The last few months have seen the heights of Philippine political activity. Streamers, posters and well-poised photographs have filled the roads. The press has become almost exclusively oriented towards the National Elections. This has become the main topic of conversation, inescapable and pervasive.
With the growing ways of gaining and sharing information, individuals—including those who are avowedly “non-political”—are increasingly becoming vocal and active, engaging in discourse, making their opinions known, and, in general, fulfilling their political rights and responsibilities as part of a democratic nation. On the online sphere alone, the level of discourse is staggering, enough for the Commission on Elections to release a controversial reminder against injuring friendships.
With the pervasiveness of discussion and the numerous assertions of beliefs, it seems clear that the Philippine electorate is growing to be more political, more concerned, and perhaps, more solidly democratic in the truest sense of placing the power on the people.
This, however, is entirely inadequate.
The duties imposed by democracy do not end on Election Day. Election day, in fact, marks the beginning of a new administration that will stay in power for the next six years. It is in this long period of time that those elected into power will make their moves and mistakes, fulfill the promises that brought them to their positions, and prove their worthiness of receiving the majority votes of more than half of the nation’s people. It is this stage that requires the continuous vigilance and assessment that the elections season engenders.
To enable watchfulness, the people’s perception of the government must change. Filipinos must bear in mind that a government is not just some group of chosen individuals who are “up there.” Rather, it is a venue for interaction among everyone, both citizen and official. Instead of viewing the government as a body that dictates what the people must do, it is much more appropriate to treat it as a space, where anyone can contribute fresh ideas, critique existing provisions, and communicate with others to achieve understanding.
Following this, it is important to take note that everyone is accountable for whatever it is that will happen in our government. Whether the next six years will succeed or fail, it will not just be a consequence of the actions of whom we put into their positions, but also a result of our vigilance or lack of it. This is why in the government, all Filipinos must be committed to help one another to place the nation on the right track. It cannot be done by the President, Vice President, or even the Senate, all if they would be alone. Support, then, is of greatest necessity in pushing for a great government.
Along with this mutual support should be our courage as vigilant citizens to point out wrongdoings and shortcomings, as corrupt politicians feed on the silence and tolerance of people. It is seriously disappointing to know that there are those who choose to forego mistakes of some officials just because they give little help to ease the feeling of poverty. They might forget that an act, no matter how right, could never alter the intrinsic wrongness of a mistake. This failure on the part of the citizens only gives the irresponsible officials the increased audacity to commit injustices against the nation. Consequently, this puts into waste all efforts that were exerted during that one day when the voting Filipino decided on the country’s leaders.
Indeed, the elections spur on a sense of political fervor, involvement, and discernment that often does not carry over to the rest of the six years. For most, the elections seem to be singular points of political activity and isolated moments of intensive assessment of public policies and their officials.
There is a need to embody a more sustainable sense of political involvement. There is a need to dispel the tendency to become politically ignorant and unconcerned after the elections. The power and responsibilities democracy instills in the people do not begin and end in the establishment of leaders. Democracy is a continuous process, a necessarily daily reality that requires an active assessment and involvement from its people. National involvement must never end at the casting of the ballot, nor must it begin in the engagement of discourse on candidates’ policies and personalities. After all, the constitution bestows the power and sovereignty to the citizenry. It is but right for the Filipino people to exercise that power every day.
As the streamers are taken down and all winners are sworn into office come June, it can only be hoped that the vigilance and scrutiny that marked the previous months remain, in true practice of the power of the people.
