The People's Roulette: A Commentary On The 2016 Philippine Elections

     It’s like gambling, per se. Choose right, you win big. Choose wrong, you lose everything. Elections: an event in which we gamble for the future of our country.

     I am but fifteen years old. I am not supposed to think about voting. I am not supposed to think about which candidate will best fit the position of President, Vice President, etc. I am not supposed to have heavy thoughts about the future of our nation. Mother Dearest told me so, ever since then. My mother, a cardiologist, does not really want to delve into politics in the way that my other relatives; who are all judges and lawyers, do. At age fifteen, there are a lot of things I was told I should not be worrying about. Mom wants me to be kept shadowed, ignorant, and clueless of the world of politics, yet I often find myself pondering on the 2016 elections.

     Mom does not want me to see the injustices that voting for the wrong candidate brings on, yet I still try to keep up with what’s happening in the government; mostly through the newspapers, internet, or my relatives who are judges. Mom is very evasive on the topic of elections; saying she does not want to talk about politics, but I try to bring it up whenever I can. I am not sure what caused my sudden interest in politics, but everywhere I go, I see them. “Galing at Puso”, “Daang Matuwid”, "Si Miriam Ang Sagot", "Tama Si Duterte", “Only Binay” did this “Only Binay” does that, I see them all the time. At the mall, in the streets, on the internet, or even when I chill at home, watching television.

     I try my best not to care about these things, like Mom wants me to do. It would be easy for some; little to no effort for others, but in my case; coming from a family of judges and lawyers, I find it very hard to stay away. Even harder than most because, I admit, I am a very emotional person (I prefer to call it an artistic mind.) Every time I see beggars on the streets, or their kids crying, I instantly think: is the government even really doing something about this? I give them my spare 20 pesoes, but that is not enough. They need some real help, better help, not just a fifteen year old girl who does not know what to do in life. They need the government; a better government, if not the best government.

     Through the elections, everything is supposed to change. Not just who the people sitting on the chairs of the highest position are, but literally everything has to change. From President to Barangay Kagawad, from our country’s economic status to its diplomatic relations with other countries, from the happiness of the people of our country to how their needs are attended to, everything has to become bigger, better, corruption-free. Everything, every change needs to start somewhere, and it starts with choosing the right leaders.

     Today, it is almost impossible to see where the eyes of the candidates are: the fortune, the fame, the excellence that comes with it, or if they actually even have some genuine interest in improving our country. Lies are everywhere you go, just as political ads are. It is impossible to do away with the lies, and almost as impossible to see right through them. We often catch politicians lying or thieving from the country, and humiliatingly, we are usually already too late to do something about it. The worst part is that I used the words ‘often’ and ‘usually’. I can only list down few politicians who actually do something about our country. Is this all our country is: poor choices, lies, subpar government service, and white sand beaches?

     Well, I believe not. I believe change will come, only if we start looking through the books and researching about candidates, thinking about who exactly to vote.Some people just choose who they see on TV (I can name a few), but we have to choose wisely. I know that, today, it is very hard to see the sides of our candidates, but we should at least try. Is Grace Poe really “Galing at Puso” or “Graft and Pompousness”? Is Roxas-Robredo’s “Daang Matuwid” really a straight road, or a road painted to look straight when in reality, it isn’t? Is Miriam really the answer to all our country's troubles? Is Duterte really correct? When they say only Binay did it all, does it mean Binay did everything good or everything bad?

     What we need is a leader, someone who actually does good things for our people, and not just promise. What we need is someone who does not forget or ignore the needs of his or her people. Someone who can take the Philippines to the next level, out of its third-world status, and into the ranks of Japan, the United Kingdom, France, China, the United States of America.  I believe our country can do it, can succeed, but only with the right leaders, and the smart people who choose them. Our country needs us, just as we need leaders who will raise our country right. We have a responsibility to our nation, just as the leaders have responsibilities to us. We have to take action, not just cry over how the government doesn’t do much. 

     It does not make sense, does it? We chose the leaders yet we cry over how irresponsible they are; even if we are the ones who put them in those positions in the first place. 

     We have a choice to make things right, and we have to exercise the right to do so. We can fix things, together as one nation, one country, one Philippines. We should stop saying that we live in the wrong country, the wrong world, when we know we have a say on how things should be done. It is time we choose not adequate leaders, but the best for our country. It is time for the Philippines to rise, after having been pushed around for so many years. It is time to make the right choice. We do not need one more EDSA Revolution, for Christ’s sake. 

     Is this country choosing Grace Poe? Miriam Defensor-Santiago? Mar Roxas? Jejomar Binay? Rodrigo Duterte? Well, whoever the Philippines will elect as its newest president, I do hope and pray that we choose right. 

     In the elections, we gamble for the future. We gamble for our needs and happiness. We gamble for the standing of our country. We gamble, and oftentimes, we lose. It is time we win.

     I have faith that this nation will make it, that our future leaders can make our country great, but the question is, can we make the right choice?

     I believe we can.