It could be because the loudest and angriest voices in Philippine mainstream media and social media are disproportionately Yellowtards but the recent outrage fad surrounding comments made in the podcast Machong Chismisan reveals a lot about the selective sensitivity and consistent hypocrisy ingrained in Philippine society.
Firstly, outrage like this is normal in most normal cultures. As the Inquirer editor points out today…
[…] it brought attention to the subject and reminded the public that PWDs deserve respect, and that such acts that violate their well-being and dignity are punishable under Republic Act No. 7277, or the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities. This law imposes a fine ranging from P50,000 to P200,000, or imprisonment from six months up to six years for violations.
But of course, right?
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Nothing justifies making fun of the disabled. The legitimately-disadvantaged by birth or accident deserve a place of dignity in a modern society. The hosts of Machong Chismisan did the right thing apologising for their remarks online.
By itself, however, persons with disabilities (PWD) being made punchlines as in this recent incident is not really that shocking. It is, on the contrary, normal in Philippine society. This is not even all about casual ableism ingrained in casual conversation and banter among Filipinos both ordinary and in mass media. What is more disturbing here is the “outrage” on display here that, when seen from the perspective of the reality of actual PWD social and physical infrastructure in the Philippines, is quite frankly disproportionate.
It is worth noting that it is more than likely that much of this outrage originated and erupts from the ranks of the Philippines’ laking village set. These are people who live, work, and play in the Philippines’ First World enclaves where infrastructure and outward behaviour are, at least on the surface, “at par” with the First World. Within these tony islands, PWD “inclusivity” is visibly applied…
Or is it?
Look more closely at the above photo — said to have been taken somewhere in the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) — and imagine yourself in a wheelchair navigating that ramp. The facility is there but just does not make sense. Indeed, that small instance is a microcosm of the BGC itself — a small “well laid out” chunk of urban antiseptic bulldozed into a Metro Manila suburb with no thought to integrating into the organic road network of its native community. This wheelchair ramp and the BGC itself both don’t not make sense.
You can’t put up a small exception case and claim it is representative of the whole. Manila overall cannot even prioritise respect for its able-bodied citizens. What hope is there for PWDs in the Philippines’ overall scheme of things?
It’s best then that outrage fads such as the sort people like Karen Davila feel the need to chime in on should, at best, be taken with a grain of salt.
Until Filipinos can demonstrate how truly serious they are demonstrating that theirs is a society that is truly considerate of PWDs consistently across ordinary everyday circumstances, outrage fads such as this latest one surrounding Machong Chismisan are laughable at best.
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