Describing First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos as out of touch is not enough. 

As Filipinos suffer from severe floods that submerge homes, disrupt education, and strip families of their daily earnings and survival equity, a series of tone-deaf social media posts has sparked widespread public outrage.

“Happy Monday, everyone!”

While celebrating a birthday online is completely understandable, repeating the same cheerful rhetoric just days later reveals a profound indifference to the national reality.

“Happy Sunday, everyone!”

How can the Filipino people find happiness when they are quite literally sinking? How can the public remain positive when multi-billion-peso government flood control projects, overseen by the current administration under her husband President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, repeatedly fail to offer basic protection?

While the First Lady holds no formal policymaking power or constitutional mandate, she fundamentally represents the presidency and possesses an immense platform. Instead of broadcasting a curated, privileged life detached from the struggles of the nation, she should leverage her influence to spotlight the urgent realities of the Filipino people and advocate for genuine relief. 

This display underscores a bitter reality: many politicians prioritize themselves over the people. While they stay dry and secure in their palaces—even throwing parties, our lives are brought to a grinding halt by the decisions they make—or fail to make. 

Technically, Republic Act No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, does not directly penalize a First Lady because she holds no official office. However, she is the immediate dependent of the President, who is legally mandated by this very law to practice "simple living" and maintain sensitivity to the public's plight. Her public display of luxury and privilege directly compromises the spirit of that law. But more importantly, one should not need a legal mandate to demonstrate basic human decency.

There is absolutely nothing to celebrate here. She may be happy, but the nation is not; we are angry, exhausted, and fed up. We demand structural, long-term reforms from the government, not just the standard relief packs of a kilogram of rice, instant noodles, canned goods, and coffee sachets. These temporary band-aids do absolutely nothing to solve the systemic drainage and infrastructure crises we face year after year.

Those at the pinnacle of power remain blind to the deep societal divides they enforce, viewing our survival lightly. We are left to wonder: how much longer can they maintain this cold indifference?