Guilty Nationalist

Last elections, 2004, I was a very active voter's educator. I remember
talking to my boss, then JVP Executive Director now a Jesuit Brother -
Mark Lopez, that we ought to have a Voter's Ed module during the
Midyear Evaluation seminar for JVP Batch24. The module was to be
informative, simple and something they can easily adapt in their areas.
It was of National importance that we help people become more aware of
how to vote and who to vote. And admittedly, it was a personal concern
and passion... The module during the midyear did happen and the
volunteers rated it highest in the seminar evaluation.

I
remember that my last lines during the session was to make sure that
they do it in their areas; that they hold their own voter's ed. More
often than not, Jesuit Volunteers are given high regard in the areas,
thus placing them in an influential position. It was their duty both to
the people in their area and to our country.

I was also doing
various voter's ed works outside my work as JVP. . . But that was in
2004. Elections are coming up but I have found myself not caring that
much. I don't even read the paper as often as I did nor do I watch the
news. A huge part of me has become quite apathetic.

----
The
past 2 weeks have been hell week,doing an instructional video on how to
vote and how to protect our votes. I won't go to the details on why
this project seem to have badluck tied to it as I may change how you
perceive some people whom a lot of us have always admired.

Part
of the video is shooting MAN on the STREET (MOS) interviews, throwing
them different questions related to elections. One question reads - "Ano ang mga katangian ng tao na sa tingin mo ay dapat ihalal at ilagay sa pwesto ng panunungkulan sa Gobyerno?" Answers varied but they were as vague as - "MakaDiyos, Makabayan, May Malasakit sa Mahihirap, May puso para sa masa."
Not that there's anything wrong with those answers. I mean, sure I
would want a leader with all those qualities but can't you give me
something more tangible and measurable? I was throwing follow up
questions, specific to education qualities or experiences, careful not
to lead them into my own answer but they continued to be vague - "Ok lang kahit di graduate sa kolehiyo basta nais makatulong."

Can
I just say this out loud? - DIYOS ko PO!!! Ganito lang ba talaga
kalawak ang nais natin sa ating mga lider? In that case Richard Gomez
does have a point for running and winning because he did say he just
wanted to help. And how do we measure makaDiyos? Because he goes to
mass regularly or we see him in Church? And how do we balance makamasa
with may alam sa batas at sa panunungkulan?

Mga kababayan, CAN
WE BE MORE DEMANDING?! When it comes to our leaders, we ought to demand
for the best! Let's put in some specifics when we are asked for
qualities of the leaders we want. Let's make that list concrete,
tangible and make no compromises. Magaling nga siya pero mamamatay tao,
hindi pwede yun. Makamasa nga siya pero wala siyang alam sa batas. Nais
niyang makatulong, pero di wala siyang konkretong plano kung paano niya
gagawin yun. We've become such a country of pwede na yan and we ought
to stop it. Hindi pwede ang pwede na yan!

Felt so bad after
doing the MOS. I felt helpless and a lot guilty. I actually wanted to
hold an impromptu Voter's Ed in the shoot, if only we had time and I
had the energy to do so... We are still editing the instruction video
and there's not a part there that really educates the voter's on who to
vote and to have high standards in choosing leaders. It reminds them to
be careful who to vote for, pero walang pagdiin kung sino nga ba
bobotohin.

Sad, guilty... I ought to get up and do something more.