This is a comment on Conrado de Quiros’ column “Not in my name” (Inquirer, 7/17/12). Honestly, I don’t like De Quiros. But his writings are both a curse and a blessing to me. His writings reflect a self-imposed confidence and are arrogant and insensitive. Yet when I get hold of a copy of the Inquirer, I’d get excited to read his column. If by some form of fictional happenstance I’d find a magic lamp, and the genie would grant me the wish to become the president of this country, I will ask De Quiros to write all my speeches.
I agree with him that elected officials must value the voters’ vote. But the reality is, we, the voters, are always prey to the rapacity of wolves. And there are so many of them—politicians, media practitioners, the rich, the powerful, wolves in pastoral clothing, government officials, and so on and so forth. They are so many. So what do we do to protect our votes?
Change the wolves? It can’t be done, they will always be wolves. Only God can change them, not humans. What we can do is stay close together with only one goal—to protect our vote. Only when we finally come up with one voice, one solid commitment, can we protect ourselves from the wolves.
Whom do we elect then to lead us? One of the wolves, again? No. We should elect one who is among us. He or she should be someone who knows us by heart, who knows our plight and where we want to go.
Sad to say, even among us there are those who have been bought by the wolves.
—CARLOS ERWIN IGCALINOS FAJARDO,
fajardocarloserwin@yahoo.com