CH167: Philippine Elections 2013

It feels odd and freeing at the same time how I come to a realization that I don't feel as opinionated about the recent elections (and as of the moment, partial unofficial results). Perhaps it's because I didn't get to register for absentee voting? Perhaps it's because I feel disenfranchised that I don't think I really deserve or have the right to vote. It's not apathy like before but I can see the difference in mindset from below and before: CH47: White Noise.

Right to suffrage is a democratic right. But I enjoy being in a vantage to just observe, analyse and keep quiet.

Like with the Nancy Binay issue. Before the election, and given that I don't really get to read or watch much Philippine news, I had it in mind that she'd make it in. I don't really understand why there's so much hate going on in Facebook about how they can't fathom someone as unqualified as her to get in. It's obvious. History repeats itself. We vote actors, convicted criminals (ERAP), adulterers, gamblers, drug users/dealers (Singson), and other sorts into office. Yes, I said we because, we are after all, in a democracy.

Yes, the Philippines is undergoing change - to call it renaissance would be appropriate in my opinion. I didn't vote for Aquino during the last election. I voted for Teodoro. I thought during that time that I was cheated and people (the rest of the Filipinos I differentiated myself from) made a wrong choice. But, a year or two after, and when changes and the results started coming in economic upturns and policies promoting positive pushes for the Philippines, I went back and said to myself, maybe Aquino does deserve a chance and he's living up to the expectations the majority voted for.

Chance and change. So my mindset for the current senatorial results (and also disbelief that Erap won the Manila elections) - is that, despite the results looking like a joke. Let's give the people voted for a chance to prove people wrong. Yes, we can argue that the Filipino never truly learned its lesson and that history just keeps on repeating itself. But, I thought I said the same when Aquino won, but I was proven wrong.

Chance doesn't come often to enact change. True change doesn't happen in an instant in this reality of ours. Change takes time to come to fruition. And only time will tell if the Philippine Elections 2013 was good or bad choice made by the Filipino people.

Yes, the Filipino people. ALL of US. Basing on what I see on my News Feed, I can see the need of some of the people in my network to express their disdain with the results and try and separate themselves from the majority that made the choice "Filipino, di na natuto" (Filipino, never learned). Or some say, "This election is a joke." I can understand the frustrations of some of them, but the point of the matter is, one's version of right is different from the others. Not everyone has access to information as most of us. Stop blaming the uneducated voters and trying to create a divide.

Democracy entails an inclusive growth. Give the Philippines more time to change. I'm quite positive it will come as it has.