True Democracy and Inner Freedom

There is no greater pursuit in life than to have freedom and equal rights. People are fighting to gain freedom and the right to be heard. Democracy gives us these rights. It is not only about to be heard but being listened to. Democracy has given us not only the right to voice out what we want to say but it also gives us the right to hear what we want to hear. As a student of the 21st century, I was one of those who benefited from the struggles of our great grandmothers to have equal rights with men.

Democracy is a form of government where man usually plays the main role. The aristocrats, landlords, and politicians have to work according to the needs and wishes of the people. Officers are working for the welfare, betterment, and amelioration of the common people who had elected them as their representatives so that the voices of the common people can be heard. Democracy is characterized by the participation in the government of the members of the community in decision making, allowing them to take part in things which amounts to public demonstration of the people’s opinion.

During the Spanish colonization era, the type of government we had was colonialism. The government we had back then was only composed of two branches, executive and judicial. There was no legislative branch since the laws that govern us were coming from Spain. The government during this period was led by the Governor General. He is the highest officer on the island and is a representative of the king of Spain. The provinces on the islands are called encomiendas and were governed by an encomienderos. The Encomienda system, wherein the king has the right the authority of a particular land to a Spanish individual, was implemented. This system has created hindrances for the economic development of the common people, making the elite richer and the common people poorer. The Filipinos were not treated equally with the Spanish individuals, they were not given the voice that they needed.