Deaf to Democracy

The Survey Says: You Don't Matter

A fresh OCTA Research survey has dropped a number that should surprise absolutely no one — and yet somehow still stings. Sixty-one percent of Filipinos say that elected officials in Congress and local government simply do not value the views of people like them. Only 31% believe otherwise. The rest, presumably, are those officials' relatives on the campaign payroll.

The survey also found that Filipinos still trust the government to solve national problems — meaning we believe in the institution, we just don't believe the people currently running it can hear us. Which tracks. It is very hard to hear constituents when you're busy attending ribbon-cutting ceremonies and fundraising dinners with your ninong.

The Satire Angle

Picture the scene: rows of honorable representatives seated in plush Congress chairs, eyes serenely closed, wearing the finest noise-canceling headphones money from the public fund can buy. Outside the tinted windows, the Filipino people — armed with megaphones and a collective sense of civic betrayal — are screaming into the void. Our CHKN mascot is there too, holding a sign that says 'CLUCK YOUR EARS OPEN.' Nobody inside can hear a thing. And honestly? They prefer it that way.

"We hear the people. We just choose not to listen. Big difference." — Every Elected Official, Probably

The real punchline? Elections are coming. And somehow, the 61% will still show up, ballot in hand, hoping that this time — this time — someone in that chamber will finally take the earplugs out. That's not naivety. That's democracy. That's the bit.