Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Money Politics


How much does a t.v. ad cost nowadays? Around 100,000 – 200,000 per 30 seconds air. How much does a tarpaulin cost? 12 Php for every square/ft. Count all those stuff and plus the number of candidates. It could pro’lly feed all the poor people in Mindanao for a long span of time.

As the uncle of Peter Parker said, “With great power, comes great responsibilities.” I say, it’s lacking. Before that should be, “With great money, comes great power”. True, isn’t it?

I pity the candidates of the upcoming elections who are unfortunate with their funds. Their intentions are pure and so as their hearts. Some are like blank papers, without any blemish of corruption; most of them have blank pockets too. If given a scale of 10, I say, the number of good candidates who has almost 0 funds who wins, is barely 1. Without money, there is no means of campaigning.

So who’s fault is it? I have to admit, it is my fault—but not in the cosmic sense—it is your fault, it is everyone’s fault. Why? We citizens lack the knowledge of how to choose candidates, so they often end up basing their votes on these grounds: 1st, one who has greater publicity. Simply said, the one who’s more famous, the one who polluted the streets with his posters and stickers, the one who keeps on showing his ugly face on television. 2nd, a candidate who is from an established party. Most often, the vote straight crap occurs here. 3rd, on who gives a larger sum of amount on or before the election day. Actually, there are a lot to mention, but it would be soooo boooorrriing to read. These things can be expressed in on sentence, “ to the ones who has got more money.”

It isn’t necessarily an evil thing, but neither is it good. We need to change our views and our way of doing things. We should be more reasonable, more responsible. The power is not actually with them, but it’s with us. And with that power, comes great responsibility. We should not give value for their money, but value for their value. It is our responsibility to vote for candidates who are responsible enough to repay their debts to us. (You pro’lly know what I mean)


So, join me and the others in this uphill battle against the incompetent, decadent, but rich candidates. In this coming elections, don’t just vote for someone we already know, try giving a chance to candidates who are not very known, but has done countless things for the benefit of the masses. Vote for candidates who are competent, who had a record of standing against corruption, against the devil inside every corrupt official. If you are against the current administration, vote for the real opposition and not just those who stand by the oppositions just to get fame. I have some candidates in mind but think you barely know them. They are not famous, but competent ones. I am not saying that you vote for poor and infamous candidates, but give others a chance. Screen them, have a look at their curriculum vitae, you might see that they are much mor
e deserving than the others are.