It was one early morning, when the sun was yet to shower its rays and the breeze still cool from the previous evening that my family and I started our three hour trip to our hometown. This very early trip caused most of us our precious sleep and haste in our movements because according to my father, this was a very important trip. “A very important trip indeed” reiterated by my Mom and which was answered with silence maybe because of the unwonted early morning trip, not to mention the lack of sleep and haste that we have to go through.
The trip back home was long sought by my parents especially that this time it would not just be the two of them that needed to go, because this time they would be bringing with them their three daughters and two sons. The seemingly very important trip, for my part, was greeted with indifference. For the last twenty years of my life, I have had always heard about it; the hopes that it would inspire, the changes that it would bring, the happiness that it would give and most of all the prosperity that it would promise. But time proved all these wrong, where things anticipated and wished for always turns out to be the opposite. This in some way or another created within me an apathetic feeling of disregard to this event. Most of the time I had always heard people always emphasizing the importance and sacredness of this faithful event but almost always, most of the people preaching are the ones themselves committing dishonesty, fraud and treachery. All the years of contrasting words and actions seemed to have an effect on my early mind that now that I am of mature age, I don’t feel the urge to take part of this event; to go back home on that 10th day of May year 2010.
It was election time. The streets were filled with people and elegant cars. It was like there was a festivity. Not one minute after we have just arrived, when one of my uncles greeted us with a smile accompanied with his campaign for his candidate for board member. He bid us to include this one fellow of which he knew into the five candidates that we would choose. Then as if nothing, he pulled out from his pocket a bundle of money and then handed out to each of us fifty peso bills. I had second thoughts of receiving the money. But as everyone was around, and as I knew the custom that existed there and which is very likely in other parts of the country, my hesitation drifted away in an instant. This was my very first contribution to the underdevelopment of our country.
The act of vote buying has ever since been rampant during election times in our hometown and I believe so, the same is true in other parts of the country, most especially in rural areas. I often question myself why or how could the people themselves allow this to happen? Everyone talks as if this is something that could not be stopped, something that has already been a part of the system that is very hard to remove. And if by chance you could take it away it would be greeted with something that’s inconceivable.
In the Maranao culture there is what we call “kanduri” or what is commonly known as thanks giving and this is what most politicians in our place use as an excuse of vote buying. Whenever a candidate gives you something, he would use “kanduri” for his victory as an excuse, and the receiver having in mind the maxim that “to refuse an offer is an insult” would have no other alternative but to accept. But things doesn’t end here, in our culture because also of another concept which is called “maratabat” the receiver which is the elector would be compelled to the unspoken request of the candidate for the fear of any repercussion against him or any member of his family. Maratabat in plain terms suggests something like pride or the act of injuring the pride thus causing some repercussions. And still another Maranao tradition that helps in the proliferation of massive vote buying, the most gruesome of all, is the concept of “rido” or what is in the vernacular “ubusan nang lahi” or in english, family feud. Although it may sound a bit exaggerated because it is quite impossible for one clan to be extinguish, nevertheless the thought alone or the intention itself is enough to cause violence and unimaginable terror to everyone in the community. This concept of “rido” is how some extreme politicians who lost in their bid manifests there maratabat, where they would go to the place of those electors who did not support their cause and fire guns at them mercilessly. But ofcourse this is not always the case because some politicians express their maratabat in some other way but is still destructive to the welfare of the electorate.
With the facts given, it would sound as if there is no remedy to this disease where those responsible are the same persons that would suffer. Everyone thinks that he is a victim and is helpless to this incurable disease. I say this is madness because in truth and in fact we always have the choice and the capacity for a change. All that is needed is a little enlightenment brought about by thinking and courage. Thinking for a better change, the best things to do and the worst things to stop and the courage to do what you think is for the better. Don’t look around you for you will be swallowed by the so many people that are foolish and corrupt. Look only upon yourself and contemplate well what needs to be done. No matter how impossible it may seem, in the long run the change that started from within will inspire more than the empty words that are always spoken.
The elections that had been conducted in our precinct went well enough. Although it wasn’t that orderly because of some unruly citizens, other than shouting to correct the line there wasn’t any incident to reported upon. The pcos machines that have been used greatly helped in the facilitation of the elections. It hastened the counting thus eliminated chances of “dagdag bawas” and other forms of cheating. In less than twenty four hours there were already proclamations as to some local positions and in our case it did not took us more than a day to know who would be our mayor for the next three years. As far as my memory serves me right, I think that was also the first election where some candidates conceded to other candidates without any remorse or accusations of cheating.
The way I see it, I think the pcos machines did well in its task of enforcing a quick and clean elections. Though I could not say that it was a thoroughly clean elections but I’m satisfied with the way it lessened the chances of cheating and prevented some forms of fraud. And though there are yet many things to be seen with this new system, I would still like to give credit to the COMELEC for the fruit of their hard labor. I hope there will not be any reported acts of frauds through this new system. This is still the start and yet more to come; either if this be for good or for bad it remains yet to be determined not by the system we have but by the change we impose upon ourselves.
GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY!!!
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