinker. Why do trapos thrive when people are educated, schooled and well-informed? Well, people are desperate for hope. And politicians peddle hope.

Why do politicians keep on promising heaven and earth, the moon and the stars, and even heaven and paradise when most of them are living in hell? The hell of deceptions and betrayals, the hell of trickery and demagoguery, the hell of false promises with no iota of intent to be fulfilled, these are the politicians’ usual way to ignite support from a people that refuse to wake up. The problem lies not only in the deceivers but those who are very easy to fool. We have a people that allow themselves to be hoodwinked, deceived, betrayed, and tricked all the time. Yes, there are no tyrants if there are no slaves. There are no deceivers if there are none to deceive.

The paradise that politicians offer is a country of high prosperity and strong economy, a nation with strong sovereignty and national security, a country well-respected by other members of the international community of nations, a territory that is not openly occupied by foreign invaders, a people who have the patriotism to defend our national integrity, and protect every inch of our land and sea. The politicians promise peace and order, the absence of crime and terrorism, safety and security for people and their families. They promise a land where there is justice; social justice, economic justice, and political justice.

Politicians promise jobs for the people, housing for the urban poor, food for every Filipino, clean and affordable water, decent and permanent jobs for the working class, livelihood for the jobless and a clean, safe and secure neighborhood and communities. Politicians promise social security for the workers in case of work-related diseases, accidents, and deaths. They promise job security and basic rights of laborers and employees, opportunities for growth, and employment here without needing to go abroad and leave their families to be deployed to dirty, difficult, dangerous, degrading, and deceptive jobs abroad.

Where is our country in relation to the politicians' promises? Their promises are “kapantay ay langit.” Our social and economic conditions are “bato sa buhangin.” Why do people keep on believing the politicians? Because the people cannot afford shabu, cocaine, or marijuana. They want to escape from a cruel world. They use the politicians’ promises as opium to make them high. They know that they are being fooled, but they see no other option.