Tagalog Version (Click Here)

The Philippine presidential elections will happen VERY soon and I remember some people thinking “if the government wasn’t corrupt we’d be rich!” or “we are poor because the government is terrible!” During these times, some candidates are hailed by the their supporters as the “savior” who will change the Philippines and that all of the country’s problems will be solved instantly once they’re elected. As a side effect of this, some people appear to think that when their candidates win and the government changes, all their own personal problems (financial or otherwise) will be solved as well.

While it’s true that government corruption and irresponsibility can destroy the lives and welfare of an entire nation or, at the minimum, make everything more difficult, it’s a terrible mistake to think that having a better government will magically turn you from a simple laborer into a billionaire without you doing anything. The country might change for the better (or it might also change for the worse), but none of that will mean anything to any one of us unless we do something about our own personal situations.

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