Better Late Than Never

It might be the most convenient thing to say “better late than never”, especially since Filipinos are known infamously for the Filipino time. While I do not condone the practice it is appropriate for an entry about the recently concluded midterm elections. Much has been said already, much regret expressed, and much celebration (I would assume) from the winning candidates and the people who are extremely "blessed" just by being closely acquainted with them. A simple life philosophy: "Follow the money."

My aim is to just offer a thought, and I hope a little optimism. I am of the persuasion that there could be, perhaps, an end to the general regret that Filipinos feel after the elections. But as to not want to delude myself and to anyone who would be reading this: let me mention that I have just participated in the past two national elections. Experience is not on my side, which could be the fuel of some of my hopefulness.

A friend had a rather optimistic musing: he dreams of a time that we (since I’m Filipino too) would have a hard time filling up our ballots since most, if not all, of the choices are highly competent and qualified. I am sure he was joking and jokes, as they say, are half-meant. I would love to see that future, where I and my hypothetical wife and children (who, as of this hypothesizing, are registered voters) are having a hypothetical hard time choosing the next leaders of the country because of highly proficient and hypothetical candidates.

However, in this post that is not the optimism I am salivating on. I do not have a proposal on how such a future could be achieved. What I propose is how we could get the competent and the qualified in the available positions. Much of the regret from this previous election stems from the fact that most of the competent were not winningly elected.

It would be pretty reductionist of me to suppose that education is the only key to achieving this very imaginary future, but I do believe that it is the main key.  It is a great thing that Facebook was timely used for more than the usual banal status updates about food or what one is doing at the moment. Before the elections the posts that flooded my sole social networking application, Facebook, were a mix of subtle black propaganda and informative lists of the legislative and executive hopefuls. It was filled with information, much needed at that. I highly appreciated it. But let’s assume for a while: if the sheer number of Filipinos on Facebook are registered voters, 30.2 million (according to socialbakers), AND IF the general consensus was to vote for those who are competent, as shown by the trending topics and images, then some (or just one particularly detested candidate) would be out of the coveted Magic 12 of new senator-elects. Remember: the number one in votes garnered more or less 16.5 million votes!

Now, what went wrong? If education and information were main keys and there was much of that in social media, what happened? Why do we still have less-than-trustworthy victors? I believe the problem lies in the fact that there was much “informing the already informed”. To be sure, more than half of that 30 million Filipinos on Facebook are children (who shouldn’t be there in the first place) and/or additional accounts for that extra help in games. There are more Filipinos outside the reach of sensible information about candidates.

The general Filipino population in Facebook has been exposed to the wide number of articles and images arguing for wise selections in the ballots. The problem lies in our slacktivism. Likes and Shares don’t reach the masses. It is a subtle delusion to think that it does. And just as quickly as everyone becomes an instant political analyst during election period, the same quickness defines the return to apathy in many of us after the proverbial die was cast. The informed majority ceased to care. We retreat and are content to live to fight another election. Yet we will continue to fight a losing battle unless we understand that concern for our government involves more than clicking “Like” or “Share” or some ridiculously witty hashtag.

There must be a universal admission from the informed, even learned, voters that our vote counts for just one per individual. On one hand there’s probably a thousand, no, million others who rely on the mere “condescension” of the hopefuls in going where they live. Add to that some convincing promises, singing-and-dancing, and rewarding “down payments” during elections. On the end of the informed, we should not call any effort to inform the less-informed “condescension”, because that is the work of arrogance. Education should make us more responsible. But it would seem that we’d rather be puffed up by knowledge rather than serve countrymen by faithful work and some activistic endeavors. I am not a fan of militant activism, although there might be some need for that. But the activistic endeavor I propose is actual participation in educating our less-informed countrymen who are abused for their votes during election periods. Who would they rather vote: someone who has given them a “downpayment” or someone who has been working for the marginalized? It might not be an easy choice as we think it is. “Downpayments” bring food to the table now, pay for the debts now, and give comfort now. Couple that with a sense of “utang na loob”, and we have a recipe for disaster concocted expertly by politicians.

There is still a considerable time left, three years, before we elect another President. The future seems dim. The pun was very much intended, at the uncertain capacity of the VP who is rumored to be running for 2016, but not intended at his skin color. The freshly concluded elections made it manifest that not only are the informed slightly arrogant, but are also disturbingly racist. Both of which I sensed in me and now I am repenting of. But I digress.

A man once said to ask not what one’s country can do for him, rather ask what he can do for his country. Now I am not much for nationalism, but I am convinced that I am to be for the service of the living God and men. There is a pressing need to get off our monitors and actually do something for our countrymen. While there is a need to cut ties with the shamefully practiced Filipino time, in the service of people however, it is somehow better late than never.