It’s my fault they won

I was not able to vote yesterday.  I had my reasons and it is far from what other non-voters claim—that they couldn’t find anyone worthy of their vote. But it is selfish nevertheless.

I actually have a list, which now bugs my conscience. Had I turned my back on the pressing thing I had to do yesterday, had I gone out to vote, I may have made a difference somehow.

Sorry, I don’t agree with what other people say—that my vote is just one vote and will not make a difference.  If we all think this way, then we are talking of a hell lot of votes being put to waste just because each one who would have practiced it thought it didn’t matter. My vote counts; and my not being able to vote yesterday had just eliminated my right to question the results of the election.

People in FB have been ranting over why Nancy Binay made it to the top 12. I cannot say anything, I couldn’t comment. Who am I to say that the people who voted for Nancy Binay are crazy? They are no crazier than I am who just threw away a chance to make a difference. 

Yet, I’d like to have a chance to pick the brain of those who actually voted for Binay and the others (by others I would mean those that are being bashed over the net). They may have seen something in these candidates that I didn’t see. I have a blind spot sometimes. But in the same way that I have my reason why I chose my candidates, these people who voted for Binay and the others have their reasons as well. I do hope they did not just rely on name recall otherwise it would be an even sadder Philippines in the next six or more years.

I had a list. It was a dream team, or at least I believe it is a dream team. The people in my list aren’t that famous, some are fresh blood; others have been in the government for quite some time, but with very few negative records. I do not claim my candidates to be perfect, I just think they are the lesser evil. Pardon me for my term, but I have always had this impression that once people take a seat in public office, there is very high probability for them to become corrupt. They become blinded by their interests that they forget to care about their country. No one escapes the dirty system, I know deep inside of me that even the people in my list will eventually be eaten up by the system, but like what I have said, they are the lesser evil, they still somehow have some good left in them.

Unfortunately, my list is left now to just sit in my drawer. I was so consumed by my work that I forgot to care about my country. Now what does that make of me?  I am no different than those who are in public office working to serve their own interests. Now, I have no one else to blame for the partial results that I’ve seen so far but myself.

Well that’s life; too late for any ranting now. It’s not healthy to dwell on a faulty decision, because the result is already there staring us in the face. The best thing to do is accept it, work around it, and not lose hope.

It’s my fault that these people will take oath and lead our country. Next time, I will make sure I’m not to blame myself anymore. This is one mistake I will try hard not to do again!