How Intelligent and Mature are the Newly Registered Filipino Youth Voters on May 2010 Election?

Nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng basura? Nagpasko ka na ba sa gitna ng kalsada? These are the questions posed by a presidential candidate of the upcoming May 2010 elections. Although almost incredible, he actually would want us to believe that he indeed swam in a sea of garbage or spent Christmas in the street. Thus, in his youth, he belongs to the poorest of the poor.

Many candidates, past and present, used poverty, in one way or another, just to win the hearts of the masses. They call themselves tunay na mahirap. Even if fake, they repeated it in mass media over and over again, to the point of convincing not only the masses but also themselves, that they were indeed poor and thus deserves to be voted by the impoverished majority.

In a country plunged into abysmal poverty because of government mismanagement by its past leaders, identification with the poorest of the poor remained to be an all-time favorite mode of courting the votes of the majority. It did well for former President Joseph Estrada. Under the Erap Para sa Mahihirap slogan, he was propelled to presidency, which later on proved to be too much for him to handle. And now he’s back hoping to reclaim the power for the poor who is now singing a different tune.

The youth, rich and poor alike, asks: What is it about being poor and being impoverished that makes the candidates think they can actually use this fact to manipulate us? What is it about power that makes them hungry for it, or scramble for it? What is it about the presidency that attracts hundreds of aspirants including those who were deemed nuisance?

The youth of this generation is idealistic. Learned in the history of this country, they had seen it all. Empowered, they know what they wanted and thus make learned and careful choices. Matured, they had a vision of a good society and are working to attain it.

I am the youth. And I am aware that my people have come to a point of despair. I know the face of hopelessness, of hunger and of depravity because I am one its victims. Like the other members of the youth who are learned in the history and current events of this country, I had seen it all. I know the value of the single vote placed in my hands by the very essence of this democracy.

Being one of the newly registered voters, it is my first time to exercise my right to vote. I am still deciding to whom will I trust my precious vote. Right now I am still passive but vigilantly observing those who are seeking elections for government positions.

Politicians promised prosperity. From President Emilio Aguinaldo to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, all promised comfortable lives for the citizens of the Philippines. And so did the countless and faceless minor politicians below them. But where is prosperity? From administration to administration, we saw the failure to create conditions that will allow the Filipinos to improve their lives economically. Only the politicians and their children and few lucky citizens became affluent. And worst, they paraded their comforts and advantages before the eyes of the impoverished many. And where does this place us? The Philippines now ranked as the most corrupt government on earth. Thanks to all the unthinking Filipinos for electing “selfless” and “honest” leaders in the administration.

The youth know that our country is in permanent crisis: that the government treasury is empty; that unemployment has trebled; that prices of essential commodities and services remained unstable; that the availability of rice remained uncertain; that we have ceased to value order as a social virtue; that laws are successfully circumvented; that more and more Filipinos are getting hungry and jobless everyday and that more and more Filipinos die without seeing a doctor.

We know these because we are intelligent. We are mature and we know the consequences of our actions. We know that “one does not need to have cancer to analyze its symptoms.” We are trained. Young as we are, we are organized into Sangguniang Kabataan, which has a national federation. We even participated in making laws for our local governments. Newly-registered, notwithstanding, we know who to vote for and who not to vote for.

We know that we need informed leaders who have a clear vision of what this country should be. A leader who possess keen economic and managerial skills; a leader who looks ahead; a leader who keeps himself informed because he will strategize solutions as circumstances unveil; a leader who cares for the environment; and a leader who is God-fearing, law-abiding and genuine in his dreams of helping his countrymen rich and poor alike.

We, the youth, must help uphold the dignity of our country. We must evaluate each and every candidate for us to determine who really deserves to lead our country towards economic progress and stability.

It has been said that each generation writes it own history. Our forebears have written theirs. Young people, we must write ours!