Vox Populi
Hundreds of times we have heard of the age-old mantra that “actions speak louder than words”, but have we ever thought of how actually speaking out might be the one that makes the difference?
A few weeks ago I decided to switch cellular providers and applied for another line in one of the country’s leading networks.
The experience did not deserve 5-stars but because I expected average service, I let it slip by. What pushed my buttons, though, was the unfulfilled promise of a 48-hour activation period.
72 hours, two on-store complaints, three emails, tweets, a self that was headed out of Manila and a multitude of customer care calls later, I finally got to use my number.
The service was horrible, the promises were misleading, and the entire situation was just downright disappointing.
The telecommunications company currently has 85 million subscribers; it is impossible that this only happened to one.
With my usual self, I had no trouble in asserting my rights as a consumer. Thinking about the general nature of how Filipinos are with regards to being vocal about matters that concern them, I can’t help but feel sorry for what our nation has become.
As a people we’ve grown to be superficial fighters – turning timid when the battle comes rushing in.
More often than not, the typical Filipino would just shrug these instances off and blame it on the system.
I, myself, am guilty of dismissively sweeping things under the rug when I feel like the complaint is not worth it, or worse, when I feel like my say isn’t important anyway.
How many times have you settled for mashed potato instead of your requested coleslaw? How many times have you asked your yaya to repair that faulty zipper you refused to take back to the store? More than once, I presume.
Where this sense of not caring comes from, I do not really know. Whether it is rooted in the inferiority complex we have nurtured from way back the ages of colonization or the simple trademark of the lazy Juan, we cannot seem to break free from the chains of this character.
Sure, modernity has improved our ways of being heard and technology has paved efficient avenues for the common people, but does accessibility guarantee a higher percentage of the apathetic majority to step up?
With the country undeniably performing less than par and trailing behind Southeast Asian giants like Singapore, we cannot afford to be too lax about even the most trivial details.
If the tiniest complaints are left unsaid, who knows what major problems will be left to rot in a forgotten corner.
Filipinos need to stop being okay with getting pushed over and learn when to draw their mighty swords.
The nation needs a voice that will stand tall and rise above the lingering whispers that has been keeping the Philippines buried in the deep.
