Such disappointment

Like many others, I have my own personal opinion about the results of the 2019 midterm elections. I was there, witnessed it first-hand not as a voter but as a reporter. From the moment the polls opened by 6 a.m., it was chaos. People lining up didn't know the concept of waiting and the teachers who served as the electoral board were trying to get their act together. It was a very unpleasant sight. Yet we see the Filipino people still braving the scorching heat of the sun and long lines just to get their votes counted.

By the end of the day (or shall I say, days), I saw the results and couldn't hide but utter my own disappointment. You see, I was also rooting for some candidates who didn't make it. Instead, we see the scoreboard with people who have already been convicted of a crime, with names tainted with corruption and slumber during their previous reign. Have we never learned? Or have we just forgotten everything they have done with the snap of a finger? We will be facing the next three years and the remainder of this administration with the people who have disappointed us. Yes, we can always say that everyone deserves a second chance but not in this matter. This is the state of the Philippines that we are talking about.

How cheap is one vote of a Filipino? I feel like it can be bought with a hug, a handshake, a dance number, or a couple of bucks arriving at the doorstep of a voter on the eve of the elections. Even I, who can see the political landscape of the different provinces in Central Visayas, can easily tell who will win by hindsight. Yet when the polls close and the votes cast will be counted, we really don't know what went wrong in between those hours. I appreciate former cabinet secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. who is very keen on filing vote buying charges versus his opponent. While he is gathering evidence and witnesses, it is a big doubt if his case will ever prosper. We haven't really learned, have we? It's the same story that goes on after generations. Our votes can be bought.

There are only a number of intelligent voters in the country. We can say the uneducated comprise the big chunk of the voting population. If we want change, then we have got to have more educated voters. Like I have always stressed out, education is key. With more knowledge comes more power, the more we are able to change the course of the politics in our country. When we are not blinded or fooled by whatever entertainment and gifts dangled in front of us, we can give a genuine decision as to who we really want to sit in government positions.

There is nothing really more to say than the disappointment that I have felt. Well, maybe good luck and God bless.