“Suffrage: ‘Waste Me Not’”
By: Sauda D. Macadaag
#NasaanAngPangulo. #NeverAgain. Pork Barrel Scam.
Putting the blame on the Government Officials for a social phenomenon could be justifiable or just allegations. We couldn’t get
rid of the urge to hold at least one of them accountable, for whatever misery the Filipino people are going through, whether it
is a political issue, economic collapse, or even natural disaster. However, as the ones who put them in their respective positions
included in our political privileges in our democratic country, have we ever asked ourselves, ‘Did I do my part as a voter?’? . Do
we give justice to the freedom our Ancestors hardly fought and died for?
Suffrage is the right to vote, or the exercising of that right (Andrew Heywood). It is mentioned in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR), in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and in the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Since
the National and local Election is about to come, as what they call the ‘War of Information’, the supporters of various political
parties are now competing and attacking one another through the powerful medium in this modern era, Social Media.
Everybody is talking about, ‘Lugaw’, ‘Diktador’… but we rarely talk about the role of voters. It’s not mainly about them. It’s
more importantly about---us, as voters.
What’s wrong with the Filipino people? How do we waste our votes?
There are Filipinos who already lost hope or don’t care at all on the Political system of the Philippines. Only 75.90% of the
registered voters actually voted during the 2019 National and Local elections (COMELEC). There were around 62 million
registered voters and only about 47 million who actually voted. Where are the 15 million registered voters? Fifteen(15). Million.
Voters. If by not voting is a way of others to tell that they don’t see anyone in the candidates who fit for a certain position, well
it’s not helping the nation and instead, it’s putting the welfare of the people more at risk. Every single vote could make the best
candidate win, and/or prevent the worst among them to hold the position. Yes, it is also our right whether to vote or not.
However, aren’t we ashamed that we patiently process requirements just to be recipients of Government-funded programs,
such as PhilHealth, 4P’s, & scholarships, yet we couldn’t even afford to fill up a one-sheet paper of ballot form during the
Election day for this country?
One of the things that make election in the Philippines exciting for the voters is the normalized practice of vote-buying.
Although candidates consider money as the most effective type of it to attract votes, especially when the election is so close,
majority of the voters who voted for them did so, because of their qualifications and not due to the offer (Mendoza &Canare,
2019). Thus, we just pressure our candidates to spend hundred thousands or millions during the election from their own
pockets, which could be too far from the total of their salary for their whole terms. Couldn’t it be the reason why some, if not
most, of our public officials are having sideline job of being magicians, with their Statement of Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN)?
It will sound cliché if I say, ‘Don’t sell your votes’. It’ll be more interesting if we ask one another, ’How much do you get during
election in your place?’ I’m afraid that one day, when the teachers of the next generation of Filipino nation ask our children to
give an example of Filipino culture, “Vote-buying” is what they would say.
Along with the perks of globalization, Media as a tool for manipulation can control our minds who we vote for. “…Citizens using
social media(alone) as source for political information are disadvantaged in their capacity to form judgments about social issues
and politics more broadly“(Carlson, 2018). For instance, as Merriam Defensor said, we should not let electoral commercial
surveys on Social Media dictate us. Those surveys might serve as a suggestive approach to evoke the people’s tendency of
conformity towards voting for the winning candidates based on their results. Just like spreading fake news, it is only one of the
strategies that those in power use to compete with one another and fool us around. As we neglect the importance of Media
Information Literacy, we become someone’s subtly programmed political robots.
We, Filipinos, often complain to our leaders with the situation of the Philippines, yet we fail to do our most significant role, as
voters, who grant them the power to rule us. Some of us don’t bother to go out to vote during the Election day. Most of us
seem consider vote-buying as government financial assistance without due process. And worst nowadays, being netizen is more
valuable than being citizen. While Dr. Rizal and the rest of the squad wasted their lives for this nation, here we are, wasting our
votes. Do we really mean it, whenever we sing, “…Ang mamatay ng dahil sa ‘yo”?