Feelings on Filings

Now, here comes something more sensational than Guo or Quibuloy, the filing of certificates of candidacy. Philippine politics never runs out of peculiarities.

Why does a social media influencer who admits that he/she portrays himself/herself as “engot”on the Internet file to run for the serious job of public office, then, desperately struggle to tell media that he/she is really intelligent? It’s quite presumable that this person despite his/her popularity and success does not have a clear career plan. Had he/she had the foresight to petition for an office in which intelligence is a requirement, then he/she might have considered to have presented himself/herself as such, as any job applicant would do. Maybe, it was not in his/her career plan. Maybe, it just popped out all of a sudden. Maybe, it just came out in the middle of bottles of beer among friends. Then what sort of foresight or planning could we expect from his/her legislative agenda?

Why does a personality who has run for office in different positions for several times, but lost every time still want to run despite having terminal illness? In case, you missed my point somehow or I was not direct enough, he has terminal illness. With all sympathy to what he’s/she’s going through, we understand what’s in store for him/her. In the assumption that he/she wins and the gift of life gets extended enough for him/her to serve in office, how is it going to be? Will his/her constituency, staff and the people he/she works with watch for the day as his/her potential last? I have heard of living life to the fullest, but I don’t think this helps the electorate. Besides, should not he/she be resting in that condition? That makes me question. What is he/she after in the first place? Is it attention? I could be wrong. That makes me wonder. Was he/she just seeking attention in the multiple previous times that he/she run for office?

Mom is running for congress in the first district; son is running for the similar position on second district. Okay, they now live in different municipalities. It would not be improbable that the son found a place to reside in another district. Of course, they did not intentionally plan that. They must have a good amount of financial resources for their family to be supporting mother and son’s candidacies at the same election. What is it for? Is it to consolidate power within the family, the dynasty? I may be overthinking. For all we know, they have the purest of intentions.

This is the time that COMELEC would be receiving certificates of candidacy. This is the time that they could evaluate and scrutinize the background of applicants for public office. Now, I believe the Filipino people has a request for the commission. Please don’t let any foreign citizen slip through the cracks and be declared qualified as a candidate and be given the chance to actually win in the election. Oh, please, don’t let it happen again. (For all we know, there could be a similar case or heaven forbid, similar cases in some other parts of the nation, just laying low quietly.)

Please don’t let them through. Please don’t give them opportunity to use public office for personal gain, or the influence to grant crime syndicates a stronghold in our cities, municipalities or provinces. Can we please check whether they really are Filipino? Is there some way to check the authenticity of the family background that they claim? Could you check if these filers really went to the school they say they went to, or if they were home schooled?

A couple of recent years ago, someone did the same thing that the filers are doing and will be doing for the next months. She filed for candidacy. She ran and won. Someone actually slipped through the cracks.

She actually was elected as mayor. She and those who know who she truly is must have been snickering at how someone sneaked through this process we call democracy. She actually won and gained the power to let her cohorts in to ravage a part of Filipino society. She was granted keys to the gates and let her playmates to play their sort of games and pranks in a little known town that they chose to be inconspicuous.

Come on, COMELEC. She made a mockery of your process and system. Come on Filipino people. She made a mockery of the election of public servants that we hold sacred. Don’t let it happen again.

“He that is greatest among you shall be your servant.”” Matthew 23:11