Prominent Philippine actress Sylvia Sanchez took heat for bragging about her lifestyle. A recent interview had her showing off her boat, jet ski, and coastal property. This looks especially bad because her son is in politics and was recently accused of asking for kickbacks on government construction contracts.
Besides the ethical issues of extreme wealth disparity, the rich produce much more pollution than the vast majority of people. Large homes with high energy demands and luxury travel are significant contributors to emissions. One study suggested it would take the average Amazon worker 207 years to emit as much pollution as CEO Jeff Bezos’ two private jets do in one year, for example. These trends are on the rise, too.
Atmospheric pollution is the primary cause of increasingly destructive weather events such as floods and droughts. The Philippines is hit especially hard by cyclones and is experiencing an increase in crop infestations as a result. Incidentally, the corruption accusations against Sanchez’s son stem from flood control projects.
Locals are attempting to increase solar power adoption in order to slow climate challenges facing the Philippines, but private industry is cutting down mature forests while Philippine islands are sinking.
Sanchez’s son, Arjo Atayde, is a member of the Nacionalista Party, which is the oldest existing political party in Southeast Asia. It has made ambitious environmental policy commitments, including strong protections for local fisheries.
Commenters on the subreddit r/Pinoy had clear opinions on Sanchez’s lifestyle.
“These people are really on another level when it comes to spending the country’s money. And they’re always out of the country,” one wrote.
“It’s really faster to get rich as a politician than as an artist,” another replied. “They’ve only been in politics for a few years, and they’ve already amassed a lot.”
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