ONE would think the Philippines is secretly apartheid South Africa, or worse, under Adolf Hitler's Aryan populated Germany the way many Filipinos in social media treated Nancy Binay.

No, I skipped my vote for her. I refuse to be a party for the perpetuation of a Binay dynasty and for her being an "OJT for 20 years," her words.

Look at some of the comments: "If Nancy Binay win for senator then the Dark Lord is back and so we need Harry Potter urgently! Hahahaha." Or this: "NO TO NANCY BINAY! ang replika ng itim na nazareno!" Like there's something wrong with looking like the Black Nazane (sic).

If only for that, I should have voted for Nancy Binay as a protest vote and strike a blow for democracy. There is no room for our constitutional democracy for bigots and racial discrimination. Nancy Binay has as much right to run for an elected post as mestiza Lucy Torres-Gmez or Aga Muhlach.

Getting elected on the basis of inherited skin color is just as worse on the basis of political pedigree. This mentality is the philosophical basis for discrimination and social exclusion in the country.

The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines states in Article II Section 26, "The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law." Obviously, even P-Noy balked at calling for a legislation banning political dynasties. And for that matter, we heard not a peep from any of our representatives from the six congressional districts Wikipedia notes: "Politics in the Philippines has been under the control of a few notable families. It is normal for a politician's son, wife, brother, or other kinsman, to run for the same or other government office. The term coined by Filipinos to describe this practice is 'Political dynasty,' the equivalent of an oligarchy in political science."

The online encyclopedia goes on: "One can trace its roots from the Spanish colonial times where favored families of the mestizo stock, or the ilustrados were given responsibilities of Gobernadorcillo, or Alcalde. As such, these men have wielded some influence in their communities, and patronage politics was a common undertaking."

During the early years of US colonial rule of the Las Islas de Filipinas, these ilustrados joined the budding democracy introduced by the Philippine Bill of 1902. During this period, family names such as Cojuangcos, Lpezes, Marcoses, Osmeas and Aquinos started to emerge, later on becoming household names.

Most of them are buena familias and light-skinned from their Chinese and Spanish blood. Wealth, landed estates, and skin color went hand-in-hand. This is the Filipino version of eugenics, the social philosophy advocating the improvement of human hereditary traits through the promotion of higher reproduction of more desired people and traits, and reduced reproduction of less desired people and traits.

We are a nation of over 90 million. We are Catholics, evangelicals, Muslims. We are doctors, lawyers, mediators, journalists, civil society workers and businesspeople. Many of us are farmers, workers, fisherfolks.

See original here:

Sanchez: Eugenics