ELECTIONS in the Philippines have always been a big festival, funfare and ruckus. It revolves around political figures, political colors, the money and temporary jobs people get from campaigning for candidates, issues that candidates hurl at each other, and the income windfall for media entities and political operators.
Amid these brouhaha, people’s issues, issues that matter most to our people -- land to till, just wages and benefits, security of tenure, health and basic social service, rights and justice, peace building, national sovereignty -- are ignored, sidelined or deliberately suppressed by most candidates and media institutions.
Instead, everybody seems being "goodtimed" by everybody. So much, yet so subtle, that people become callous with issues that matter to their survival and future, and simply content with who can dance with their political imagination, who can meet their needs here and now.
Today’s campaigning has gone to the level where the candidates, their allies and political conduits have become sophisticated in mixing the old with more powerful modern information and communication technologies, social marketing techniques, for the ultimate goal of winning the coveted elective seats.
Nobody is so passionate in highlighting people’s issues during the electoral campaign because the electoral campaign is confined to technicalities, and the campaign period is so short that campaigners have not enough time to introduce their candidates qualification, and issues against opponents, before the public.
The reality however is worsened by the fact that the most politically conscious and well-meaning people and groups, even the churches, academe and community associations, are in a quandary or weak to put up powerful movements that will highlight people’ issues and struggles.
Election campaign is part of the arena of struggle of the people where their supposed well-informed decision can spell a big difference.
During elections, everybody is campaigning for somebody, everybody is hooked everyday to mainstream and social media, the streets are practically the political battleground.
Election campaign is not only a great time and opportunity for people’s movements to highlight burning issues of the day and fundamental interests of the people in the electoral arena, but also to expose and frustrate candidates whose character, record and platform run diametrically opposed to public interest.
After the election, we will be confronted again by the same fundamentally unresolved issues and problems.
Worse, if the new leaders elected, are nothing but recycled “trapo” politicians, whose loyalty is to their political and economic patrons, and have no clear and coherent democratic, nationalist and patriotic agenda.
This is the reason why I strongly encouraged non-government organizations, civil society organizations, development-oriented institutions and progressive politicians -- to exert extra efforts and initiatives to force candidates and their patrons to expose their stand on various people’s issues, a checklist of their commitment or promises, and prepare popular mechanisms to make them accountable afterward.