The DWCC

Audacious Eye

MINDANAO: The secondborn child curse is real!

We knew at the first place that we have lack of attention on helping our fellow Filipinos, but we still stand on our ground of being unaware or being blinded by lies.

Philippines –the mother country is nothing without its three children: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. When trouble strikes, however, it seems like Visayas is looked after and Luzon is given sustenance. This raises the problem of what about the second largest division: Mindanao? As tough as it to walk the talk, it is imperative that for the sake of building up the country as a whole, we must dispel the second-child curse.

Even by the name LuzViMin, the order of prioritization is evident. Luzon, biggest in size with 42,457.7 sq mi and houses the capital, is the center of attention. With it containing the known cities, the residence of the national government, and networks of commerce, it is a reasonable move to put them first in the line of restoration. Visayas, smallest in size with 27,607 sq mi and features jaw-dropping culture and nature, is a hotspot for tropical cyclones. As such, they require most of the assistance to recover. That leaves Mindanao.

The island of Mindanao is still searching for peace and human rights. There are wars, territorial conflicts, shortages, and like Luzon and Visayas, remnants of calamity damage. This fact should alert the attention of all Filipinos. The

Philippines should not turn a blind eye on them. This is not a demand to shine the spotlight only on Mindanao, but to share in the attention that Luzon and Visayas often get when put in similar situations.

“Before, (storms) almost never reached Cebu, and definitely not Davao. Now, they do,” said Jose Maria Lorenzo Tan, president of World Wildlife Fund Philippines. However, others said that this island is a free from typhoon, but the history already tells us that Mindanao is not a typhoon-free island. They are also prone to this kind of calamities. How could we miss this? As part of this country, how come we miss this news about out own family. This is really sad and heartbreaking to realize.

Mindanao is best known for their beautiful beaches, incredible forests, rich history and tropical fruit trade. Moreover, in accordance with the data from Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Mindanao posted a remarkable economic growth of 7.2 percent in 2022 as only slightly lower than the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 7.6 percent. This impressive percentage of Regional GDP is a great contribution for the total economy state of the country and must be recognized.

They can give a lot but are set aside whenever they require help. Am I the only one noticing that they are the only ones that are being left out by some of the Filipinos?

The duty of every citizen of this country is to care for our mainland - to give help not only financial means but through using our voices to uplift the image of this island. Even if we may not reside in Mindanao, it should never be an excuse to stay unaware of the things happening there. We have a lot of resources offered by technology that we can use to reach the island, virtually. Some of us did this but most did nothing.

Shortage of News Sources.

Some of the media outlets in Mindanao and other parts of the country were shut down by the government. The most known mainstream media that was turned down is the ABS-CBN. Based on the 2019 survey in Visayas and Mindanao of PUBLiCUS Asia Inc. (PAHAYAG), 70.9% of around 2,000 registered voters who served as the respondents of the said survey casted their answer that ABS-CBN is their most trusted media outlet. For the given data, we can infer that if the said company was shut down, then the information from the area of Mindanao were limited. The news for the Filipinos will be cut short. This is a very alarming since the people will not be exposed to the things that they need to be exposed to, like the calamities in the area and/or other phenomena.

We can definitely notice the importance of media in the life of everyone. Just think and observe what is happening now, we are not notified of the updates in the different parts of our country because of the scarce media outlets. Hopefully, this reaches out to the existing and upcoming stations to expand their scope and deliver news for the sake of those in dire need.

Blinded by Big Ones

The supposed parents of our country appear negligent to this country-family. They seem to have favorites. And who is the one always being unnoticed and left out of the frame? The second- child, the island of Mindanao. As the government, they should not only be focusing on what is currently happening in the country capital, but should also pay attention to the southern part who are waiting for their care and action. Instead of just creating unnecessary projects like the dolomite sand beach where the sole reason of the government is for the mental health of the people which is really irellevant during the pandemic era. Also, the unending corruption issues of the government agencies that the high-ups never been solved and worst case is on cuttiing the media outlet for some unreasonable reasons. Reverse those dark phases and transform the attention on expanding the coverage of the media and refrain from cutting it for personal matters. The media is powerful, the top influencer. If there is an enough number of outlets in every part of country, then people will be more updated on the local news.

Plus, it is also beneficial for the government as they will know what appropriate actions or projects need to implemented to effectively serve its people. They will also be aware on the things that they are unaware of before. Life will significantly become better if it will happen - no conflicting issues, projects become accessible, and relationships become harmonious. Reactivating the Power! We have our own power: our voice. Though we are aware of the lack in attention our fellow Filipinos require, we still stand on our ground that we should no longer be unaware and be blinded by lies. We are the movement for change –starting with Mindanao.

One of the best example where the Filipinos used their voices and really make a huge impact to the whole country is during the campaign of Former Vice President Leni Robredo in which the youth ignite together in order to lift what kind of leader we deserved. And this kind of movement should also be applied on giving an attention for the needs of Mindanao, Filipinos must also ignite on empowering this kind of matters.

This is not our endpoint. We still have time to reevaluate our past actions. We should now reactivate the privilege we have contained in our influence, voice and abilities. Mindanao is calling to us in silent cries. They also need help as their place in the Philippines seems to fade out. Our duty as a citizen of this country is to care for this family. This is not only applicable for the state of Mindanao, but also for some pressing issues that are also flickering or intentionally fading out due to time and meddling.

Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao – it’s always been three. Mindanao is not a threat; this island is an inspiration for all that needs to be protected. Like in a family setup, the parents are stricter and more protective of their middle-child because they are prone to risks. Just adopt this concept, we need to protect every island. Luzon and Visayas need also to help their brother at all times. We are one family here and no one should feel that they are alone and nonexistent. They also need help and we as a nation, need to help. Mindanao’s struggles should never remain unseen. Diminish ignorance. Divide the attention adequately. Destroy the second-child curse.

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