Poor Taste and Poor Conditions

Throughout August, with the nation on the cusp of disastrous flooding and regional calamity, the people looked up to the government for instruction and assurance. The Department of the Interior and Local Government took up the role of public service announcers in the wake of the desperate need to suspend school classes and government offices. For the people's safety, the DILG obliged these pleas, but not in a manner one would expect from the social media platforms of official government institutions.

There has been a flood of posts wherein a heavily satirical tone emblazons the nation's dilemma. Through constant jokes about the people's eagerness for suspensions and self-aware usage of the term “abangers” (eagerly anxious citizens), the DILG Facebook page highlights a gravely unprofessional display, one greatly unbefitting a government institution. 

Much consternation and contention must be drawn towards the tone of writing. It has the capacity to proliferate the distasteful and downright deadly normative expectation that a government institution needn't display a neutral and formal tone regarding such heavy matters. A nationwide retreat from school or work carries the weight of a brief vacation. This instills in the Filipino masses a sense of reticence, one so accustomed to a government that treats dire situations as seemingly mere and trivial. 

It is both insensitive and incredibly degrading to the spirit of the populace that expects more from the institutions that operate on the taxes of the working men, to exemplify such an attitude. That is a betrayal of the services the people anticipate from them. With value-added taxes so high, and the addition of others that milk everyone's pockets dry, this is arguably a bad deal. 

So now, why has this conduct not faced major criticism yet? Why have critical thinkers who have also found the distasteful nature of this only numbered in the dozens? There is no surmountable rationale for this to be excused.

Even under the pretenses of alleviating tensions through humorous gestures, this is not a position the government should undertake. Thus, this must be reviewed immensely. The writers and editors of these posts must be scrutinized. 

There is a time and place for jests. However, there should be none during this crisis and in this context. 

Sean Cruz is an Economics undergraduate at the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila. As a social scientist, he uses his knowledge of economics to address contemporary social issues and bring criticism to the immoral, unethical, and irrational.