Photo by Poy Autor
Leiron wrote on his Facebook wall on why he will vote for the Roxas-Robredo tandem. He said, “There will be enough websites and lengthy posts to bombard you with the numbers and statistics he carries. And if you’re convinced about voting for another candidate, well you can stop reading here.
“Â Even though there will be haters and bashers, he wants to appeal to the undecided and not to those who have already made up their minds on who to vote for this coming 2016 election.
He also said that people should not only vote for their candidate but to also campaign for them – to campaign this idea.
He wrote about the “referendum on good governance” and what this means and entails.
Direct Quote:
“A friend asked me what the “problem” was with Mar Roxas. I said the “problem” was that he’s the correct answer in a country that hates exams.
I don’t know why we castigate people for having conviction for the coming elections, or why we celebrate uncertainty and political ambiguity. It’s true when a wise man once said that bashfulness is a reproach to old age, but we Filipinos seem to take it up a notch when it comes to being vague with our politics.
Without hazarding guesses as to whether we are afraid, borne of our experiences under Martial Law, or because we seem to value social harmony more than politics, or even because a number of us so jealously guard our apathy in a day and age when information seems to be everywhere, in fact in too many places, I just want to go put it out there for everyone to see.Â
I think it should be Mar Roxas for the presidency this coming elections. I think it should be Leni Robredo for the vice-presidency.
There will be enough websites and lengthy posts to bombard you with the numbers and statistics he carries. And if you’re convinced about voting for another candidate, well you can stop reading here. To the uncertain, to the vague, to the silent voter bound by politeness and peace of mind, I reach out to you now to ask a favor; don’t just vote for them, campaign for them.
I can’t speak for the other candidates and their campaigns, or as to why they want to run for higher office, but the Roxas-Robredo campaign trail is a referendum on good governance. Not the palpitating elimination of crime promised by fiery rhetoric from demagogues, or the social inferno stoked by class differences, or even the starstruck soap-opera promises for kindness in government. I’m talking about Good Governance in the Philippines. That, and all the baggage it comes with.
For six years, our government has tried to fix things. It has failed and blundered with issues and events. Whenever it could, it owned up to these mistakes and continued to seek ways to uplift the lives of Filipinos everywhere. There are sitios and puroks that have access to potable water now. There are communities that have classrooms with textbooks and teachers where students can now have classes even if it rains. There are corners in cities that have become relatively safer, policemen who are now equipped with reliable sidearms. Despite the scandals, the tribulations, and whatever political molehill that pundits try to make mountains of, this government has exhibited a sturdy fidelity to the unglamorous work of good governance; the boring, drudging, detail-heavy work that involves poring through books that people never bother with, balancing number sheets that people never look into, simply because it’s the right thing. We will never run out of drama in politics, but wouldn’t it be better to entertain ourselves with the comfort of knowing that the government works despite the drama?
I’m often told that the problem with the Roxas-Robredo ticket was that it wasn’t “exciting” enough. Maybe it isn’t a political revolution that tries to overthrow the Tsars in Russia, or a constitutional revolution where we get to rewrite our basic laws, where we can all finally wax and wane about the “important” questions like “what is justice? What is democracy?” But this government endeavored for something even more radical than all of these things.
It endeavored for normalcy.
I ask you now to not just vote, but to campaign for this same idea. It’s time we place our political trust in a government that has learned from the mistakes made the past six years. It’s time we make good governance the normal and expected virtue instead of the exceptional saintly act that merits ten seconds of fame on primetime news. It’s time we start electing competent leaders, hardworking leaders, the kind of leaders we deserve. It’s time to fight for the good guys.
Oras na.”
Do you agree with Leiron? Why or why not?
