Its speculation season once more, as the drama of local politics unfolds in the next couple of weeks, ending with the filing of Certificates of Candidacy, when the rule that finally prohibits substitutions will rule out the shenanigans that drama-exploiting candidates like Rodrigo Duterte and his ilk had used to lengthen the drama even further.
For most Filipinos who care about such matters, the questions are numerous. Which member of the ruling dynasty will replace those who have held onto power until graduation? Who will be swapping places? Will the “coalition” of local politicos hold, and they will continue to choose among themselves who will represent their constituents, or will an upstart mount a credible threat against their comfortable grip on power? Are there any comebacks in the making? Does any form of opposition composed of non-traditional politicians and potential public servants have a chance against the entrenched? Does any of these really matter for us?
In a lot of our towns and cities, it is the same old faces all over again. If nobody is graduating, they will all run for the same positions. If both are graduating, there will be a swap, unless a family member has been chosen to replace the graduate, in that case the former ally is left with no choice but to become the “opposition”. Candidates from all sides will be kissing the feet of the local kingmakers or the ruling dynasty to curry favor or funds.
For those who have surprisingly lost last time, it will be an opportunity for a rematch and maybe even revenge. As for those who have surprisingly won, a second term win would prove that their victory wasn’t a fluke and solidify their grip on power, which could then maybe plant the seeds of their own dynasty, if they make it through a third term in the following polls.
Through all this, we the voters will be showered with a lot of drama and intrigue, but unfortunately for us, it’s all shallow and if you come to think of it, there isn’t a lot of the election stuff that really matters: assessing a candidate’s competence, qualifications, and platforms, other than the usual sound bites and quotable quotes.
Looking at the bigger picture, the list of potential winning candidates for the Senate race is already frustrating, and knowing the Filipino voter’s tendencies, the future looks quite depressing. The local races don’t offer as much frustration, but the trend of low standards and dominant dynasties continues, which makes the act of going out to vote a real challenge because you can’t help but wonder if your vote still matters when it looks like the traditional politicos and political dynasties have perfected the art of gaming the system by now.
The good news is that despite all that, our country is surviving. Not exactly thriving, but who cares, as we are still mostly alive and still rocking the resiliency badge with pride. Why waste time imagining what it could be like if we had better leaders at the helm?
The funny thing here is that people like to criticize those who are in power, and their rivals who are mostly more or less like them, but if you come to think of it, it’s not their fault that they keep winning. In the end, it’s the voters who put them in power. They are simply doing their best at what they do best and there should be no shame in that.
If any, the criticism should go to the voters and those who should be in charge but are not willing to put themselves out as candidates and try to slay a few giant windmills. If these other guys did their part a little bit better, things might be a little bit more interesting when elections come along and we might actually have choices that make sense.
However, if we have to assign the most fault for this election rut we always find ourselves in, that will have to go to the power hungry political dynasties who have been gaming the system for decades, followed by a rotten system that is biased towards those who have ill-gotten wealth to burn for buying votes, which they fully expect to earn back upon winning.
What makes it worse for those who just want things to change is that any chance of electoral reforms that could possibly level the playing field lies with the same people who have been benefiting from the current system, which they have perfected the art and science of gaming. That means it doesn’t look like any change is coming our way soon, and if anybody wants to kickstart any change, a critical mass of like minded Filipinos will have to risk/invest a lot, just to get to be a “public servant.”
So, as the roulette of the electoral circus spins once more, let us just do the best with what we have, and still try our best to pick the best candidates for the job by spending some time getting to know our candidates, warts and all, and maybe we can even surprise ourselves by uncovering some unexpected surprises.*
