THE filing
of candidacy for the 2019 national election is over. Now we know who are
running, from the senatorial down to the municipal positions. It is, however,
with great dismay when we see who are aspiring for political elective
positions. We see old faces, the traditional TRAPO politicians. I cannot believe it! How thick faced our
politicians can be! Even those with very strong criminal cases filed against
them run. Even those who are too old to speak straight run! Even those who are
discredited for being too subservient as to throw their principles away run! Do
these persons really have the good of people at heart? I strongly doubt!
So the
question is: why do they dare to run? Is the lure of the profitability of being
in public office so great that they are already blinded? Is there a hidden
arrangement somewhere, with the COMELEC perhaps, that no matter their state of
health or their political views and past actions, they will get through? Or,
and this is the worst, do they believe that the Filipino voters have very short
memories, that we are so gullible and can be easily fooled or bought?
As voters,
let us show to the politicians that we are better than they. We have better
sense than they; we are more discerning. Let us show them, ipamukha natin sa kanila, that we know how to choose!
We have
today till election time in May – more than 6 months – to choose the candidates
whom we can trust. Fortunately, not all who registered as candidates are
worthless. There are gems among the pile of dirt. We just have to cull them. Starting
today let us take time to know candidates. Certain criteria can be used to
shift the good from the worthless or the trapos.
1. Let us not believe on what they
promise. It is not what they say they will do that show them their worth, but
what they had done. Let us see their tract record. What have they accomplished
so far, both in their personal lives and in their public service?
2. Look at their personal lives. What a
person is, that will be what he will do. If a person is not faithful to his
commitment to his wife, will he be faithful to his office? If a person cannot
take good care of his family, can he take care of town, province or district?
If a person is a gambler, he will gamble his office! If a person is dirty is
his speech and his views, he will be dirty as a public official.
3. Let us not blindly vote by party
lines. A good party can have rotten eggs, and likewise, a despised party can
have a few jewels. Political parties in the Philippines do not count. Once in
office they do not act as parties. Vote for individuals and examine each
individual separately from his party mates. This means a good voter should be
able to cross party lines. Transcend party politics.
4. Do not vote for someone who is
“winnable” according to survey results, name recall, or social media entries.
Do not join the bandwagon. You are not wasting your vote by voting for one you
believe in. By voting for a bad person because he is winnable, you are being an
accomplice in destroying our country.
5. Do not vote for those who belong to
political dynasties. Political dynasties thrive because we vote for them. In
fact, research well the background and the tract record of unknown candidates.
They may well give fresh breath to politics in our country.
Every election gives us hope that there can be a better
future. This will come about if we become better voters. Let us show to our trapos that as voters we are better than
what they think we are!
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