A reminder if you will read my long post: Respect my Onion. Thanks.
It’s the most wonderful time of the decade in the Philippines again: It’s the National Election season. However, more than the usual circus, this one coming on 09th May 2022 is very crucial. The Son of the Late Dictator and his family are dead-set on making a comeback in The Palace after years and years of “impressive”, well-funded, large-scale “preparation”. Victory is in the palm of their hands, with The Son enjoying an unprecedented top spot in “surveys” and the support of the masses. Seriously, If I can say one good thing about them, it’s that they have done so well in preparing for this “comeback”. Borrowing his mother’s words, perception has become more real than the truth. After all, it’s so easy to use money that is not yours to fund a massive campaign, command the national government’s resources, and form alliances with “like-minded” people. Somehow, they were able to convince the masses that the sky is red and not blue. What does this comeback mean in the grand scheme of things? It means everything that the late dictator’s family has done to the Philippines will be enshrined. The unspeakable atrocities that are documented, wealth that is stolen (that they are still enjoying to this day) and whatever other opposition to their family that remains will be gone for good.
My generation had a small taste of what it will be like to be ruled by this kind of family. They are known as The Current Administration. The infamous “change is coming” used in PH National Elections 2016 was probably the biggest scam of the 2010s. With this kind of leadership gaining so much traction from the masses, the Late Dictator’s family leveraged this and set the red carpet for their return. Currently, though The Son still leads by a large margin, there is one true opposition candidate who is catching up to him. Somehow, despite this true opposition trailing behind in the “surveys”, they (and all other popular hopefuls) are determined to undermine this supposed “loser” opposition from gaining momentum.
I voted for VP Leni and her running mate Mar Roxas in the 2016 elections, even if I knew it was a losing battle (at least for Roxas). I could not bear to align myself or see myself and my values with the leader that the “majority” wanted. I’m not that vocal or strong, to be honest. So while I supported them, I did not publicly say it (even in the years that followed) for fear of being heckled. I followed VP Leni’s journey in the past six years, which makes me confident in my reasons for voting for her (again) and her partner, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan. However, She has an unfortunate affiliation with a political party that was sadly out of touch with the masses. This affiliation stuck to her and may forever taint her as an “elitist” or a “puppet” of the elitists/oligarch. It’s so ironic because it’s The Son who is surrounded by the elitists and the oligarchs. Technically speaking, she does not come from the “ruling class”. At most, she can be labeled as a middle-class citizen. Despite that, the perception is still stuck to her and The Establishment is determined to use that perception against her. This is just one of the many tactics of the disinformation drive she has suffered for being “dilawan” and anti-establishment.
Why are his supporters and benefactors so determined to put him and their family back in The Palace? In my opinion, perhaps Trapos (Traditional Politicians) want to keep the status quo. By electing a crook, Trapos can continue with their political games and be absolved of their crimes. If the Head of the Nation can get away with it, why can’t they, right? On the contrary, electing someone out of the ordinary like VP Leni might start a change in the system. Maybe we don’t need leaders to come from prominent families who made a career out of politics. Maybe people will know that things can get done without so much of a need for a huge budget or fanfare. Maybe we can demand transparency and accountability and be given that. Of course, she is still a human who will make mistakes and make decisions wrongly. I know she is not a Saint or God who can perform miracles for our countries that suffered centuries of systemic oppression and corruption, but perhaps she might move the needle to somewhere good and people can follow.
There was a post that was passed around recently. It said something like “vote for someone like you”. That makes a good point. To piggyback on that, what I want to say if you are still undecided is to vote for who you think you deserve. I suppose we all think we deserve the best for ourselves and for our loved ones. What does that best look like to you? Is it dishonesty, corruption, crimes, or is its accountability, transparency, decency? I recognized that there is a huge chunk of the population that is at the poverty line, so these people will vote for people who can meet their basic needs. But I hope, especially those who know more, that we take the discernment further, not just to prove a point and win an argument. I hope we do not just go to the polls to give a “F*ck You Vote”. I hope we elect the leaders we deserve, and that boils down to what we think we deserve as individuals.
My fearless forecast for this coming elections: a replay of 2016, a very close fight with a good chance of dirty tactics. We are running against all odds but still in that glimmer of hope, the same way that something can still change in the last 3 seconds of a basketball game, I still believe, I want to believe that things will turn around, especially the circumstances are not the same as the past elections.
What will happen to me if my bets don’t win? Realistically, nothing much. I will continue to live quietly but I will mourn. I say this coming from a privileged stance. This election will move the needle of the nation in a polarizing direction, and I fear that with my bet not winning, it will go as Padme told Anakin before he turned to the dark side, down to the path I can’t follow. I will mourn because the status quo will remain. There is a lot to be scared about in the coming elections. But as I have said in my previous posts, I’ve lived long enough to know that despite the odds, things will change, doesn’t matter when things can change even at the last second, and that things will fall into place eventually, maybe not the way we want it, but as it should. And for that, I hope we will be alright or at least make this spring us to make things alright, for ourselves and for our loved ones.
Get to know about your candidates for 2022 PH National Elections here process here (legit source): https://votepilipinas.com/
*If you like what you are reading here or on my blog, I hope you will consider donating or giving me a tip at buymeacoffee.com. This will help me get motivated to continue creating content for you guys. My link is http://www.buymeacoffee.com/halfreformed
Halfreformed 