THE circus would have ended today but I bet there would still be discordant echoes after the election dust has settled. This election has shown us that politics make strange bedfellows. Others see the uncomfortable alliances as forging peace and ending political battles among clans. But some are obviously meant to strengthen political grip to protect vested interests for personal gain.
What is despicable about yesterday’s elections is how some candidates see the voters -- that of stupid, weak, low morale and ultimately cheap. Think of the major plunderer’s eldest daughter who has faked almost all her credentials or the two jailed senators who danced to budotz music while smiling with their porcelain veneers and turgid hides that have been Botox-ed many times over. Then there are party list nominees who are themselves attached to current members of the congress and people in power. In Davao City alone, we have a young tribe of what I think of as bored children of rich families who probably thought that joining the political race is as a more next exciting adventure than the Survivor. The sad part is if they get elected, the tax payer’s money will surely pay for what was spent for the race negating what party lists were meant for -- representing the marginalized sector. And who are the marginalized? If one goes through the list of the party list there’s a group that wants to represent the LPG (yup, your cooking gasul) owners, security guards, drivers, bicolanos, leyte-nons and I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d find a group that would want to represent flat world believers and drama queens.
In the meantime, while they count the ballots and fight over it, I wonder which candidate or party has already coordinated plans to scrape out the stickers they copiously lined various walls with, untangle the banners from the electric poles or even have plans on how they will recycle the huge tarpaulins they printed their faces on. After all tarpaulins are non-recyclable but would be perfect for shelters and when padded, as sleeping mats.
There would be new players in the senate and congress and just like always we wish they’d do better other than give long winded speeches while quietly enriching themselves with public funds. And just as always we can only wish.