When you have a political system that’s just like a circus, it’s hard to not end up putting a bunch of clowns into power. And while sitting back and enjoying the show with popcorn might be tempting for those of us who are lucky enough to just be able to watch the car wreck instead of having it directly affect our lives, maybe we can do more productive things with our time to help the Philippines.

We can do things like…

8. Support real clowns instead.

Clowns get a bad rap. Everyone thinks they look like psycho killers, but they’re also a must-have at the average Pinoy children’s party. But do you know that clowns, hosts, and magicians are among the lowest-paid entertainers in the industry? There are a host of reasons for that, but maybe we should start supporting actual, professional clowns instead of clowns in public office.

At least, when they clown around, it’s exactly what we paid them for. And it’s certainly the nobler profession at this point.

7. Celebrate real heroes better.

Hey, isn’t Bonifacio Day coming up? Well, that guy may not be perfect, but he died a hero before he lived long enough to see himself become the villain. It’s high time we revered flawed but unambiguously heroic people instead of deifying elected officials when the key phrase for what they do is supposed to be public service, with an emphasis on the second word.

We sometimes forget: we’re no longer in a feudal system. And so do they, apparently.

6. Embrace snark as our unofficial national language.

If we don’t point and laugh, we’ll just go mad. So we may as well take the gift from the comedy gods and put it to good use. If there’s one surefire thing about the current goings-on, it’s the fact that our memes have never been more hilarious. We may as well roll with it and snark our way through it.

5. Stop romanticizing Pinoy resilience.

Yes, we’re resilient. But why do we have to if it is absolutely within the realm of possibility for us to simply thrive because of and not in spite of? True, spite can fuel people like no other, but loving our country means being willing to change what needs to be changed, and not just accepting that “it is what it is.” It doesn’t have to be.

4. Live by example.

It’s easy for us to roll our eyes when those who are supposed to be our exemplars are rolling in the mud with each other, but if we then hop in and end up being like them, then who are we to pretend we’re any better?

So let’s be better. It doesn’t have to be anything big. Just work on the things we can be better at, and show everyone that Pinoy pride isn’t just a matter of finding somebody else who’s successful who just happens to share our bloodline.

3. Fight disinformation actively.

It can be exhausting, and it might seem easier to just ignore it all, but disinformation is what got us into this mess in the first place and is exactly what’s keeping us there. It’s high time we addressed half-truths and outright lies as the dangerous ideas that they are instead of banking on people’s common sense to know better because clearly, common sense is anything but common.

2. Redefine what it means to be Pinoy.

This might seem like a big idea, but it’s not. From meaningless platitudes like calling us “hospitable” to hurtful stereotypes about the “Peenoise,” maybe we should collectively redefine what it means to be a Filipino – and actually have some fun along the way. There are some stereotypes we could perpetuate that we could be happy about, right? Let’s throw fun stuff in like us being hopeless romantics along with the serious stuff! There’s room for it all!

1. Maybe let’s not vote in a bunch of clowns next time?

Now that’s a tall order. But even then, it’s not like we put an end to the circus. We just got a new ringmaster, and here we now are. Loving our country means finally voting in our best interests and thinking long and hard about exactly what that means.

Thoughts? Sound off in the comments!