Friday, February 23, 2007

Election 101- The Problem Like The Philippine Elections

Am I kidding? I will be writing my reflection on the coming elections? Well, for your information, I am the Archdiocese of Manila Parish Pastoral Council For Responsible Voting (PPCRV). Di yata bagay kung di man lang ako magbigay ng ilang kalat-kalat na mga kaisipan tungkol dito.

I just attended today a meeting of representatives of the different Catholic schools here in Metro Manila and the provinces. I was surprised at the big turn out of participants. Talaga ngang iba talaga kapag eleksiyon na ang topic. I heard the Cardinal a month ago, He mentioned a study stating that the most popular and productive business here in our country is....POLITICS! Daming mayaman pag eleksyon. Daming inilalabas na pera pag eleksyon. Bumabaha ng pera kapag eleksyon. That is why one wonders why would one be a candidate in an election especially here in the Philippines. Candidates had revealed how much they need or would probably spend in these elections. With the salary they would get, it would really take many many years before they are able to recover them. Unless, of course if they engage in massive corruption. Unless they would make use of their power and authority to exact influence for their vested interest.

I would admit that there was a time when I had lost all hopes in the future of our country. I do not know how I could accept the things that are happening around us. Elections for one. Cheating at different levels are known and done in broad daylight! With due respect to the present candidates, we have to admit that the quality had gone very low. There was a time na "wala kang itulak kabigin" on the candidates for election because they were all capable and worthy. Now, it is still the same, "wala paring itulak kabigin" but this time because it seems that there are only few who are worthy!? How did we arrive at this point in the history of our country? Wala na bang kahulugan at halaga ang mga pinaghirapan ng ating mga bayani at ninuno? Parang hindi na nila binigyan ng respeto at halaga ang mga nagbuwis ng buhay para sa ating bansa. Are we really going to the dogs?

Nauso na yung kahit kulang ang kakayanan ay tumakbo pa rin because they could win. They will just find people who had the capacity to work for them as staff. We can say that our congress had become a playing field of the staff and not the winning candidates. In the first place, the elected candidate really does not know what he is supposed to do. Meron pa ngang senador na habang nasa session eh tumatanggap through text ng translation ng mga pangyayari sa floor! Bakit pinapayagan ito? I also came to know that one senator really was not able to make one law by himself. The staff were bragging that they were the ones who had done all the work and the thinking! Anak ng kagaw! The elected is not performing his job! The selected staff are the ones providing us the laws? Ngek!

Ngayon ko lang talaga nauunawaan ang ibig sabihin ng "kapal ng mukha". When you do not care anymore what many would say; when you do not care whether you will be up to the challenge or not; when you believe you can get away with anything; when you think you do not need to think anymore; when you are just concerned about today and to hell with tomorrow; when platforms and promises are just to get votes; when voters are taken advantage of their weaknesses; when "winnability" ranks better than "responsibility", "character" and "principle"; grabe...I can go and on...I will stop here before kumapal ng kumapal!

How about hope? How about fighting? How about faith? How about how? Everything has an ending. This has to end one day. Are we willing to wait? Walang mawawala, di ba? We just had to continue our quest for what we believe. Good would one day triumph over evil. God's WILL will be done. We must die fighting. We must meet every day thinking that it will bring us new things, new beginnings and hopefully, a renewed people! ("Kung mangarap ka at magising.")

After all is said and done, the issue and the problem are still before us. We can not but face them Running away from them will not make them go away. We just had to go through them. Hopefully, we will come out well...... and alive!

One advice lang to all. Please take the time to vote. Do not abandon your responsibility. If many will not vote, then, the true voice of the elections is not reflected. It will be unfair to everybody.

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