Gods on Earth: The Self-Crowned Gods in the Philippines

When Politicians Start Believing Their Own Mythology

In a nation overflowing with faith, hope, and election jingles, the Philippines has produced a rare species: politicians who believe they are gods. Not metaphorically — literally. They walk among ordinary citizens while acting as if the heavens themselves appointed them to rule, plunder, and pose for ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
These are the so-called “gods on earth” — earthbound deities who didn’t rise from miracles or virtue, but from corruption, inherited dynasties, and public funds conveniently redirected into private accounts.
If Greek gods wielded thunder, these modern gods wield budgets.

The Holy Currency That Funds Their Divine Lifestyle

Every peso bill carries the face of a national hero — men who fought, wrote, or died for freedom. Unfortunately, these heroes now unwillingly sponsor luxury bags, mansions, private helicopters, and questionable “confidential funds.”
Money in the Philippines isn’t just currency; it’s a magic wand.
With enough of it, officials can:

• make crimes disappear,
• make opponents reappear in jail,
• silence critics,
• and transform themselves from mortals into “honorables.”

They don’t walk on water, but they walk on the backs of taxpayers just fine.

The Forgotten Oath: Buried Under Kickbacks and Luxury Cars

Once upon a time—usually during campaign season—these “gods” swear to protect the country, uplift the poor, and improve the lives of every Filipino.
But as soon as they win, the oath transforms into a decorative quote hung in their office behind a ₱500,000 custom wooden frame.
What follows is a predictable transformation:

• Compassion turns into entitlement
• Leadership turns into dictatorship
• Public service turns into public circus

Their moral compass?
Sold to the highest bidder.

A Government Designed Like a Temple—but Only the Gods May Enter

The bureaucracy works like a well-maintained shrine, but only for its gods. For ordinary people, it’s a maze filled with long lines, broken systems, and instructions that contradict the instructions printed above them.
But for the political deities?

• Permits magically appear
• Investigations mysteriously vanish
• Budgets suddenly “cannot be traced”
• Accountability evaporates

Even Olympus would be impressed.

The People: Worshippers by Force or by Hunger

These “gods” do not survive on offerings of incense, but on something far more powerful: public exhaustion. Most Filipinos are too tired trying to survive to fight corruption every day.
Some citizens even defend these officials, as if corruption were a personality trait worth protecting. Others are paid to cheer, clap, and create fan pages praising their politician-god.
Because in a country where survival is a daily battle, hope can be bought for the price of a kilo of rice.

Falling From the Pedestal: The Mortality of False gods

For all their theatrics, these “gods” share one fatal flaw: they are not immortal.
Their power can crumble:

• with one investigation they failed to buy,
• with one whistleblower they failed to intimidate,
• with one election they failed to rig,
• with one people’s uprising they failed to foresee.

History reminds us:
No tyrant survives forever.
No false god remains unchallenged.
The people, once awakened, are mightier than any dynasty.

Stop Worshipping False gods

The Philippines doesn’t need more “gods.” It needs leaders—real ones—who remember their oaths, respect justice, and serve the public with humility.
The first step?
Stop glorifying officials who treat power like divinity and public funds like an inheritance.
The second step?
Call them what they are:
Corrupt public officials—self-made gods who will eventually fall, because true power belongs to the people they abandoned.

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