Julia in DFA

               I intently listen with my friend while she’s in a burst of seething rage against “V.I.P treatment” given to the celebrities here in the Philippines. I have no personal grudge to a celebrity featured in this post, just a reminder that celebrities have moral responsibilities as a price of fame. These are the photos by the way:

              I do not personally witness what happened in the Department of Foreign Affairs. So I would just have to rely on my friend’s version of the story. She went at DFA along with some companions to have their passport renewed. They were on queue for about two hours. Men, women and children of all ages were quietly queuing waiting their turn.
             Then suddenly Julia Clarete came. For those who don’t know her, she’s a Filipina singer and actress and one of the co-hosts of Eat Bulaga, the longest actively running noontime TV show in the Philippines. She went inside the restricted area where employees process the application. She was entertained by the employees and processed her application immediately forgetting maybe, that there are other people waiting outside.
             People started to rant, expressing their strong approval against an unequal treatment in an institution that should be practicing fairness since it caters services to the public. Then it doesn’t end there. Employees began to take some pictures with Julia. People shouted. What the heck are the employees doing inside?
             This is just one of the negative bureaucratic behaviors practiced in every government entity here in our country. What happened is a manifestation of an unequal society, high profile personas over ordinary men. I don’t know what has been taking place with our culture, a culture in danger maybe.
             People treat these modern personalities as if they were heroes. But celebrities are not heroes. Historian Daniel Boorstin in his book “The image” said that “the hero was distinguished by his achievement, the celebrity but his image or trademark. The hero created himself; the celebrity is created by the media. The hero was a big man; the celebrity was a big name’’.
             Beyond that point, I guess celebrities should know their major social responsibility to do what is right since public’s eye is on them whatever they do, wherever they go.