The month of May has come sooner than most of us had wished. For the Philippines a major political exercise is brewing and gaining steam as we speak. May 14 is a day for all Filipinos to get out and vote.
It is my ardent hope, being a Filipino myself, that the Filipino people exercise a sound judgement and for once, utilize this opportunity to change the course of the nation's future by exercising some willpower over all forms of trickery that the politicians are willing to do in order to gain the post that they so badly want to venture on.
And why do I say venture? Most of those who are running for a post are there for a different reason. What reason could that be? Isn't it obvious that there's so much personal interests that are at stake rather than a genuine desire to serve the Filipino people?
I want to say to most of them, "Tell it to the judge!". I am completely and utterly convinced that those noble people who are worthy of the words, 'the people's servant' have all come and gone.
I don't buy any of the candidates promises anymore. Their promises have a shorter lifespan than the 0% apr that I enjoy with my credit card. I might be prejudiced against traditional politicians, but I do believe that most of them are liars, are good actors, are insincere mongrels and are really awesome when it comes to putting up a good show for the Filipino people. How about a handshake from the elite to those less fortunate people whose only meaningful use of their hands involved rummaging through the trash of other people to find food for most of their lifetime? Where's the sincerity there? You'll never see that scene all year round. You'll only see such an extraordinary display of interest for the poor during election campaign period. You'll only see these poor people basking in the spotlight during election time. On other days, none of these people exist. It is really an eyesore. Everytime I see an ad with such fake emotions towards the poor and the forgotten, I feel like I want to throw up. How much more abuse can we take as a people?
Trust me, the really good and deserving candidates can only be counted by your fingers. Most of the candidates nowadays are just useless leeches who hide themselves behind the cover of an 'honest servant' but on the other hand pursue a different undertaking.
And where do you find a senate wherein both the mother and the son occupies a seat? What? Yes! Take the case of the Estradas. Tell me if that's possible anywhere else on this planet. I guess that's only permissible in our banana republic. Shame on us all, for letting our rotten political system take hold of the reins of our government.
Why are there so many poor people in our country? Why are the politicians the richer of the pack in our society? You'll never see a politician's relative who is poor or jobless. You'll never see a politician's kin begging on the streets for food. Why is that so? Instead, who do you see driving around in expensive luxury vehicles? Who do you see owning big houses in affluent communities? Who do you see running the most lucrative businesses in the community. Isn't it a little more than coincidental that none of these politicians ever complain about the rising costs of the basic commodities? You'll never hear any of these politicians complaining about the ever increasing taxes. You will never hear any of these politicians getting worried about the looming economic crises. Why? These people have access to the cash boxes of our government.
That is what's sad about Philippine politics. It has turned into a lucrative family venture. Why? Try visiting a province. Find out the people who run the province starting from the Congressman, the Governor, the Mayor, the city councilors, down to the mayor's office's janitor. You'll be shocked to learn that most of them all belong to the same clan. You might as well draw a genealogy tree or a family tree out of those government positions, and you will not see any difference.
That is what we are so bad at, all of us Filipinos. We are too stupid to figure it out and even if we do figure it out, we are too lazy to do something about it.
We know for a fact that the Philippine economy is not getting better. All the good economic reports that they show to the Filipino people every now and then with good ratings is bogus. Why? It's effect if indeed it's true, does not reflect the present plight of the millions of Filipino people.
How can our government be better? Corruption is everywhere. Political dynasties are taking control of most of the different political clusters in our community. We know that power corrupts. How much more if there is no check and balance because it is just one family running the show?
So Filipino people, wake up! Take the battle. You are responsible for whatever happens to this nation after this election. Do something to help eliminate political dynasties. They are like termites that are eating the very foundation of our democratic government. If we don't do something about it now, we will all be raised to the ground.
Forget about 'Vox populi, vox dei'. Traditional politicians are so good at paraphrasing and abusing 'The voice of the people is the voice of God' phrase. The people loses its voice as soon as these corrupt politicians occupy their most coveted seats of power.
Let's do something. Let's do it now, while we have the upper hand.
Remember, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
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