This coming month of May, a mid-term synchronize elections is to be held in the Philippines for the half members of the Senate, all member of the House of Representatives, and the local Provincial and Municipal officials.
The long period of Campaign, likened by most as a Circus, has already started. Blog sites all over the country are "abuzz" with commentaries from the all cyberspace pundits, some are guise as campaign vehicles for some candidates. In a country, where a majority of the people are still living under the poverty line, money is flowing like honey come election time, every time.
For most politicians, whose campaign expense are only limited by decision on how much to invest, thinking ahead of the possible return on investment and how much they can afford to lose in case the Market turn out not in their favour, sources of campaign funds are the lest of the problem, there are just too many speculators, considering the returns are just too tempting..
Such is the sad case of the Exercise of the most important components of Democracy in the Philippines setting as compared to ours, in this very cold, vast expanse which is a little mature, not perfect in any sense of the word, but somehow take it very seriously when it comes to this matter.
I posted a comment in one of the country's premier "blogsite" on my own take on who to vote in this May election, If I would be able to vote, which I can't for the reason I also cited....
Posted on Ellen Tordesillas site. To access the site, click on the link on the sidebar::
We put too much emphasis on personalities, like if an individual will have a perpetual hold on institutions, instead we should put a lot of emphasis on institutions that no individual can topple or destroy once the foundation stood up and need only to be tinkered for more improvements. Even the great political thinkers of the past, The Lincoln, Washington and the rest know that they themselves come and go, so they build the institutions that no matter how many George Bushes come after, the Jimmy Carters and some, it will withstand the assaults and still remain standing strong when the smoke clears.
Pierre Trudeau had left the scene, but added to our institution, another solid rock to add to its strength, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Chretien, a good leader he was, was disgraced by the sponsorship scandal of his tenure, but that same institution never was shook up and get out the mess even stronger.
Now this election, since I myself decided not to raise my right hand to swear allegiance to a country which Citizenship I never renounced (another stupid rule), I decided to forgo the legality of being a dual citizen, but consider myself a Filipino, and that can never be changed, I won’t have the privilege to vote in a national Candidates. So my only wish to those who exercise their rights is to look at the person and the Rock he or she will be bringing to start building the Institution, vote for that candidate and if he/she can not make use of that rock take it out of his/her hands and throw it back right on the face...
