The last time I spoke with my mother, she relayed to me that my Aunt Agnes will be running for office again. She is currently a City Councilor and seriously considered to join the race for the Vice Mayor position for the upcoming election in May if no one from her party stepped up.  Fortunately, she didn't have to so I breathed a sigh of relief. My mother voiced her concern that the candidate from the opposition is quite formidable and have a murky reputation of intimidating and eliminating other candidates through allegedly unsavory tactics. As much as I have conviction in my aunt on her leadership aptitude and bona fide political passion, I wouldn't want her life endangered. In light of the pervasive corruption in the country, I remember a popular saying pertaining to the Filipinos' campaigning style. It is said that if you want to win, you must have the 3 Gs: Gold, Guns, and Goons. Now, I'm not saying that I condone or espouse this kind of thinking. Sadly, this is the monstrous reality that rears its ugly head come election time.

I didn't have a lot of opportunities to vote back then but I'm quite familiar with the campaign trail shenanigans since some members of my clan (including my father) had some political affinity coursing in their blood. My grandfather was a City Mayor ages ago and consequently, some relatives vied for various positions throughout the years, sort of carrying on the family tradition. A few were successful but most of them gave up any endeavors altogether upon recognizing that they just don't have enough means (mainly financially) to change the rules and bargain on an impartial and scrupulous outcome.

Just when I thought that the family have finally put aside any political ambitions to rest, my aunt decided to throw her hat in the ring . If you know her personally, you can just appreciate the amount of moxie and intestinal fortitude this woman have. With no political experience under her belt to speak of, one might say that she naively stepped into the political arena like a lamb at the mercy of power hungry lions. Granted she has the financial resources to support the campaign costs, it is her herculean ability to see the big picture and the stalwart belief that she can make a difference that got her through the rigorous and sometimes treacherous campaign process. She obviously had her share of muckraking and mudslinging but it didn't deter her from her staying on course and gaining the respect of her constituents. I was indeed proud and pleased when she got elected and served her term with remarkable aplomb and accomplishment. Therefore, I absolutely support her in her bid for another term to serve the people who put their trust on her. Heaven knows we need more people like her in the Philippines.

As America is also in the midst of gearing up for the next presidential election, I can't help but notice and compare the compatibilities and disparities of their campaign practices to that in the Philippines. I don't pretend to fully understand the mechanism or machinery so I can only base my opinions on what I observe in the media and on conversations with other Americans. I will not go into details here but what they definitely have in common are the omnipresent controversies and smear propaganda which can get ugly and personal. It's like a piranha feeding season just like the last time. When we were in Italy last year, we saw and heard the same scenario as well. I guess it's a universal thing. Different people with different languages but with similar actions and motivations. 

Whatever the upshot is for every election, I just hope that it will bring the citizens and voters what they hope to achieve from exercising their suffrage and egalitarianism. Let me close this soliloquy of mine by quoting Napoleon Dynamite's friend Pedro,"Vote for me, and all your wildest dreams will come true."