changing seasons

I supposed to leave the Philippines 1st week of May 2007, the week after I passed my interview at the US Embassy. My then fiancé was already about to book my flight so I could be in Maine as early as the 10th of May. But then I asked him to give me a month to settle everything first before I finally leave the country. And one thing specific that I told him was that… I wanted to vote first.

I hate the Election Season in the Philippines too. And despite the fact that I somehow get extra money during this season I still hate it. Yes, being a public school teacher, we are expected to serve during the Election Day which is scheduled during the 2nd Monday of May. And since May is also school vacation, I hate the fact that I need to report to do my obligation as a Filipino citizen and a public servant.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t want to serve. It’s just that the work is too exhausting and even if we do get paid for the job, it’s not enough for all the trouble that we need to put up with in manning the precinct, counting the ballots, tallying the elections returns, signing of the election returns, reporting the election returns, waiting, waiting and more waiting. Yes, we will open the precinct at 7am and we are “almost” done by 7am the following morning. And we get paid 300 pesos for that (roughly $6) service. You may ask why… and my answer is… because we count the votes manually.

I didn’t serve during last year’s election. I already waived my responsibility to serve in the election because I am officially out of service. But I still stayed to be able to vote. My then fiancé cannot understand why I still need to stay and vote because I will no longer be living there anymore anyway. That’s true but I have reasons. I tried to explain my standpoint but he still he can’t understand it.

During my first few months here in Maine I signed up for myLot a network community to make myself productive. And one discussion about election that I responded to was a topic initiated by one of the members which I was able to get “the Best Response” rating. Here is the discussion and my response.

Discussion:
I am looking forward to the post election relief. Whether the person I vote for wins or not, good lord, I just want it over. People get so edgy, so defensive and nerves so raw it’s almost like a dogfight lol. They should put Prozac in the water during elections.

Whatever country you live in, do you feel a sense of relief after elections? Or just a sense of “we’ve been fooled again?” Do you become hopeful? Or do you just curse?

My Response:
Honestly, the season that I hate most… is the election season. You are right, it is like a dog-fight. Politician vs. politicians. Supporters vs. supporters. It is always chaotic. Last year, when I got my visa, my fiance wanted me to come here right away. But I begged him to let me just vote for our mayor first. He said… what’s the point? You will not be living there anymore. He got a point there right? But for me, I have a sense of responsibility to the people that I will leave behind to ensure that they will have a better future. But of course, I am only one count of a vote. But I was hopeful because, you cannot tell that my vote will make a difference. But worse can always happen. My mayor did not win and the good for nothing incumbent mayor (the crook) won again. I was furious because a lot of those people in our hometown are blinded and ignorant. I did not curse. But when I left, I told my friend. I will not come back in this town, unless that mayor is still in office.

Well, I was really emotional. I am a history teacher and somehow I know how politics is played in our country. It is one of the top countries in the world in terms of graft and corruption. And people know about it. And people don’t care. I hate election season… winter is better even if the snow bank is as high as the roof of our house and the road is icy and slippery.

The Philippines is a very unique country and I am very proud of it. There are lots of things that we Filipinos can be proud of like our People Power or most popularly known as the Edsa Revolution  where we were able to put an end to Marcos Regime… peacefully. I was part of it. I was working on my thesis that time when it all happened in February of 1986. I was a [college] graduating student of AB Asian Studies at that time and my school is just a stone’s throw away from the Malacanang [the White House of the First Family]. I saw how rallyists and demonstrators were dispersed by water canons and tear gas. I joined prayer rallies and joined vigil in Edsa. I was very much involved.

I am proud to be a Filipino. I am proud that the Philippines was able to gain back its freedom through peaceful revolution. I am proud that despite our differences and idiosyncrasies we were able to resolve problems through common understanding and bridged the gap brought by geographical makeup. We are one of the very few countries in the world where equality can be most felt in the highest office. We are able to accept the importance of women and their role in the society just like any other countries in the world. But most importantly we are able to accept the possibility of being led and govern by women whose strength is equally viable as their male counterparts.

Election in the Philippines is both happy and sad. Happy… because people will get one day vacation from work because it is always a “non-working holiday”. It is sad because it is possible that election will be bloody in some parts of the country. Some teachers from far-down south would be threatened or worse killed for protecting the ballots. And there would be a lot of unpleasant incidents that would take place during the election period like power failure, vote buying, ghost voters [where names of dead people are registered voters], flying voters [voters who are paid to vote several times in several different precincts for one candidate], just to name a few.

I know we are not unique compared with other countries. But we are no different too. I know there are countries in the world that are worse than us or better than us. I know we are still struggling as a country but we are surviving. We will survive… and this, I know – is a fact.

Photo Credits:
WIKIPEDIA For: People Power Revolution and Malacanang Palace