The campaign for national posts for the May 2022 elections will begin tomorrow, Tuesday – as though we needed any reminding, when Filipinos have been preoccupied with politics since the filing of certificates of candidacy began in October.
It only means that starting tomorrow, the national candidates no longer have to pretend to not be campaigning, going by strict definitions, or to be skirting election laws.
They can already ask the people to vote for them directly, even though they have been doing it in a number of ways since they declared their intentions to run.
As voters, we should take advantage of the campaign period as an opportunity to open our minds and evaluate the candidates based on a checklist ideally drafted according to the values we hold dear.
Philippine elections have long been derided as based on personality instead of platform. Political parties are meaningless – only a vehicle that would carry candidates when no other groups find them acceptable. Of course, the funding would take them a long way.
In the past few weeks, the public has caught more than a glimpse of what the candidates are, and espouse. The people have been aided by what they read and hear over traditional and social media, especially now that physical interaction remains limited due to the pandemic.
It is our earnest hope that the Filipino electorate prove itself more discriminating, more exacting, and less given to sweet talk or motherhood statements. Our beloved nation has been overdue for take-off – we do not need anybody holding us back any further.
In choosing our next set of leaders, perhaps it would be helpful to identify a set of values or attributes we think are a must in our next leaders. And then, examine each candidate, based on their public statements, on how well or how bad they fall under each criteria.
We should also pledge to not believe anything we see on social media immediately, but to verify if they are lies or exaggerations.
We always attribute the success or failure of our country to government officials. We conveniently forget it is we who make the first decision – whether to vote for them or not. We truly get the leaders we deserve; let that impress upon us the sheer weight of the choice we will make in May. Let us not leave that to chance, or to the machinations of politicians’ clever handlers.