It has been exactly three years ago today, Aug. 30, since I published my first blog here on The Edj View, my millionth blogsite, I supposed. Channeling my passion for writing, I started navigating the blogosphere in 2017. But like girlfriends, nothing lasted long. Academics, of course, was the main hindrance.
It was a Monday in 2019 and I remembered being exasperated by one of my classmates that I thought of unleashing my anger through The Edj View, a name I conceptualized after hours of thinking since I’d already used a lot of titles. Afterward, I came up with a simple tagline: “Raw and unfiltered.”
“The Fiction that Manipulates Our Reality” was my first blog, accompanied by a featured image of an artwork entitled “White Lies” by Edel Rodriguez.
“Alternative reality is one of the greatest acts of mendaciousness. That being said, I accuse some of my compadres of committing it with flawlessness. When I learned about the world they want to create, I thanked myself for having the least of critical thinking to pound them in the face (it was only on my mind, though). The foolishness isn’t working. The grand theater acts are graded F+. The structure of the plot is so realistic I find it muddled,” I wrote. Back then, I didn’t have the luxury of using Grammarly.
Only 11 blogs were published in 2019.
In 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged, I had more time to scrutinize things. The post “Sec. Roque Breaks the Cliffhanger; Announces Areas Under MECQ and GCQ,” published on May 12, 2020, notched more than a thousand views. It was a surreal experience to accumulate that kind of viewership for a small-time endeavor just like this one.
Nineteen days later, I used this platform to articulate my thoughts upon failing to pass the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT). Many came to console me.
2020 was a watershed year for The Edj View because it gained footing among my peers and relatives. Often attributing it to me, The Edj View sort of became a non-living relative.
The blog proved to be a valuable platform for another purpose: unleashing my never-ending thoughts on politics.
The 2022 elections saw The Edj View giving birth to “Rumble for Democracy,” a name that was meant to demonstrate a bloody battle for the presidency, complete with name-calling, reputation-staining and character-assassinating.
The blog published pubmats and articles designed to inform the people about the current political standing from my point of view.
On May 3, 2022, six days before the consequential polls, the article “A Tale of Two Predictors: Polling At Edge This May 9” generated much interest from public figures, including Lauren Greenfield, the director of the Marcos documentary, “The Kingmaker,” Edwin Lacierda, the former spokesperson for Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, and Vince Rapisura, a wealth mentor and entrepreneur.
“Bizarre inversion – Pulse Asia versus Google Trends – an almost exact opposite result predicting the Presidential election. Google Trends correctly predicted the outcome of French Presidential Elections. So, Election Day will be interesting to watch,” Ms. Greenfield tweeted.
The results, of course, couldn’t be any clearer. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. won in a stunning landslide, the culmination of a three-decade restoration project, trouncing Vice President Leni Robredo, which The Edj View endorsed wholeheartedly.
“Only time will tell whether their leadership is effective in aiding the ailing democracy of the Philippines, which was only regained 36 years ago when Marcos Jr.’s father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., wrecked it with his own hands. As the adage goes, history does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes,” I said in my post-election analysis. “And only time will tell whether this election was worth it or a farce that must be forgotten in the annals of this country.”
There were other posts that got a lot of buzzes.
“Don’t Underestimate the AB Courses” was a chastisement of those who downplayed the importance of liberal arts courses.
“Let The Virtual Be Real, For The Love of God” was a plea, rooted in disappointment, to continue a university’s in-person tradition. The Facebook quote artcard generated more than 5,000 engagements, the highest in The Edj View’s history.
Surrealness still permeates the blog as more become aware of its existence, mission and rawness. As a new chapter in Philippine history unfolds, there are more two cents to give. Though a climate of fear threatens the sanctity of freedom of expression, The Edj View will not be deterred to chastise things if necessary and appreciate those who deserve to.
As I said on the first anniversary, I am “inclined” to tell what’s on my mind. “Not to be swayed, feared or petrified. Cling to what’s the truth and stick to your guts when the truth is being challenged.”
The Edj View 