A Sermon On The Hypocrisies Of The Aquinos And Other Celebrities

This is written in response to all those supporters of the Aquino family who keep telling their critics that “they’ve done a lot” for the common people. In all honesty, as much as I’d like to respect other people’s opinions and as much as I hate having to lecture people in a quasi-religious manner, I think it’s high time for a reality check. I’m really sorry people but, going hand in hand with our “bakya” culture, we all too often focus on the wrong things or aspects in our society over issues that are both relevant and important. So please bear with me dear readers as I once again don my shaman’s regalia to deliver another scathing sermon. Just please give me a minute to make sure that my elk antler headdress and my cobra-head loincloth is on right…

Anyway, “charity”, a word we often associate with generosity. Of course, it’s fairly easy to assume that they’re the same thing but let me tell you that “charity” from a legislative point of view isn’t the same virtue we’d like to think it is. Similar to how we often misinterpret the meaning of “sacrifice”, we also fail to fully understand the difference between charity practiced by our politicians and celebrities and the real charity that comes from people’s hearts.

They Give Charity For Tax And PR Purposes

Okay, let’s start this with something from the Bible…

There was this one time when a bunch of people were putting cash in the temple’s donation box and the disciples were watching. They watched as a lot of rich folks dropped loads and loads of coins into the donation box and commented on how productive the day was. But then, a destitute widow came and dropped two greasy coins into the donation box. 

The disciples who saw this laughed and jeered, saying stuff like: “Was that all?” or “She might as well have not dropped anything!”

But then, Jesus saw this and confronted them about it. He said something that amounted to: “Quit being a jerk you guys! Can’t you see that was all she had? If you compare what she gave to what all the others gave, she probably gave the biggest donation of all! Those guys might have donated a lot but they have a lot of money to start with so what they gave can be compared to pocket change! Stop being such hypocrites and think about it!”

Okay, so what does that tell us?

The thing is, we all pay taxes, don’t we? Also note that the richer you are, the likely bigger taxes you have to pay. The case is the same with the affluent Aquino family who probably need to pay a lot of taxes lest they be accused of corruption and worse. When you really think about it, paying taxes is probably the only reason that President Aquino and the rest of the LP isn’t accused of being corrupt. Because, when you really take a look at the evidence, they are one, if not the most corrupt political party in the Philippines.

Remember, anyone can pay taxes and put coins in the hands of beggars but to be really charitable is a different story. If Kris Aquino followed the example of the First Ladies of the visiting Prime Ministers who went all the way to various dump sites and slum areas to help the poor, I’d actually be impressed. Or alternatively, if she and her brother could ditch the protectionist policies of the constitution to provide our people with more jobs, I might even eat my own words and join their side!

So no, I’m not going to praise the Aquinos for doing things that they’re supposed to be doing in the first place!

Their Troubles Are Mostly Self-Inflicted

To make it like they’re actually making sacrifices for the common people, they tend to put themselves through a little bit of trouble.

As an example, I can cite Kris Aquino calling it “quits” with the thousands of people who were forced to walk during APEC because of the fact that she was sunburned and that her legs hurt from walking around in high-heels.

Well, the thing is, she chose to go out there in the heat to begin with and that it was also she who chose her footwear. She could have chosen to travel and stay in a comfortable car or at least put on some good sunblock to avoid the sunburn. Lastly, she could’ve used more comfortable footwear or, again, stay inside her private vehicle so her legs wouldn’t have hurt so much.

Besides, what was the point? It’s clear that she only went out there because she wanted to be around hotties like the Canadian and Mexican prime ministers. It wasn’t like walking around out there were of the utmost importance to the Filipino people. Does walking with the prime ministers somehow miraculously provide homes for the displaced victims of Yolanda? Does flirting with the Canadian prime minister enable the Lumads to reclaim their lost territories and lives? Does flirting with the Mexican prime minister somehow provide jobs for the common Filipino?

Everything Is For Show

Again, a little tidbit from the Bible…

(I apologize to the non-Christian readers of GRP.)

Jesus preached against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He told them not to imitate what they do, especially when it came to the treatment of the poor. Because, as it turns out, the Pharisees only gave out alms when other people were watching, to show off how “kind” and “charitable” they were. 

Jesus went on to say that by showing off one’s good deeds, one defeats the purpose of generosity. Because, after all, generosity and charity is about doing something for others without expecting anything in return. Doing good deeds so that other people may laud you is in and of itself hypocritical because you’re only doing it to impress other people. If you truly wanted to do good in the world, you should do it without an audience and you should avoid talking about it to others if at all possible.

Considering the fact that the Aquinos have almost 24-hour surveillance and their activities are broadcast by their favorite TV channel which is owned by one of their closest allies, is it any surprise that there are those of us who are fooled into thinking of them as “saints”. I mean really, people? Let’s first find a source that’s not related to ABS-CBN that paints them in a similar light before assuming that all the hype about their “goodness” is true.

Heck, Kris Aquino seems to be only popular in the Philippines, thanks to their privately owned media outlets. Relatively few of my foreign friends even know about her and those that do do not see her in a positive light.

***

Have a blessed week everyone!