A vote for the future

AS THE MAY general elections creeps in, the Filipino peoples are once again faced with the decision that could make or break the future. From the President down to sanggunian members, we all stare down the choice on whom to believe in; and whom to entrust not only our future but more so the future of our children.

 

As it is, this 2016 election has brought out the best and worst in most of us. And as emotionally charged as the atmosphere has become, we all need to keep our wits about; otherwise we may either utter or do things that we will end up regretting. It is true that most of us have already made our choices on who to vote for. But this should not embolden us to bully and threaten others who made different choices. Respect for other people’s rights have been eroded severely by this election season. And for all it’s worth, it only gave the world a glimpse of how immature, petty and thuggery-inclined we have become. The choices each of us made is our own; and nobody should bully or threaten us for those choices.

The sordid situation this year’s elections gave us is the fact that some of us are willing to stoop well below acceptable actuations just to campaign for our chosen candidate. Some supporters have even gone to the extent of wishing rape and murder to those who oppose their candidate. And this is the candidate who boasts of eliminating crime in his first three to six months in office. Sadly, his supporters seem to misunderstand his message of bringing peace and order to the fore as they are inclined to wish and foist criminality on those who do not jump in their bandwagon. As it is, there is a major disconnect between the candidate and his supporters. The candidate wishes to end crime; while the supporters wish crime on others who do not share their beliefs.

This year’s elections are not only a confidence vote on those who are running for reelection or for those stepping down who anointed specific candidates. It is more so a vote for the future of this country.

If we oversimplify the complex, we will not end up with a simple problem; rather we would end up with a more complex situation. This year’s elections are not simply about slogans or motherhood statements; it about the future. And it is clearly about building more on the foundation of the progress and development we have so far achieved.

Critics and detractors of the current administration can cry and rant about all negative issues. But these could not really hide the fact of the giant strides the country has made in terms of the country’s financial standings globally. They could also rant and rave about poverty and inequality, but they also moan about traffic—a problem brought about by the huge number of private vehicles clogging the roads. And this only proves the fact that more Filipinos now own their own cars—a clear sign of progress which some completely ignore.

There are other clear indications this country has really started to move forward. We could either ignore—and enjoy them—or acknowledge them—and start doing our part to further move us all forward.

And on May 9, we will all decide whether we would like to continue enjoying the progress and freedom we have today—or bet it all on sound bites, gutter language, and unpatriotic candidates.

The future is now.