Eric Ariel Salas

This May 14, millions of my countrymen will once again troop the polling stations to cast their votes for the legislative and local elections. In a country where elections are often smeared by fraud and money politics, I cannot help but worry of another disorderly election day, full of political drama. Even as of this writing, the drama has already begun.

The last time I voted, I chose the lesser evil. Frankly speaking, I saw no one capable of running the government. I never believed the campaign vows, from one aspirant who promised to readily uplift the lives of the Filipino people; to another, who said that every child would enjoy good education. The administration party boasted well-developed social welfare programs. The opposition claimed the best pro-poor agenda. OK, leave me alone!

“I’m so tired of being here. Suppressed by all my childish fears. And if you have to leave, I wish that you would just leave. ‘Cause your presence still lingers here. And it won’t leave me alone.”

I am so tired of my country’s constant politicking. I am dog tired of reading tales of mockery that no one ever loses in a Philippine election – because either one won the election or was cheated. Most of the time, I dream that the scalawags would just all leave their offices and surrender the posts to whomever is deserving of the people’s trust. Their lingering presence makes me puke.

“These wounds won’t seem to heal. This pain is just too real. There’s just too much that time cannot erase.”

A number of these politicians have already wreaked havoc to the country’s stability and therefore must stop. Why would they continue to fool and play mischief with the poverty-stricken, uneducated majority? Quick thought: They have vested interests. The wounds inflicted are awfully painful (declining education quality, millions of jobless citizens, etc.) that time cannot erase.

“You used to captivate me by your resonating life.”

These hungry-for-votes office seekers captivate the masses through the fa