Fighting corruption

EYES WIDE OPEN

- IRIS GONZALES

It's a critical time in our country today and I am watching with bated breath. Political tensions are worsening amid Rody Duterte's arrest and looming trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. His supporters aren't taking this sitting down. They are on overdrive on social media, unleashing their anger, etc. For sure, Duterte's historic arrest will affect the outcome of the May 2025 elections. Sympathy votes will favor the Duterte camp and their senatorial line-up and candidates at the local level.

The next surveys will reflect what happened and will be all about politics. But this shouldn't be the case. We should consider the economic impact of our decisions when we vote in the upcoming elections.

It's time that voters be discerning. We must choose public servants instead of the trapos or those who come from political dynasties to make our laws or govern our cities and provinces because they tend to favor the class they belong to. See how out of touch they are when asked about the issues of ordinary citizens—from problematic pedestrian lanes to the impact of the sweltering heat on students.

We must choose those who love our country and those with proven track records. We must choose those who are brave enough to speak out against corruption.

'Silence is not an option' Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, for instance, has consistently spoken against corruption, believing that silence is not an option.

"Silence is not neutrality—it is tolerance, it is complicity. And so, I urge each and every one of you: let us speak up. Let us speak out."