Dapat Tama!

More than a month ago, my child asked me to take videos of him showcasing his newly learned songs. He sang Happy birthday, the not-so new gangnam style and the 2013 GMA NewsTV election theme song, Dapat Tama!

What he did was a usual child’s pasiklab but unknown to him is that he’s singing very meaningful lyrics.Days from now, I (along with millions of Filipino people) am about to cast my vote for the national and local elections. The event is about to change –or not to, the lives of the Filipinos. I am not  politically inclined. I’ve always relied that elected government officials have conscience to do good. This balances my belief that voters (always!) have tendency to elect wrong people – categorically except for Pnoy. Thus, though people do not elect the best or most adequate candidate, the elected officials will still make ways to prove the otherwise, for the benefit of the people.

I’m not the right person to make an analysis, further I’ve always been low key (if not silent, especially with the local) in terms of politics. At 34 who have voted several times, I’ve always been guilty of observing popular vote. Wrong? That’s me, walang basagan ng trip. With the forthcoming elections, I don’t think that there is much to look forward. If people don’t take this opportunity  to change, so be it. Let’s just wish for winners to do their part. What concerns me is that the season makes me look back. I can speak for the rest of the family, we hated elections! It played a major part on what I am and a little on what I am not. The way we put it, kapag eleksyon lagi kang kakakaba-kaba. I wish I could describe him as a former something but all I can label to him is a frustrated politician. My father had humble political beginnings that never got anywhere in the ranks (or at least in the kalingkingan) of the populars political clans of our province. That explains why I am so low key in politics for the fear of anyone remembering my dad being former candidate for board member, vice governor, governor and mayor. I am just so thankful that people generally have poor memory or usually don’t care about losers.

I am definite that it’s not the route I would take nor the life I would wish to have. However, I’ve always been thinking, had my father succeeded I could have been the city mayor or congressman by now –political dynasty, right? Let’s just save that for my next lifetime. Except for the fact that he did not file for candidacy in 2010, I never felt that he ceased to chase for his lost dream.

As for who I am going to vote, I am not the type who would say I will vote through my conscience. I had no favors from any of the candidates as I remember. What I have are the instances of closest association with  very few of them. For councilors, I have a grade school classmate, a kumpare - Elmo's ninong, and our ninong in wedding. More importantly, another candidate for councilor who is a nurse had attended to my father while he was bed ridden. We looked for a nurse in the neighborhood to fix the tube where his food passes and he obliged. If that would not be the basis of my vote, what should be?

Dapat tama! Let us define tama by ourselves.