27/03/2025
Let’s be clear: Gen Z is one of the most politically vocal and digitally savvy generations this country has ever seen. They speak up. They care. They move. That’s power. But sometimes—and let’s be honest here—that power is being used without depth, without context, and worse, without knowing they’re being played.
Because what most of them don’t realize is: they didn’t just decide to hate Duterte.
They were taught to. Fed to. Programmed to. And not even by people—by algorithms.
Swipe left, TikTok shows you Duterte with red filters and ominous music. Scroll down, Twitter/X hands you threads that loop the same headlines. IG carousels give you Canva-made “truths” designed for dopamine, not for debate. You think you’re learning—but you’re actually being herded. Not educated. Conditioned.
The outrage is real—but is it organic? Or is it manufactured to go viral?
Of course, Duterte isn’t a saint. Never claimed to be. He cursed, he clapped back, he dragged people in public. But while he was doing that, he was also building infrastructure, protecting the country’s borders, standing up to foreign hands, and giving Mindanao the seat at the table it never had. He did in six years what others failed to do in decades.
But guess what doesn’t get views? Build, Build, Build videos with stats.
Guess what trends? A 15-second TikTok calling him a “dictator” with a Billie Eilish track in the background.
You’re being manipulated. But you’re too busy “raising awareness” to notice.
The drug war? Yes, talk about it. But talk about the context. What was the country drowning in before Duterte said, “No more”? Talk about the victims, yes—but talk about the ones victimized by addicts, too. You can’t cherry-pick pain just because one version is trendier to post.
And here’s the part no one wants to touch:
Why won’t you ask why your own parents, titos, titas, older siblings support the man you hate?
Do you think they’re all “bobo”? Do you really believe your OFW mom, who worked her fingers to the bone just to send you to school, is ignorant for trusting a leader who made her feel seen? Or your blue-collar dad who finally had decent roads and safer streets? Are they all “uneducated,” or is it just easier to dismiss them than to admit maybe—just maybe—they know something you don’t?
It’s uncomfortable to ask why the very people who love you, raised you, and protected you support the guy you’re canceling online. But that’s where growth starts. Not in curated outrage, but in real conversations.
This isn’t about defending Duterte blindly. This is about defending your brain from lazy thinking.
So to the Gen Zs who are starting to question, starting to unlearn, starting to see the cracks in the curated content: Good. Keep going. Don’t stop at hating who they told you to hate. Dig deeper. Ask why. Ask who benefits when you rage. Ask what they don’t want you to see.
Because this country needs you. But it needs you awake, not programmed.
Brave, not bandwagoning.
Loud, yes—but also right.
