This coming May elections, at 26, I will be a first time voter. No kidding. I used to have this lame excuse of “but I pay my taxes regularly – no miss!” for the sole reason that I do not want to fall in line during registration process. So after years of procrastination, having known better, I am going to vote and do my part.
As a first time voter, I have been religiously “studying” the candidates like a student preparing for a Finals exam – like my scholarship depended on it. I may have a world of my own, hates how bad the traffic is here and would sometimes wish that lightning strikes on corrupt politicians but I love this country so much that I still have so much hope that we will one day rise. That is why, despite so many offers to work abroad – I’d still choose to be here.
I may not be some humongous a personality but I know that in my own little way – I can serve this country. I will start by choosing well.
By this time, I already made a list of who I will vote for but I am suspecting that since the elections is still a month away, this list will still be altered from Congressman to City Councilors. But my President, VP, Senators, City Mayor and V Mayor are already done.
The clamour for such prestige positions is quite tempting what with all the “perks” such positions give but these also require depth, sincerity and a huge, genuine love for this country and its people but having seen and read so many things about this and that candidate – there is really no way for me to know who is really “it”. I have my doubts, at times. This maybe my first time to vote but I was not born yesterday – despite the pretty big bucks that has been deducted from my salary for the past 7 years, I still have no idea where those bucks go. I once posted in my FB account – “where do my taxes REALLY go?”
Through the years, I have learned that a candidate’s intellect, while it matters – is not really big on me. Heck, we have all the intelligent leaders but we only see this country being left behind by our neighbours. Having been named as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, a candidate’s character should also be taken into consideration. Is s/he a perennial liar? How many mistresses does he keep? Is s/he a turncoat person? Did s/he pay his/her taxes faithfully when s/he was still a private citizen? Is s/he an action person or mere blahs? Can s/he be trusted?
The Phippines and its people deserve a leader who will really lead, not solely by position but also by example. She deserves to be loved like anything by her people, as the writer of our National Anthem coined it so well – Ang mamatay ng dahil sa’yo.
While we all desire change, let us start showing love and respect first to our country by doing our part and VOTE WISELY. I trust that from there, we are “change-bound”.
