Photoshopped Lolos

“Papa, if that man is Lolo’s friend, how come he looks 20 years younger?”

That Hannah is the magic of Photoshop. Computer technology can now make today’s senior citizen candidate look the same as they did 30 or 40 years ago.

“But that’s cheating!” declared Hannah.

No sweetie, at least that’s what those candidates believe. They are not cheating. They are simply following a strategy in order to “fool” some people.

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Yes, “mga kababayan ko”, especially all of you who are first time voters, fresh graduates or simply below 30 years of age. Don’t protest too strongly if you see that many candidates especially the “artistas” are using a 30 to 40-year old photo on their campaign posters.

All those “Lolos” and some “Lolas” who have used Photoshop technology are not really trying to cheat you. They are simply trying to fool you into thinking that they are young enough for your votes.

Because more than 50 percent of voters in 2010 are below 30 years old, all of them will have an age gap of 30 years with most of the candidates. Almost half of the presidential candidates are senior citizens. Many ex-senators or those running for re-election have a two-generation gap with today’s very young voters.

If they actually used a photograph that was an “honest and faithful reproduction of their face or their being”, chances are, the young voters would start calling them “The Founding Fathers of the Republic”. If you want a historical example, just recall the time when “Very Old Men” were always shown on cable TV as the leaders of China’s Communist Party.

From an aged ancient country, China has since then, shed the image and is now known as the vibrant economic powerhouse.

The fear is that most of the young voters in the Philippines won’t connect with the visual image of an “aged” or “old” candidate. The brutal reality of modern day cameras would undoubtedly depict the tired, haggard and aged faces of Lolos and Lolas who might be better off being in retirement rather than charting the course of the nation.

Without Photoshop there is a great probability that today’s voters will realize that they are not being represented by their peers but by their Lolos and Lolas. By using the “patently false but younger” photograph, the candidates hope to reduce the generation gap in looks if not in age.

Reminds me of the message: “I’m a fool for Christ, whose fool are you?”

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Beyond the fraud of Photoshopped photos, I come to realize how vanity and human nature have taken over stature, dignity and old age. How false, and adopted values have replaced our real need for Lolos and Lolas.

I have the good fortune of being part of a generation who knew, needed and loved gray haired women who symbolized love, stability and wisdom. We were blessed to know a variety of Lolas who represented the “old ways, customs and traditions”. From their clothing, home life and role in society they represented our history and culture.

They taught us the organic way of cooking, eating and living. Their fashion was environmentally and economically sound. They handed down to us knowledge and values that were practical and lifestyle that was sustainable.

Alongside, were the modern, working Lolas who were involved at home, held jobs and participated in community events, social functions and Church events. They were the precursors of today’s “Fashionistas”. Yet as “modern” as they seemed back then, their value system was as Filipino as the probinsyanos.

The Lolos of old were respectable gentlemen, gallant, courteous and chivalrous. They were a source of wisdom, they were part of a courageous generation who knew what real trial and tribulation meant having survived a World War. Their eloquence of speech reflected the discipline of their upbringing, the depth of their education and the tenets of their faith.

Their discourse and their struggle were borne of their faith, their passion and not just their politics or their party interest.

In their time, the slick, snowy white hair, combed to perfection represented strength in having lived a long life, wisdom that is reflected by their stately stature and lifelong experience, and the kindness of the years knowing only too well the joy and the difficulty of life.          

No thanks to the “western way” and cosmetics, the generations that followed mocked, ridiculed and disparaged the “aged” look. It became “No to white hair”. Youth at all cost and at all times. Some even refused to be called “Lolo or Lola”.

By rejecting what we are, we lie to ourselves and then to others. By denying nature, they rejected stature. 

The real disconnect between today’s candidates and the voting youth is not about looks nor is the solution “Photoshop”.

The disconnect is in the absence of a real relationship or a real concern for the youth. Subsequently there is no real reason for the youth to respect the old, aging and irrelevant politicians because they never made themselves worthy of such.

It is tragic, that as today’s young voters become smarter, the aging politicians have not become wiser. 

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I have always been opposed to the Party list system and I will continue to do so until the law is repealed and the real problem of “marginalized” sectors is addressed. 

If any of our future real legislators has the courage to correct this abuse, I strongly suggest that they repeal the law and replace it with “The Office for Marginalized Affairs” that will be part of Congress with a full time Secretariat and legal staff to review all matters submitted to the office concerning “marginalized affairs”.

This way we save on office space, personnel, and pork barrel and political rigging.