There can never be equality in this world. As a Filipino observer, this is what I learned over the past decades of my life here on the Philippines. Perhaps, many of you will agree that good and evil forces are the key players in this innocent planet. For the religious, its angel and demons who fight each other. For the politicians, it would be the majority versus the minority. For world leaders, the allied and axis powers do take over the world. But for the kids, it is simply the heroes and villains.
This post is something you may not like and I sincerely apologize if it would hurt your feelings or bring you harm, especially with the photos I am going to share here. With all these never-ending racism, discrimination, abuse of power, terrorism, oppression, and inequality happening around the Philippines and the whole world, are not those so-called “superheroes” already dead? It’s only in the movies where good ending happens, but in real life, the cycle of winning and losing just keep on going. But life goes on.
We all hope superheroes are not dead and they will come to rescue us from these evils of our time.
So I come with this story based on realities going in my country, the Philippines. Sadly, this story may or may not have a good ending too. But it’s worth the read, I’m telling you. Here it goes.
A Pinoy Kid Meets His Foreign Superhero
One day, there’s a Filipino kid who happens to see in person the superheroes. He couldn’t believe what he see. Big muscles, stunning costumes, perfect posture, and of course, unbelievable superpowers – these are what best describes these superheroes in the mind of this kid.
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| Kid Looking at Superheroes Figures on Display |
So out of curiosity, the kid asks one of his favorite superhero. “Can you please bring me around so I can experience how it feels to be with a superhero?”. Well, without hesitation, the superhero gives his quick approval saying, “Sure, ride on my shoulder and I will walk you around”. Then the kid’s journey with the superhero begins.
The superhero asks the kid, “Where do you want to go first?”. The kid responds with excitement, “Let’s go to the toy store”. So the superhero bring him to the toy store.
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| Toys on Sell |
“Wow, I like these toys”, said the kid. “I have a lot of toys like these at home. My mom and dad filled my room with toys ever since I was born”, added the kid.
The superhero decided to bring the kid in a place where kids like him play. And when they stepped into the place, the superhero tells the kid, “Is this something you also like to see? There are lots of kids here who enjoys playing with other kids.”
“Oh yes, it’s cool here. I would love to play here always”, the kid uttered with much appreciation.
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| Vehicle Rides in Front of a Play Store |
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| Kid Riding a Joy Ride |
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| Kid Riding a Pony in a Mini Carousel |
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| Kids Playing Video Games |
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| Kids Enjoying in Lego Play Mat |
After an hour of wandering around, the kid starts to feel hungry. The superhero then instantly thinks of the best restaurant to go. So the two go inside the Jollibee!
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| Kids with their Family Outside a Jollibee Food Shop |
After the kid finishes his meal, the superhero asks him, “Okay, how about going outside and see if we can find someone that needs help and we’ll see if we can rescue them?”
“Oh, I would love to do that! Let’s go”, the kid responded with enthusiasm.
The superhero then walks the kid on the streets of Philippines and the kid could not believe what he just saw.
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| Kid on the Path Walk |
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| Man with a Push Cart |
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| Family Selling on the Street Sidewalk |
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| Kid Sleeping on a Foot Bridge |
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| Kids and an Adult Lying on a Sidewalk |
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| Grandmother Asking Alms on a Foot Bridge |
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| Man on His Sidecar Looking for Plastic and Recyclable Junks |
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| Two Boys Hanging on a Jeep |
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| Street Kid Sleeping |
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| Kids Eating on the Sidewalk |
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| Grandmother Begging for Money |
The kid then asks, "Are we going to rescue them now?"
The superhero surprisingly tells this to the kid, “Unfortunately, I cannot use my superpowers to help these people because it won’t work smoothly if I am with you. So what if I bring you back first to where you find me and then I will get back to these people to help them. Would that be okay?”
The kid then said, “Okay, that’s alright. But before we part each other, I want you to share with me the secrets of becoming a superhero so I can be like you when I grow up.”
“Oh sure”, said the superhero in delight. They then flew back to the place and right there, the superhero explains to him everything about becoming a superhero. Afterwards, the superhero flies back and rescues the people they saw earlier.
And that’s the end of the story.
What do you think did the superhero tells the kid? Well, if I was the kid in that story, here’s what the superhero could have been told me.
"Those kids and elders in the streets, they need a superhero. See, you're a kid who has also great superheroes except for me. They're your mom and dad, and uncles and aunties, and lolo and lola. They can give you what you need. But those people in the streets, they have no toys, food, and maybe homes like you and other kids. You can tell your superheroes at home to help other kids and elders like them, if you want to."
"Someday, when you grow up, you will become the superhero that you like. You can become a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, a pilot, a government officer, a company executive, a police officer, a writer, a salesman, or anyone you can think of. That’s what becoming a real superhero is all about. That is the day you will realize you have the superpowers to help others. You will have the mind power to plan your goals in life and the strength of helping others. You will surely have the money to share, someday."
"However, superheroes have to rest and sleep too. That is the time when you need to recover from being tired of doing your good deeds. Also, you will face struggles when helping people. There will be temptations. It is not always a perfect superhero life. Along the way, you will face evils, demons, and villains who will fool you the best they could. And believe me, you may lose your superpowers when you’re sick so take good care of yourself, okay. That happens to all superheroes out there. So it is good that you pray. You exercise. You go out for fun when time allows. You talk to your friends and families as an ordinary guy."
"And remember this important thing: Except for your most trusted person, don’t ever tell others you’re a superhero. Superhero shouldn’t be told to all the people of the world. It should be a secret as much as possible. That’s what a real superhero should be - no fame, just simple. But when the world discovered you’re a superhero, please stay as humble as you are. Keep on doing your thing – help others without fear or favor."
You, what do you think?
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| "Fantasy World" Label of Game |
In a kid’s world, a superhero is someone who’s mightier, smarter, and with amazing superpowers. In the Philippines, sadly, many of our supposedly superheroes still lack the energy, resources, and training to fully do their superhero thing. We all know, superheroes are fantasy. But in reality, the real superhero is each one of us. We are superhero in our own ways, goals, and desire. However, truth is many of us Filipinos choose to become the enemies of the superheroes. They ignore the realities of life, that somebody is out there needing their helping hands. Some villains even choose to oppress people more and not be contented with just seeing them perish in poverty.
Not all can be superheroes but anyone can dream to become one. Obviously, there are many Filipino people who needs a superhero and this post just reveals to you some of them. It is now up to you to open your eyes and act upon the reality in front of you.
About this Post
Thanks for reading this post. The intention of the author, Noriel Panganiban, is to encourage everyone to become superheroes to others - even in our own little ways. Noriel believes that if we will open our eyes to the realities around, that superhero attitude will spark on our minds and hearts. We need to help others or if we can't at the moment, the best thing we can do is to ask someone we know can help them - maybe the government, non-profit organizations, and private companies.
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