Democracy is fragile: But its power lies in the people

Originally published in Manila Bulletin

In every corner of the world where ballots are cast, democracy is tested—not just by those who count the votes, but by those who believe their voice still matters. At its best, democracy is the collective dream of a people charting their own future. But at its most vulnerable, it is a quiet hope that can be silenced with fear, forgotten in apathy, or broken by betrayal.

The truth is: democracy is fragile. And yet, it remains the most powerful force for change because its strength does not reside in institutions or constitutions alone—it lives in the people.

In the Philippines, we know this fragility well. Ours is a democracy born of struggle—shaped by colonization, tempered by martial law, and reborn through People Power. We have marched in the streets and waited in long lines under the scorching sun just to make sure our votes count. 

We have risked safety to speak the truth when it was dangerous to do so. And yet, for all our sacrifices, we remain vulnerable to the same forces that threaten democracies everywhere: corruption, disinformation, suppression, and the slow erosion of trust in public institutions.

When the right to vote is compromised—whether by deliberate disenfranchisement, technological failure, or the quiet discouragement of hopelessness—it is not only ballots that are lost, but belief. And when people stop believing in their power to shape the future, democracy begins to die.

This is why protecting voting rights is not just a political issue—it is a human one. It is about ensuring that no voice is too small to be heard, that no community is too remote to be represented, and that no citizen is ever made to feel invisible. It is about remembering that democracy is not inherited—it is earned, defended, and reimagined in every generation.

Hope is the heartbeat of democracy. Every voter who lines up before dawn, every election volunteer who stays up counting ballots, every journalist who risks their safety to report the truth, every teacher who explains to students why their vote matters—they are all reminders that democracy is not merely a system of governance, but an act of faith in each other.

History teaches us that the vote is often the first thing taken and the last thing returned when freedom is under siege. That is why the right to vote must never be taken for granted, especially in times of uncertainty or division. It must be protected, expanded, and celebrated.

In today’s hyper-digital, hyper-polarized world, cynicism has become a currency too many are willing to trade in. But to surrender to cynicism is to cede the future to those who do not care to hear us. And we, the people, have come too far to do that.

So let this be our call to action—not just to vote, but to fight for every person’s right to do so. To make elections more accessible. To educate the next generation on the hard-won history behind each ballot. To speak out against voter suppression in all its forms. To believe, fiercely, in the promise of the people.

Because democracy may be fragile.

But when it is powered by the people, it is unbreakable.

This opinion column is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). You are free to share, adapt, and redistribute this content, provided appropriate credit is given to the author and original source.