As I read for the nth time the life story of Eva Peron a.k.a. “Evita Peron” of Argentina, I was once again mesmerized by how a poor child who was abandoned by her father at an early age could end up as the strong force behind a powerful man like Juan Peron who married her in secret so she could take his place when needed. Evita talked on the radio and went out to give speeches to convince the people of Argentina that her husband is the only person who can take them out of poverty. Her beautiful and well-crafted speeches catapulted Juan Peron to the Presidency. Her style of dealing with the poor and the bureaucracy was rumored to have been imitated by our very own Imelda Romualdez Marcos who was tagged by some writers in the past as “Iron Butterfly” – same alias given to Evita Peron.
Evita’s rise to power might have inspired many women around the world including those in the rural areas in this country to participate in politics which was previously dominated by men. We had two women Presidents, two Vice-Presidents, women Senators and Representatives. Now we can see women ruling provinces, cities, municipalities and the Barangays and in this forthcoming Barangay elections, we can be assured of women winning the race. Women are perfect charmers. They can easily captivate their audience by their looks, voice, grace, poise and the wit to communicate. That’s the reason why more often than not, seasoned politicians are using them as “tools” to acquire more votes. Have you observed how some partners of politicians were trained to mingle with the crowd of people during election season? Some of them sing, dance and perform videos with them outside of their comfort zones purposely to entertain and help in the name recall of the aspiring candidate.
As we all knew, the financially and intellectually challenged individuals are the most vulnerable people normally trapped in the political schemes designed by traditional politicians. They easily believe hook, line and sinker what they see and hear and they scream at the sight of fake sweetness and made-up romance being shown to them. At the end of the day, the losers are the people at large and the winners are those who were able to receive remunerations in cash or in kind.
There’s nothing wrong with emulating the works of great world leaders as long as it is within the bounds of law and beneficial to the majority of people especially to the poorest of the poor. But this is not the case as evidenced by the glaring mansions and collection of expensive cars and jewelries by the winning aspirants every after election.
Are you not wondering why?
Melinda Bagsic Evangelista
I was born to write and I believe that’s my calling. I love writing because it brings me to the realm exclusively of mine. It is also my opinion that “immortality” can be achieved not by searching for the Holy Grail and drinking from it but by living your life worth-writing or writing something worth-reading. Since I cannot promise you a life worth-writing, I keep myself busy writing something worth-reading. I am thankful to God for giving me the talent and skill to see life in different perspectives not seen by many and the courage to share it to my readers. This first ever Tutubi Digital News Magazine is a perfect avenue to bring you the many facets of life that you can ponder upon in this time of the pandemic. Enjoy reading all the articles.