WHAT would you have on election day?
Hindi pagkain, kundi kung anong klaseng mga kandidato ang kursunada mong lunukin at maipasok sa iyong sistema come election day?
Masasarapan ka kaya, o iluluwa mo rin sa huli? Mabibighani ka ba uli ng mapanlinlang na presentasyon, makulay na mga palamuti, o nakakatakam subalit nakakalasong mga pangako?
Pansin mo ba, tila mga apostol ng kabutihan at katuwiran ang mga kandidato para sa halalan 2022? Apostles of political righteousness. Nakakabighani.
Pero mapanlinlang.
Months before the actual campaign period, social media platforms were belching out questionable information in the manner that old engines spew black clouds of exhaust.
Katunayan, mas nakakasulasok pa sa usok ng maruming tambutso ang ibinubuga ng bunganga ng mga bayarang tagasuporta ng mga kandidato. Kung hindi mo bet ang mag-verify, agad mo itong kakagatin bilang gospel truth.
The campaigns- purporting to be legit, balanced writeups- consist of a menu of seemingly utopian promises: mostly too good to be doable or are in fact fait accompli—as these contain plentiful of old-style politicking. Ang mga ganitong pangako, nakakakuha ng atensyon mula sa puntiryang voting public
Pero mas marami pa ring positibo ang istilo ng pangangampanya. O kaya naman ay totoo sa mga nakahandang programang pambansa.
Iyon nga lang, cynical o wala nang tiwala ang mga nakakarinig. Nalason na kasi ng malawakang revision at disinformation ang kanilang mga utak.
Pansinin kung paano sini-seduce, gaya ng kaldag moves sa Tiktok, ang mga botante ng campaign phrases na madalas ay oft-repeated, worn-out soundbites ng mga desperadong kandidato. Aminin o hindi, ang mga ganitong klase ng kampanya ng political candidates o kanilang mga supporters, have a way of affecting our decision as voters. They could either be eye-openers or they could mislead.
What would one think, for example, of Agimat, Marvelous Tayo, Hugpong Federal, Click Party, Mocha? Magiging representante ng mga distrito ang mga nominees nito, at mabigat ang magiging papel sa Kongreso. Ano ang mga kuwalipikasyon nila? The partylist acronyms sound good, but are they the real deal? Can we blame a misguided electorate having cramped voting options? Most of these wannabes play on the emotions of a traumatized electorate.
And have you seen the ad on those OFWs supposedly having been rescued by this “knight-in-shining-armor” senatoriable from the abuse of foreign employers? Or that of a lady senatoriable who vows to provide employment while at the same time protecting the environment but whose family has a track record of illegal land conversions and displacement of local farmers?
What about another senatoriable with a billionaire son na napuntahan na lahat ng partido, nangangakong may makakalikasang adbokasiya, pero ganid sa pondong pangkalikasan para sa sariling bulsa?
All these old tricks that made Nikita Khrushchev say, “politicians build bridges even where there are no rivers.”
For the longest time, voters have been nourished by a menu of false promises. Sure, voters rage against the farcical demigods, but even with such track records, they kept electing them.
As election day draws nearer, it seems that candidates having the support of those who wield power have gathered strength, not in terms of increased number of supporters but greater exposure and campaign advantage. Look at them emerge as if they are pre-selected, as if their fates are written on the stars via an astonishing survey results.
On the other hand, opposition candidates have to fight tooth and nail for a share in the limelight in an effort to supposedly redefine the status quo and clean up the government.
Notice too how easy it seems for some incumbent and anointed candidates to break election rules. Netizens questioned the Comelec after it released a list of candidates who were found to have illegal campaign posters put up, but which did not include the names of candidates whose huge posters are seen all over the country. A senatoriable accused of rigging public biddings is seen in campaign sorties splurging money and one is left to wonder: Is he really the one footing the bill?
Ang kalidad ng pamamahalang swak sa ating panlasa ay responsibilidad nating mga botante. Oo, sinisisi natin ang mga ganid na mga politiko, pero sa huling pag-aanalisa, sisihin din natin ang ating sarili kung bakit madali tayong nalilinlang ng mga ito. Maaring nasa atin talaga ang problema.
We should stop glossing over politicians who give away money and become instant philanthropists in times of elections. Caveat: election is not about philanthropy at all. It is actually a promotional ex-deal. You give in; you’re trapped. Your future and the country’s future are compromised.
My unsolicited advice: vote for candidates who have an axe to grind against candidates who espouse term limits, turncoatism, foreign debt borrowing, privatization, impunity, misogynism, militarization, political dynasty. These kind of candidates should be on your blacklist, as they are in mine.
Vote for those who can serve the broad public interest. It is easy to see who they are minus your personal biases. So before you stuff your hungry stomach and chew the offered menu, siguraduhing malinis, at hindi nakakalason ito.
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