Philippine elections: Choose upright leaders

The Philippine Flag

Elections are just around the bend. I pray that we Filipinos rise from our bad habits and elect rightful leaders. It is sad when we elect our leaders and then criticize them afterwards. We elect them, we stand by our decision. They commit something grievous we speak out, we press for an explanation, or bite our tongues and wait for the next elections to make sure these leaders will not win anymore. We cannot continue blaming our leaders for our bad choices. We have bad leaders, we made bad choices. It’s as simple as that. It’s not rocket science.

The sad thing is politicians belong to a party. Most times, individually they can no longer manifest their personal convictions because the party thinks otherwise. Sad but true. Politicians serve the party leadership, as well. There are dynamics. They cannot just deviate from party norms. If and when they do, they could stand the chance of being junked from the party.

So it really is up to us. Politicians come and go, well, they don’t literally go because of dynastic politics, but the electorate remains.

It is within our power to choose upright leaders, leaders with convictions, leaders who can keep their characters intact amidst political schemes and intrigues, and leaders who can rise above patronage politics. I know it’s a tough act. These ideals are very high but should we not impose the highest standards on our politicians? We must because we give them the mandate. A mandate is very sacred; given in trust. If it is given in trust, then it’s serious business. If it’s serious business then it’s time we take our elections seriously. No buts; no ifs.

If you love your country, and I assume you do, elect upright leaders.

Fire trees on the road

Fire trees along Maribojoc Highway

The best plants to grow along the highway are fire trees. Yes you heard me right, fire trees. They not only provide the needed shade, they also bloom during summer. Oh boy, they look magnificent on the road during the summer season. They serve as a canopy on the road. What could be prettier than that!

           

I found the fire trees alluring during my trip to my new work station early this week. It’s an hour’s drive from the city. I drove so I could assess how long the trip is, the road condition, among others.

I have planned to photograph the trees in another trip. Yesterday, I was finally able to do it. It felt good. I will probably write a blog about it.

I have been driving around since I returned to my home province in June last year. Going to my father’s hometown, I take the coastal road. The view is breath taking. In a strange kind of way, it’s like the sea view in Maasim, Sarangani province.

Meanwhile, driving to my mother’s hometown is trickier since it is an interior town complete with blind curves. But it’s a short drive so it’s not that taxing. On the other hand, the drive to my new work station is farther. In fact, the drive provides you with a variety of views. One can have a breath-taking view of the sea, fire trees and mangroves by the roadside, old churches, old houses, grand modern houses, and many more. Well, Bohol has been famous for its century-old churches and houses so Boholanos are no longer amazed. But I have lived outside Bohol for over twenty years, so seeing all these once again is novelty to me. I am relishing it.

I guess it’s the magic of revisiting your place with a new pair of eyes. 

The cloudy part appearing on the photo is a rain drop falling on my lens.

The green rally

What is it with colors? Well, for one, colors bring life. They connote diversity. They are powerful symbols. And these powerful symbols are most felt during elections. Hmm makes me wonder what color to use when I launch my political bid. Perhaps fuchsia pink? Haha. Dream on.

As promised, last night I attended another political rally. I did not stay long. I just wanted to feel the pulse and take my shots. For starters, the rally was organized. The stage was well set up, complete with the perks of technology. I must say this group is tech-savvy. I like what I saw.

         

Pundok Panaghiusa rally in Booy, Tagbilaran City

The stage was all green including the people sitting there. Some groups maybe green with envy? Talk about colors huh! I listened to about three short speeches. I did not see any performer yet. Maybe it was saved for the middle part of the program.

In an effective communication plan that communicators call a CommPlan, a political rally which is usually held outdoor is a very powerful strategy. It should be a product of careful planning, preparation, and organizing before the actual execution. One cannot be haphazard and just use the lame excuse: “It’s only a rally anyway.” A rally is a powerful symbol. You organize and manage a political rally admirably and people will see you mean business. 

Like I said, political rallies are a form of outdoor marketing. You want to promote your product, package your rallies professionally. 

          

Rallies, Philippine style

I have always been fascinated by political rallies. I think it’s a product of my real life experience when I spoke during rallies and stood on many a stage to campaign for my late father who ran for provincial board member then. It seems only yesterday when I was hopping from one stage to another as we were doing the campaign sorties all over Bohol back in the late eighties. I relocated to General Santos City and I still attended rallies from time to time.

LP rally at the Tagbilaran City Plaza

Well, I relived the experience last night. I attended a rally. I did not expect surprises there. I only expected speeches from the candidates. I got the surprise of the night when an artista (movie actor) came out and serenaded the audience. It turned out the artista is a long-time friend of a local candidate.

As expected, the women cheered and sighed. Cheered because the actor, no matter his age, has kept his boyish looks, and sighed because women are such romantic creatures and they connected to his songs. You know how it is with us women. We vicariously feel that every song is dedicated to us.

          

Tirso Cruz III serenading the audience.

After the oohs and ah, the rally continued with a new set of candidates. We left soon after. My intent was just to take photos of the event.   

Nothing changes. Rallies are the same each time. Speeches, some dances from paid entertainers, guest actors and singers who could either perform free or with a fee depending on the actor's or singer's relationship with a candidate, more speeches, and cheers and yells from the audience. Rallies are supposed to make us understand and appreciate a party’s platform of governance and the candidates’ reasons or advocacies for running. There are other avenues of course. But for all intents and purposes, rallies simply color the election process. 

Candles and cemeteries

For the longest time, I thought the best item to bring during cemetery visits is flowers. I did that on several occasions. And then it changed. Two Sundays back when I visited the folks at Victoria Memorial Park, I chanced upon the last activities of a burial. Unfortunately or fortunately for me, the tent was set up near my folks’ graves. There was a crowd. Oh, oh there goes my privacy. I lingered as a habit. As the crowd thinned, I started to feel better. That’s when I noticed that three candles were left on my parents’ gravesite. Interesting. I decided to light them using the burning candles on the tomb of the newly buried. There were three candle glass holders on my parents' gravesite. They were probably left there by friends of my parents. I used the candle holders.

        

As nightfall came, I appreciated the candle flicker. Why didn’t I even think about it in the past? Why was I so agog with flowers? When the park gate was about to close, I decided to leave. It was about 7:00 in the evening. I did not put out the burning candle. I was certain that when the candles are all melted, the light will flicker out. However, I was also afraid this could also break the candle glass holders. I thought I will see tomorrow.

The following afternoon, I dropped by again with my daughter. This time, I brought a scented candle. I was right! One glass holder did break. We lit the candle and lingered until nightfall. I have decided that I will no longer bring flowers to the cemetery. I will bring candles instead. There is no meaning or significance. The candle brings comforting flicker in the night time. It adds a spark to the already well-lit park.

            

For those who have lost loved ones, it is a great comfort to make your cemetery visits a ritual. Yes, a ritual. In fact, each time I visit the memorial park, I see many people of varying age, shape, and size visiting their loved ones. Just across my parents’ gravesite, I always see this couple sitting on the covered ground beside a grave. They bring a mat to sit on and linger like me. Like me, they engage in ritual. According to a book I read after losing my mother, ritual is a very effective healing process. By honouring your loved ones in death through cemetery visit, celebrating their death anniversaries, and birthdays, you also aid your own healing process. I shared the comfort of rituals with my Iloilo-based friend Grace Bayoneta-Solis who just lost her father, the late Gregorio Bayoneta on March 27th. Grace is from General Santos City who studied at UP Iloilo for college and eventually settled there. We used to work together during a short-term work engagement I had with a power company in that beautiful city.   

                     

I told her that during the grieving process, there will be good days and bad days. The book calls it “waves”. Grace calls it “episode”. Whatever it is called, everyone who lost a loved one will experience it. We just need to be gentle with ourselves as we grieve.        

My condolences to Grace’s mother Nanita Bayoneta and sisters Marissa Bayoneta, Midly Pausa, Melanie Bayoneta, Maylin Bayoneta, and Mildred Bayoneta. Be gentle with each other; be gentle with yourselves. Rituals will bring you great comfort.