REMEMBER THE GOLDEN RULE

Since the election fever started, senatorial candidate and now Senator-elect Nancy Binay had been the object of unsavory remarks by a lot of people.

Her father's seemingly wrong move to thrust her into the political arena (which obviously was the farthest thing on her mind, being a reluctant candidate by her own admission) forced her into becoming a victim of circumstances. As a result, she had been subjected to a lot of character assassination and name calling, foremost of which were: inexperienced, unqualified, trying hard, ambitious, etc., The most insensitive attacks on her person were ugly and "negra", which however way you look at it, is definitely foul. People seem to derive so much joy in seeing others maligned.

For the record, I am not an admirer of Nancy Binay. I honestly believe she is still raw and lacks the qualifications needed to become an "effective" member of the Senate. I say effective because being popular can land you a Senate seat, but it does not in anyway mean you can perform well. Because of these reasons and so much more, I did not cast a vote in her favor, which is the most logical thing to do. My displeasure with her however, starts and ends there.

I am not in agreement with those who resort to name calling, much more if these attacks become too personal. Please take note that the lady was vying for a Senate seat, and not on becoming the next Binibining Pilipinas. So where does beauty and being dark skinned come into the picture? It has absolutely nothing to do with the issue, nor a criterion in order to excel.

I even saw a post on Facebook alluding that if she donned the robes worn by the Senator judges during the impeachment proceedings, she would look like the Black Nazarene. I find that very disrespectful, not only as an insult to her, but lack of reverence to God as well. We should never make a laughing matter out of God. 

It is time to remind people of the golden rule. Isn't this one of the first things we learned from our parents and from school as well? How would you feel if the same remarks were to be said about you? I am sure you wouldn't like it either. So do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you. It's as simple as that.

Also, as a rule of thumb, if you can't say anything nice about someone, just refrain from saying anything at all.

Isn't it ironic that what her bashers and the people who campaigned against her, failed to anticipate, was that they would be instrumental in her victory due to the so called "sympathy" votes? Filipinos always go for the underdog.

With the elections having been done with, let us see what lies ahead. Faced with a gargantuan task of what could very well be one of the biggest challenges in her life, Nancy Binay might just ultimately prove all of us wrong in the end.