Election 2013 is over for senatorial and local contests.
People have spoken their will through voting, and the winners have already been
proclaimed. What is the next step after the national and local events? It is
time for the winners to prove their worth and to put their agenda into
practice. This is the usual scenario we witness ever since we become citizens
of this country.
We have a democratic and republican system of government in
the Philippines. Yes, any one is entitled not only to vote but also to
participate in the election by being a candidate, provided he is qualified to
be one. And this is the democratic spirit where all citizens are given and
treated with equal standing with the rest. But not everyone’s wish is granted.
Only few of the citizens are blest with power and authority
as vested by the people according to the Constitution of 1987. One political
analyst has said that there are only 14 families who rule the country. And
these ‘14 families’ are being called ‘political dynasties’ where family members
and relatives are holders of such positions in the government.
The rise of these families is caused by two-fold causes. The
first one is their good performances. The eldest Binay in the government has
vindicated that their victory in the election is based on their performances. He
has two daughters in the Congress and a son as mayor of Makati. I would like to
agree with him that performance is one of the indicators of peoples’ choices,
just like the Dutertes of Davao City. The other cause is not stemming from the
politicians’ performances. And what is this?
If there is such thing as traditional politicians, also
known as ‘trapos,’ I believe that there is also other phenomenon to explain the
rise of these families into power. This is now on the part of the people, who,
at the same time, the source of politicians’ power. They elect their candidates
not according to their performance, but according to their traditional names.
In short people choose them because they are carrying and inheriting influential
names. And sad to say, the winners they have chosen are poor in their
performances.
Why do I say this? It is because the electors do not mind
about their performances. What is important to them is to place people in
positions because they feel comfortable with them for the reason that their
parents or grandparents have done something great for their constituents. Through
this Filipino trait called debt of
gratitude, citizens perpetuate them in power despite of their poor
performances.
From this perspective, I could say that the kind
of leaders in power reflects the kind of the majority of the electorate. There
are the traditional people or “tra-ple.”
Sometimes it is only ourselves to blame when the political affairs fails. We
fail to play the game fairly. If we think we are contented and satisfied with
the way we think, I guess we are wrong. We are always the losers in this
scenario.
