They're all the same

10 July 2009

They're all the same.

I am referring, of course, to those who are aspiring to be the next president of the Philippine republic. Chiz Escudero. Manny Villar. Mar Roxas. Gilbert Teodoro. Jejomar Binay. Joseph Estrada. Loren Legarda. Bayani Fernando. Noli De Castro. Yes, you can name other prominent names in the country's political club.

Some of them are really good rhetoricians. Some are 'baduy' - just to get the attention of the public. Many of them have already spent millions of pesos on print, TV and radio ads. And most of them strike against the most unpopular politician of the country today.

They say that they are against corruption. They are against bad governance. They are against everything that is associated with Gloria Arroyo. They are against political monopoly. They are against what the people are against.

In other words they project themselves to be pro-people. They are all pro-voters.

Now, here's the kick. If they really want to serve the people and seek to identify with the people in order to get the votes of the people - then, they have to live with the people in order for them to really feel and understand the needs and aspirations of the people.

These presidential aspirants live in posh villages driving luxurious cars - and yet they project themselves on TV that they were once poor (Villar), or at least, they can do "padyak" to transport the poor from one status of life to another (Roxas).

They say that they are against corruption and waste of resources, but look, they already have spent millions in paying ad agencies.

Politics in this country is simply a game of perception. It's all about creating images that attract numbers. Adding to perception is numbers game. You've got to have numbers for you to be elected. And once elected, you've got to have numbers in the House and in the Senate for you to pass bills and resolutions.

Yes, our politics is a combination of bingo and TV. Numbers and images.

Our next president to be is caught in the web of old politics. Same faces. Same tactics. Same policies. Same ways of doing things. Money. Power. Influence. Same breed.

People ask me who will I choose as president on 2010. I replied, no one. I will not vote for a president. I did it in 2004 when I was a first time voter. The choices then were Gloria Arroyo, Fernando Poe, Panfilo Lacson, Raul Roco, Eddie Villanueva and Eddie Gil.

I was actually thinking of voting for Eddie Gil for fun. But I knew then that he would not win. So I did not vote for him.

I also did not vote a single senator. I did not vote for a district representative in the lone district of Mandaluyong. I did not vote for a mayor. And I did not vote for any municipal councilor.

But I went to polls. Yes, I voted.

I voted according to my conscience. There was only one vote I wrote on my ballot. It was a party list. Akbayan!

For 2010, I do not know yet if there is a real choice that would embody the aspirations of a people hungry for a new politics - for new ways of doing politics. Perhaps Among Ed or Nick Perlas. But I don't know whether they are the best choice.

One thing I am certain so far, popular presidential aspirants today are all the same. Now I realise the true meaning of a bible verse that says, "There's nothing new under the sun."