It is not very unusual in our country to have political problems such as graft and corruption and all the like. But what could have lead to this? Of course, if those “politicians” have not been seated where they are, this must not have happened. So…how else could they have gotten into those seats if they were not voted? It kind of reminds me of this 90’s band, Yano (famous song: banal na aso, santong kabayo), their song goes “Di binoboto pero nananalo” entitled Trapo.
Of course, people may have voted for them too. By buying their votes. It’s not very unlikely. Ballot boxes are filled by hands of poverty, and what to fill those hands with but money. Hope from charismatic politicians, that they may have money.
Now where else can we find such behaviors? Surprisingly in the very foundation where this is taught to be “bad” “taboo” or “false”. In school. This irony caught my attention in school. Remember those intramurals every school year and you have a representative in each grade, the muse?
These muses to be able to win the coveted title of “Ms. Intrams” needs to sell tickets to count as a vote for them. Whoever sells the most tickets wins. SOUNDS FAMILIAR? Now, to make it even more familiar, what if the situation is that the Muse really wants to win, but nobody would want to buy her tickets. What would she do then? Buy her own tickets? Buy the VOTES to WIN?
Where is there certainty, the unpredictability of selling or the reliability of buying ones own Votes?
It is indeed ironic, that the very foundation of character building of the Youth is the very influence that triggers the competitiveness of soon-to-be politicians.
Where else can we compare this vote buying phenomena? Where else, but the media. One click on the remote and it swallows us alive.
Whichever station, whether it be Kapuso or Kapamilya. They have these on-going game shows that relies much on the public. The winners win only with a huge percentage relying on the text VOTES of the audience.
Now, what if they really want to win? Would they buy their own votes. Or rather, what would their family members and friends, who would do anything to see their faces on the TV screens and hope for them to win, do?
Another irony is that when we watch our 6pm news, we are bombarded with all the political injustice happening in our country. Then the commercials swoop in to ask for votes for “the housemate” or the “duets” we want to win.
The political state of our country is slowly creeping up on all of us. We hardly see it. They are all but allegories in Entertaining TV-reality-shows and school activities.
We will soon have a new trademark of our country. We will all have been bought. Voters’ buyers will come to our country and buy us all of to create the illusion of fixating our problems away from poverty.
