Actress Ria Atayde: It is our right and obligation as Filipinos to hold elected officials accountable

MANILA, Philippines — On the day of President Rodrigo Duterte’s fifth State of the Nation Address, actress Ria Atayde called on Filipinos to hold elected officials accountable and not be mute and deaf to the problems of the country.

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Atayde noted the oppressions being experienced by Filipinos through the years including the supposed lack of ability to address the COVID-19 pandemic which has so far infected at least 80,000 persons in the country.

“Sa lumipas na apat na taon, ang dami nating pinagdaanang opresyon sa ating bansa — mula sa pagpatay sa mga mamamayan hanggang sa kawalan ng kakayahang humarap sa krisis at pandemya,” Atayde said Monday in an Instagram post.

(In the past four years, the country experienced many oppression — from killings of our countrymen to the lack of ability to face the crisis and the pandemic.)

“Ang dami nating hinayaan at pinalipas… pero umaasa akong matatapos na ang panahon ng ating pananahimik at hindi pag-imik. Hindi tayo pwedeng maging pipi at bingi sa mga abuso sa ating bayan at mga kababayan,” she went on.

(We let a lot of things pass but I’m expecting that a time will come where our silence will be over. We cannot be mute and deaf to the abuses to our country and fellow Filipinos.)

It is the duty of Filipinos to hold officials accountable, Atayde added, noting that one must remain vigilant in what is happening to the country.

“Tayo ay, bago ang lahat, mga Pilipino. Karapatan at tungkulin natin ang panagutin ang mga pinunong ating hinalal. Hindi natin pwedeng hayaang unahin nila ang kanilang pag-unlad habang ang ating mga kapwa Pilipino ay nagdurusa,” she said.

(Before anything, we are Filipinos. It’s our right and our duty to hold accountable our elected officials. We cannot let them prioritize their personal agenda before the plight of the suffering Filipinos.)

“Manatiling mapagmatyag at wag magbulag-bulagan. Alam kong marami sa atin ay mas maginhawa ang kalagayan kumpara sa iba, pero tayo ay iisang bansa. Ang kinabukasan natin ay kinabukasan nila,” she added.

(Remain vigilan and don’t pretend to be blind. I know that some of us have ease of life compared to others but we are one country. Our future is their future.)