The Question is - What Now?

 

By Gleemoore Makie 

What if Rodrigo Duterte had never been born? Would the Philippines have taken a different path? Would crime have spiraled out of control, or would the nation have found a different way to combat illegal drugs? Would you—yes, you—have remained the same person you are today? Or would you have followed a different road? 

Would you have been one of those who silently benefited from his rule, following the tide, only to change your stance when he was no longer in power? Many who once cheered for him later spoke against him—were they truly against his methods, or were they simply adjusting to a new reality? How many supported him out of fear? How many truly believed in his vision? How many just followed the strongest voice at the time?

And now that he is no longer in power, what path have you chosen? Have you returned to old habits, now that the fear of punishment has faded? Have you changed your views, not out of realization but because it is now safe to do so? Or have you remained firm in your beliefs, regardless of who leads?

Duterte never wavered—whether one feared him or admired him, he stood his ground, ready to face his non-existence. But what about those who lived under his rule? What about those who found themselves on the receiving end of his war on drugs?

To the victims of the drug war, what would you ask? If Duterte never existed, would your loved ones still be alive today? Would they have found a second chance? Or would they have still met the same fate, but at the hands of another system—one that kills slowly through neglect rather than swiftly through force?

For those who lost their family members, was it the war that took them, or the life they had already chosen? Would they have turned their lives around if given the opportunity? Or were they doomed long before Duterte’s time?

And what of those who once lived in fear of drug addicts and criminals? Would you have felt safe in your own home if no leader had ever dared to confront the drug trade? Would your children have been free to walk the streets at night, or would the shadows have swallowed them too?

If Duterte never existed, would another leader have done what he did? Or would we have allowed the problem to continue, waiting for someone else to take responsibility? Would we have blamed another leader for our struggles, just as many do now?

But the real question is not about Duterte. The real question is about you.

What will you do with your existence? Will you merely follow whoever is in power, changing your stance when it is convenient? Or will you stand for something, even when it is no longer popular?

Would you have been part of the problem or part of the solution? Would you have waited for a strong leader to take action, or would you have stepped up yourself—teaching, guiding, inspiring, and making your own existence meaningful?

Would you have been kinder, more understanding, or more indifferent? Would you have questioned authority, or would you have accepted things as they are? More importantly, are you waiting for someone else to define your purpose? Or are you shaping it right now?

Duterte’s existence—or non-existence—is not the real question. The real question is: How do you make your own existence matter?

Would you be an addict, a pusher, or a saint? Or would you be something greater—someone who doesn’t wait for a leader to change the world but takes action to make a difference, not just for yourself but for the many?

What if you stopped asking “What if?” and started asking “What now?” 

- Dr. Gleemoore Makie teaches Philosophy at Benguet State University (Bokod Campus)