Exactly one week after the first ever automated national elections the country has undertaken, and months after a grueling, hard-nosed, rollercoaster ride of a campaign season, the smoke finally clears.  What almost everyone thought would be a closely contested presidential race turned out to be a one-sided, walloping of sorts.

 

If only we’re talking about the most qualified among the field of candidates doing the walloping.  But no.

 

As of Comelec’s official tally this morning, Senator Benigno Aquino III leads the pack with over 12.2 million votes, followed by former president Joseph Estrada with more than 7.5 million votes, Senator Manny Villar with 4.3 million votes, Gilbert Teodoro with 3.2 million votes, Brother Eddie Villanueva with just over 916,000 votes and Senator Richard Gordon with just over 430,000 votes.  Looking at these results one week after the casting of ballots, I would agree that there was no failure of elections.  Only a failure of intelligence.

 

For the very first time, my faith in the Filipino spirit was visibly shaken.

 

And for the very first time, deep inside, I am ashamed to proclaim to the world that I’m proud to be Filipino.

 

When a very important democratic process such as a national election is reduced to a mere popularity contest where majority of the voting population are being swayed by endorsement of showbiz personalities, shallow giveaways in campaign sorties, black ops and mudslinging among political parties, and canceled TV debates which should’ve promoted real platforms and agendas for government, it makes one think, “why do we even hold elections?  If that’s the way it’s going to be, then just save the money that’s going to be used for it and just have a survey twice every month for five months and whoever still leads will be the next president.”  Even now as I write this, I’m still appalled by the sheer lack of real intelligence as to why those 12 million or so voters chose to go with an inexperienced, former-GMA-associated advisers-supported, loud-mouthed, has a crybaby of a sister (who has absolutely no word of honor, by the way) slacker of a leader.  Even more surprising is what’s inside of the brains of the other 7.5 million voters who wanted a convicted plunderer back in office!  It’s just unfathomable to think that after 9 years of GMA rule, the next six years clearly has no light of hope to be seen on the horizon.

 

I guess change–and i mean real change–would have to wait.  Yet again.

 

I posted as a Facebook status that I’m no sore loser of a voter, but I have every right to be one since the next six years of the country will be at the hands of a taxpayer-salaried, politically challenged leader; and that I’m not proud–nor will I ever call him “my president.”  But as they say, after every elections come a need for setting aside differences and moving forward as one.  I agree to some extent.  What I’ll be doing is to be overly critical of the new Aquino presidency.  But again, given his track record, I’ll look out more for myself and the opportunities that would come my way.  In that regard, I’m hoping to get one outside the country since I don’t believe that the incoming administration will be any different.  As they say, always look out for number one.  To be blunt about it, if a first world country would offer me a good job and to be their citizen, I’d take it in a heartbeat.  That is how bad I think of the incoming government would be.

 

But again, I’ve mentioned before that I would very much love to be proven wrong.  So I challenge–no, I dare–anyone associated with the incoming government-to-be.  From you, soon to be president-elect Aquino, down to all would-be appointed government secretaries:  prove me the hell wrong.

 

And maybe, just maybe I’ll feel sorry for not believing and voting for you.

 

Otherwise, I’m proud to stand beside the other 430,000 plus people who believed in real and honest-to-goodness change.  I’m proud to have contributed in convincing others to realize that no vote is wasted if used wisely; I’m proud to have used my time to spread advocacies of real change through Facebook and my blog; I’m proud to show my neighbors–despite their old-school and inept thinking–that I stood against their overwhelming pressure to “go with a sure winner” and can still hold my head high believing that my one vote is not wasted.

 

And to those who voted for the front-runner, all I can say is this:  if he fucks up (which I’m sure he will, add to that his no-good, blabber-mouth, lying, bitch of a sister who’ll do no good either), then you don’t have any, and I mean any, right to complain.  You cast your vote for him, live with it.

 

I’m not exactly a believer of weather reports, but in this instance, gloomy and cloudy will be seen for a good part in the next six years.

 

Pray that you won’t hear the words, “we told you so.”