Silence can’t solve the problem

s observed during the last day of filing of registration at the Comelec, voters sacrificed themselves standing for a long time waiting for their turn to be registered. This shows an overwhelming interest and concern of voters to exercise their right of suffrage. Yet time and again, we know that some of these voters participate in this political exercise for the money they will be receiving from vote buying without considering its consequences.

These malpractices during election period have been done for as long as I could remember. Vote buying during the early years were not so rampant, instead, ‘dagdag-bawas’ by some Comelec officials before were very popular up until the “Hello Garci” controversy.

I had a personal observation and was one of the victims of the dagdag-bawas anomaly done by the old Comelec officials of Maramag, Bukidnon, then, during the Corry Aquino vs. Marcos election in the early 8o’s. That was my first time to participate in the election as a poll clerk in Central Mindanao University, Musuan Bukidnon. We were charged in court by the Catholic Church of Malaybalay for allegedly altering the election returns which were actually altered by the Comelec officials themselves.

That event prompted me not to participate anymore in any election up to this point in time. Because for me, it is useless spending time and effort in the election, yet the results will only be manipulated. Much more that vote buying by some politicians are very rampant along with vote selling of some voters through the highest bidder which is now the new trend.

It seems that some voters use this momentous event in order to earn money and possible position in the government once their candidate wins in the election.

It is only now that I realized that nothing will happen if I remain silent. The slogan of President Duterte during the campaign period “Change is Coming” has awakened me especially after two years of his administration, using his power and political will to curb corruption—illegal drugs and criminality still continue to-prevail.

I firmly believe that the cooperation and support of the general public, especially the millennials who are least if not untainted with corruption and the intelligent and honest voters slowly can make a change; of course with the support of the religious sectors, academe and the civil society. Dr. Jose Rizal once said, “the youth is the hope of the nation.”

Kinahanglan sugdan nato ang pag bag-o sa atong social, political, ug economic landscape. Kay ug dili karon, kanus-a pa man? Ug dili kita, kinsa pa man?