Cadence of change

I hope our children and their children’s children can one day sit and rest under the shades of the good decisions we planted.”—Tamara Mangulabnan

These words are perfectly set against a silver background at the topmost part of the hospital elevator and easily missed if one doesn’t bother to look up. I don’t exactly remember when, but I am glad I did. It brought home two thoughts: First, a reminder of the enormous responsibility of being a physician and second, what I may have forgotten lately, my accountability as a citizen of this country beyond my profession.

In the past months, you must have probably seen familiar faces emblazoned on billboards contributing to the air, light, and noise pollution along Edsa. May I ask you if am I alone in wondering what our future holds? Walking through the hospital corridors about to call it a day, I decided to chat with the guards to get their take on the issue. One gave me a shy smile, shook his head sadly and said that he had lost the energy and the appetite to vote. “Doctor, pare-pareho lang po at walang mapagpilian. Mahirap pa rin ang buhay.” The other one shared that he hasn’t voted in years and most probably won’t be able to because he was registered in his home province. Digesting what they said, I urged them to still exercise their right for the upcoming elections, and promised to sit with them so we can come up with a list.

Driving home that night, sitting in traffic, and looking at the long queue of people patiently waiting for a ride, recent random conversations with two strangers flashed through my mind. One was with a businesswoman who was waiting in line with me at a drugstore, and a cashier from a bakeshop where I bought a birthday cake. They echoed the same sentiments as the guards, and these had flowed from initial jump-off points such as the high cost of medicine, health care, and essential goods. While the sample size is too small to make a generalization, these verbalized comments allude to what has remained elusive, good governance.

So how can we empower people to choose correctly? Thinking about strategies made me review the applicability of the elements employed in motivational interviewing, a technique that was introduced to me and my colleagues as a way to address vaccine hesitancy. Its ultimate goal is to improve conversations around concerns and encourage informed decision-making while recognizing and respecting an individual’s autonomy.

First, difficult as it may be, set the stage for a nonjudgmental conversation. Rather than challenge their points of view or their choices, let us learn to listen to what they have to say. We should attempt to try to understand where people might be coming from. Encourage open-ended rather than leading questions. It may come as a surprise that what we thought was common knowledge isn’t, especially for people who have taken shortcuts to get know the true complexion of a candidate simply because they neglected to do their research or read on history. Focus on how you can correct misinformation and disinformation by providing factual evidence.

Handhold if at all possible by being the access to needed data beyond the bare minimum requirements of being a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a registered voter, and with the ability to read and write. Begin with an aspirant’s family background, include competencies together with the necessary ingredient of experience needed to efficiently carry out the duties required of an elected official, consider their track record even before running for office and while in their elected position. Have they managed to achieve their promised short- and long-term goals beginning with their own community or even started working toward these? Have they safeguarded your interests or been accused or convicted for going against the law? Avoid injecting your own views and opinions and resorting to character assassination. Time and circumstances have a way of revealing a person’s true nature. Leave the mudslinging to them.

Second, foster an engaging group reflection on your discussions and invite them to share their thoughts. Do the candidates being considered for office represent and reflect the same beliefs and values that they hold dear? Is their behavior worthy of being emulated by the more impressionable, such as their own children?

In closing the conversation, do not expect a recipient to come to a final decision but hope that he or she takes the time to study and scrutinize the candidates they are considering before casting their vote.

There are many things that we can do to show our love for country. It is our duty to contribute to the betterment of society by helping one another make the right choices ensuring that future generations can benefit from the decisions we make today.

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