WE are a nation divided.

If surveys are to be believed, the people are divided—either for President Marcos Jr. or for former President Rodrigo Duterte.

There may be a small sector of society that hates them both—or, arguably, likes them both. Either way, we are divided.

There is really nothing new about that, as contemporary historians and scholars would say.

Over the past many decades, we have been a nation divided between the supporters of former President Corazon Aquino and former President Marcos. And before that, between President Marcos and the anti-Marcos critics led by the Aquinos, the Salongas, the Tanadas, the Mitras, the Laurels, and the Left—the journalists and the students among them.

We are cultish followers of one or the other. True or not, we have really never learned, as a people, to stand united. Or our leaders have really never learned to move as one, work under one principle, under one goal for the welfare of the Filipino people.

But people judge goals and principles based on political personalities. Those who do not agree are judged accordingly.

In the political battle between good and evil, even the supposed good ones could hardly keep their moral ascendancy. Take the Marcos critics, for instance. Take the Duterte critics. Why, in heaven’s name, would someone make a meme of Duterte dressed in Easter clothes on Easter Sunday? That was foul.

But why have we gone so far and so low? “Why, oh why?” is a question asked by so many generations.

Because we have really never learned as a people? We don’t know. Our democracy is still immature, unripe when compared to the country’s Western counterparts, some would say.

But we don’t kill our president, unlike in the United States, which has elected—twice—a leader now giving us a global nightmare. We have elected two women as president. They haven’t.

Our generation has been deprived of many things over the past many, many decades. Of a true, brilliant, pro-people leader, for one.

Why is there little or no better choice? We don’t know.