Politics: Does money matter?

NO matter how organized your platform is. No matter how you aim to serve best. No matter how good your intentions and what you have become by helping people. Still, you cannot expect to succeed in politics without money. Why is this so?

Money is required for every election period and political personality running for any elective position here.

I belong to a family that is inclined to politics. My aunt used to be a barangay councilor, my father ran as Barangay Captain before lost becuase he did not have enough 'pahalipay', as what the people in our place call money.

Questions have always plagued me about this. How citizens with loud voices become voiceless, people with healthy judgments become tactless, and individuals with hopes for change no longer care. It has become a cycle for some people to enjoy a little amount of happiness in exchange for money then suffer the consequences in the long run. After that short happiness they complain, they rant, never believing election promises. Although I say, they deserve all these.

We have choices in life, our freedom of suffrage presents us with such choices. As a responsible citizen, we must all say no to politicians who use money to buy our votes and bribe us. There is nothing bad about money when used for good deeds and for charity. But when money is used to sway your votes toward people who do not deserve these, then that is unacceptable.

I am not in the position to lecture people with their choices but I am in the position to say that we should vote using our minds and not our emotions. Nevertheless, money will always be there.

From the question above, does money really matter? Yes, it does. But what matters besides money is our choices. Choices that we will not regret for the rest of the term. (Kent Warren H. Fugoso, FSUU Intern)