Why I Don't Vote

11/08/2013

On the Barangay Elections - Oct 28, 2013

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...puro basura...from yahoo news

Just this past month, the country has yet again gone through a process that to some, including this observer, reeks of inevitable futility. No, its not the back-masking presentation of a certain group in a certain TV show which, though not necessarily original  ( the Beatles being famously tagged as furious back-maskers back in the day ) is one that makes for slightly entertaining TV I admit. I'm referring though to the local elections that the country recently had to endure. 

...and when i was older "I Lied"...from this page

Technically, the reason why I don't vote is that I'm not registered. As simple as that. Ever since I went to the provinces to live there, I lost track of my registration in our ever-so-reliable electoral system. As I mentioned before, the last time I voted, I placed my lot in with Madame Santiago and her idealistic visions then. That was what, more than a decade ago? That's the real reason. And frankly, I don't see any reason why I should renew my registration and participate.

I was listening to this radio talk show the other day where a lady was pointing out all the violence that went on in the last elections. Funny thing is, the line that's coming from our commission on elections is that the elections was "generally peaceful", as it usually does. The lady was pointing out, rightly so, that how can you call this "generally peaceful" when there were people who died. She was ranting that the government should not be taking this lightly, that even one death is one death too many. And I nod as I listen to her reasons. It's like culturally, we are expecting this sort of thing to happen every time we have elections. To think that it's normal is more than a bit shocking, it's downright appalling. 

Trigger happy bastards jumping the gun on the elections

Come to think of it, what does "generally peaceful" mean? When they use it, it's like saying sewage water is "generally clean" or wars are "generally safe". Sa amin na nga lang e, a place na I would say is "generally peaceful" e nabubulabog dahil sa eleksyon. Me balita na me natalo daw na kandidato at nagrereklamo, together with his minions, nung gabi after the counting was over. "Generally accepted as such" siguro is a much better phrase. There's also another line that's being over-used in times like this and it's "isolated incident". Well, I do hope so. When a person shoots his siblings over election results, I would hope that it's indeed an "isolated incident" and that he's "generally stable" as a human being and a "general good-guy" on the whole. It's ironic then that the COMELEC is asking people to report incidents but then issues a blanket statement dismissing the elections again as "generally peaceful". "Generally insane" they are, hmmm?

...Just desensitized....taken from www.bubblenews.com and you can see the watermark in the pic, stupid!

Pero, if you observe, normal nga ba na ganun? What's a Philippine election without somebody getting shot? What's a Philippine election without somebody getting bought? What's a Philippine election without all the posturing and the craziness attached to it? And mind you, this is just the local elections on a barangay level, done on a much smaller scale than the so called presidential elections. Multiply that and make it a national thing, and it does puts things into perspective, doesn't it?  It's such a wonder that people still see this as normal. We go about it nonchalantly and say ganun talaga e. Shrug and then move on. Panalo si ganito, talo si ganyan, pintay si ano dahil sa pwesto, binenta ni ano ung boto nya. Nagkagulo sa presinto 8, nagreklamo ung mga bataan nila Pare, nadaya sa bilangan sina Mare at nagpakain ng pansit at kape sila Cap. Me chicken joy pa.

Philippine elections and, an an extension, its politics are both comparable to earthquakes or some such similar natural phenomenon on how it affects the lives of people...actually much more damage pa nga ata ang binibigay nito sa aten. The elections is a natural disaster wrecking havoc on our already fragile state. And we are all numb to the aftershocks that we feel everyday. 

Cue in: Ipako sa Krus....