✍︎ Maddy Delos Reyes
We all know the feeling of preparing for a big moment. You make sure your résumé is clean and tidy, iron your best shirt, and practice your answers until you can say them in your sleep. You walk into an office with a heart full of hope, believing that if you’ve done the work, the door will open.
Then a side door opens. Someone walks in not with a folder, but with a big smile and a familiar last name. They don’t wait in the plastic chair. They don’t have to prove their worth. For many, that door is already locked from the inside—not because they aren’t good enough, but because the person walking in was already chosen before the interviews even began. They weren’t picked for their skills or their passion. They were picked because of their last name.
Imagine you are the “qualified person” standing outside, looking through the glass. You are the daughter of a farmer who had to study by candlelight so you could do well on your exams. You are the man who had to work two part-time jobs just so you could finish your degree. You have the degree, the experience, and the drive to serve the community. But inside, the seats are filled by people who didn’t have to study as hard or wait as long as you did.
When we allow nepotism to thrive, we aren’t just being “unfair”—we are sending a message that their sweat and tears don’t matter as much as a bloodline. It affects how people think. It makes them ask, “Why bother?” Why should a student aim for excellence if the finish line is already reserved for the boss’s relatives?
We love our families—that’s human. We want to help them—that’s natural. But a government office or a company isn’t a family dining table. It’s a place where the most capable should lead so that everyone else can benefit. When we put an unqualified relative in a seat of power, the work suffers, the service slows down, and the community pays the price.
True loyalty isn’t about giving your relatives a desk they didn’t earn. True loyalty is building a community where every child, regardless of their last name or where they come from, knows that if they work hard enough, there is a seat waiting for them.
It’s time to take down the “Family Only” signs. It’s time to open the door for the people who are truly fit and ready to do the work.
Illustration: Mariecon Segundino
