THIS week began with the news that two people finally won the 1.2-billion peso lotto. That news kind of snapped us awake from our billionaire dreams, and then we face another bet -- the midterm elections.
It seems like a rude awakening. For weeks, the excitement of winning the lottery was building up. With high prices and the uncertainty of relief, lottery stations were the places that people communed and queued up to.
It showed how majority of us like to bet on chance. What is the way to escape the humdrum of hard times, high prices, hectic lines in government offices and the heat of traffic? Wages are kept low, prices are high, and debts are piling. The only way to solve this is a ticket to lottery, last two or swertres dreams.
But now that lottery dream is back to square one, we face this week a different line of people betting on our votes. Politicos made their way into Comelec, filling their forms for candidacy and fill out lines to thrill our fickle minds to remember them.
Politics here is like lottery, we gamble on choices. In 2016, we gambled on a person who promised to end crime and corruption in three to six months. In 2019, that will be three years since that promise was made. More than 20,000 met their bloody end in wars. Some 300,000 are still homeless in Marawi. Millions are without job. Billions are siphoned to taxes. We wonder if we made a right choice then.
But sadly, the midterm elections will only be a limited choice offer. We saw this week how only a few familiar names filed for candidacy. Same names and same faces, or new faces with old names. Here in Davao, all three Duterte siblings are running for local posts. It’s the same for neighboring cities and towns. It’s basically a dynasty-driven politics. It’s ironic they are running under a regional political bloc that carries the name “Pagbabago”. And they even endorsed senatorial candidates guilty of trapo or traditional politics of corruption in pork and defending the status quo.
What happened to the politics of “Change is Coming” that this administration banners?
Politics is a gamble. This elections is going to be a cockpit. The audience are swayed by loud cheers and claps. Never mind analysis and data about what are the people’s issues that need to be addressed. Jobs, wages, land reform, peace agenda, environment. What seems to hold decisive I’m afraid, is the highest bidder and the catchiest gimmick on media and social media.
Maybe that is why I don’t gamble. Moreso with politics. This election is going to be a somersault of intelligence and principle. We fly with the hope something catches us from the fall. I’m afraid at this stage, we don’t. It’s better not to leap.