Voter education necessary to help Filipinos choose the right leaders

Come election time, the story goes on how the rich whose greediness cannot be regulated cannot be controlled by prayers and magic. Greediness is in the DNA of any bureaucrat capitalist to maintain their power and do it without shame, guilt, or apologies.

National elections are not only a matter of voting, but an opportunity to analyze and critique the electoral system in our country. If we perceive elections as a sacred exercise in a democratic society, then it is our duty and right to defend the people’s option to elect and to guard the sanctity of those elections and make sure that they will not be tarnished by fraud, corruption, violence, and even intimidation.

However, an election in the Philippines is a process ensuring that the ruling classes stay in power. Never was the anguish of the poor sincerely heard since they are not represented in the corridors of power. The poor have never been the planners and designers of their own lives; instead, they were consistently deceived and used by those who want to perpetuate their interests. Land grabbers who are running for positions will not ensure the passage of genuine agrarian reform but will try hard to justify the conversion of farmlands to subdivisions. Human rights violators and militaristic people will move heaven and hell to win so that when they are in power, they will continue to weaponize the law against the people undermining democracy. Men and women of big business and collaborators of big foreign capitalists will push hard to win so that when in position they will defend not the rights of the indigenous people but of big corporations.

Our experience of Philippine politics calls us to deeply reflect on the core system of our society. Corruption, injustice, inequality, human rights violations, and unpeace will forever stay with us unless substantial change is made. Surely, an election is not the main answer. Our experience shows this. But because majority of the Filipino people still put their hopes and faith in this exercise, we, too, will have to cast our ballots and respect this process in liberal democracy.

There can be little window for the marginalized to be represented in the House of Representatives. The party list system was made into law so that the marginalized sectors of our society can join the elections for them to be proportionally represented in Congress, particularly in the House.

At present, there is a loophole in the party list system because big, old traditional politicians and the powerful few in the country can form parties to join the party list bandwagon. Because of this, even the party list system, which is supposed to ensure the representation of the marginalized sectors, has been exploited by the rich and the powerful.

Let us vote wisely.

Let us participate in edifying the public, and ensure that the grassroots, the people’s representatives have seats in the public office.

Let us expose those who have made the lives of the poor unbearable, but now are finding ways to rule again.

We encourage everyone to acquire a meaningful voter education and equip oneself in pursuit of one’s commitment to justice and peace as a Christian and as a member of the church. Let us earnestly pray, decide, and act according to the imperatives of our faith during elections and not cringe before the challenges that our nation faces.

Norma P. Dollaga,
Kapatirang Simbahan para sa Bayan
[email protected]