Presidential aspirant Ka Leody de Guzman was talk of the internet during Christmas weekend after a photo he posted of his family during noche buena suggested that he was living a comfortable life compared to the workers' sector he represents, causing some to think he was merely pretending to be a man of the masses.
Supporters came to his defense, led by running mate Walden Bello, who said in a series of tweets that the negative reactions were of "middle class prejudice" and that working class people like de Guzman deserve dignified living.
De Guzman had "no comment" as of late Monday, his media relations officer Chad Sadorr told reportr, noting instead that "Ka Leody prefers to comment on the burning issues of the Filipino people".
Missing context
Targeted mostly by supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo, the other presidential candidate whose political ideologies are "most aligned" with De Guzman's compared to others, "it is very unfortunate" that the issue has become more of a battle between the two opposition camps, sociologist Athena Charanne Presto said, noting that arguments fail to consider, consciously or unconsciously, the cultural dimension in which the photo was taken—it's Christmas time.
"We’re Filipinos, so it’s very cultural for us to post whatever we prepared for Christmas. And for whatever we prepare, we usually give everything we have," Presto told reportr.
Just like any regular Filipino family posing for a Christmas photo, Ka Leody is free to flex the fruits of decades worth of hard work he put in as a long-time unionist, having worked for benefits he is rightfully entitled to as a worker. Not to mention, his wife and children also have earnings of their own.
As so, Noche Buena or not, the de Guzmans are free to enjoy a nicely set dinner table, as well as show off their pet corgi. "A lot of the criticisms failed to take into consideration the decades worth of hard work that he and his family members pooled together just to be able to have that kind of family photo posted during Christmas," Presto said.
But because they're just like most Filipinos who would put their best foot forward when posing for that well-deserved family photo after such a troubling year, the de Guzmans also unintentionally contributed to that tendency of others to compare economic standings that is most heightened during holiday season, Presto added, noting this was probably what drove Robredo's supporters to comment the way they did.
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"Scanning all the tweets and posts about it, some feel indignation upon realizing that after being branded as elitists [by de Guzman's supporters], they’re lives are actually worse off than him. So for a camp who's been repeatedly branded as elitist, nandiyan 'yung defense mechanism na feel nila kailangan magsalita," she said.
"But of course, that doesn’t make valid the kinds of criticisms hurled against Ka Leody just because he has a relatively comfortable life," Presto added, noting that when she first saw the photo, she "actually felt happy" because de Guzman was setting a good example for working class people.
"Napaka aspirational niya, na pwedeng umunlad ang manggagawa. Konting-konti lang ‘yung pwedeng magbigay ng ganyan. Of all presidential candidates, si Ka Leody ang merong ability to make people in lower classes feel that way na may pag-asa, na pwedeng umunlad," she said.
'Common enemy'
While she shares the belief that workers do deserve nice things, like a proper noche buena, Presto warned of an "unintended consequence" should media continue to "dichotomize" supporters of De Guzman and Robredo through reporting soundbytes from both camps that fail to cover the complexities of such issues.
"Pinepaint mo 'yung mga pumupuna as if they never shared the aspiration of making the lives of workers better. Parang ginagawa mong binary, black and white 'yung mga tao when in fact, 'yung supporters ng dalawa, sila pinaka-aligned in terms of ideology," Presto said, noting instead that both opposition camps should divert their energy countering their "common enemy"—a looming Marcos presidency, which Bello himself had pointed out.
"The middle class hates it when poor people get up in the world and begin to enjoy things they feel only they and the rich deserve. That’s the kind of hypocrisy that is fueling the resentment of the masses, driving some of them to support the Marcos-Duterte axis of evil," he said.