Immature, ignorant, indifferent

“Bro, who’s your President?”

“Who do you think will win?”

With increasing frequency, people have turned to members of media to get a “better” perspective of how to vote or who to vote for in the 2010 Presidential elections.

That however can be equally frustrating because most “media practitioners” try to present a neutral or objective position, as expected of them. Recently, I had the special privilege of being invited by Sr. Lirio Gavan, SPC to be one of the speakers at the 33rd PART Annual Convention.

The Philippine Association of Religious Treasurers had gathered some 380 representatives nationwide to tackle the issue of political maturity and intelligent voting. A crucial part of the program was supposed to be a dialogue with all the Presidential candidates.

Sadly, most of them sent “proxies”. Noynoy Aquino was represented by his sisters Pinky and Viel. Gibo Teodoro sent his undersecretary Valenzuela. Cynthia Villar was a last minute drop out due to flight schedules.

To be quite blunt about it, I find it tragic that most “Catholic” politicians in the Philippines would fall all over themselves to be invited or get an audience with a leader of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, but do not give the same importance or recognition to invitations and events of religious organizations affiliated with the Catholic Church.

In an election year some politicians attend mass three times on a Sunday just for exposure, but even when bishops host a forum, these so-called believers always have more important things to do. I learned from many nuns attending the forum that Presidentiables have done the snub twice.

Unlike the INC, politicians have obviously devalued the Catholic Church due to the perceived absence of a “Catholic” block vote. But just like the PART forum, I have observed that members of the Catholic Church have started to take serious interest in elections and governance, which may ultimately have a ripple effect on the elections in 2010.

For their part, the “religious” need to realize they are being taken for granted because they have taken their responsibility and their influence for granted. Sadly the “misfits” or the cantankerous are the only ones using their title or their position to influence public opinion and often times it is at the expense or harms the image of the “religious” who toil to improve the lives of Filipinos nationwide.

I shared with the nuns and priests gathered that most of us have difficulty choosing a candidate because we are IMMATURE.

For the most part we choose on the basis of relations, familiarity and personality. It’s all about who can give me a better economy so I can be richer or who will steal less and do more, or someone who acts better.

We don’t demand Servant-Leaders, instead we vote leaders who expect to be served, invited as guests of honor, be addressed as honorable, and travel with bodyguards and sirens because they think they are special. In the end we vote for our perception and not the reality.

In a recent survey, it was learned that 60 percent of the opinions expressed by respondents were formed based on what the “media” told people. Yet not many people stop to think that a number of media organizations are blatantly supporting certain candidates because of their various business interests.

Truth be told, most of us are IGNORANT about the issues and who the candidates really are and what they are all about.

Many don’t even understand what the real day-to-day work of a President requires. No presidential candidate up to now has established his or her platform or program of government. In a light chat with Congressman Ronnie Zamora, I commented that Senator Manny Villar has always been projected as a pro-business and a competent businessman. Yet it makes me wonder why he has not even come up with a business plan? 

Many confuse Senators as investigators and forget that legislators must not only be about making laws but making laws that actually contribute to national productivity and business profitability. On the other hand, we now have Malacañang exercising “law-making powers” that have caused a serious fuel shortage, slowed down trucking and logistics, which created a black market situation for fuel and a dip in productivity.

Our elected leaders are confused and ignorant about their role and their responsibilities. Congressmen forget that they are lawmakers and not executives who are suppose to implement or spend on government projects in the form of countryside development projects. Sadly even the voters don’t know that, so we expect Congressmen to spend money in our districts.

We can all grow up if we collectively work for the common good not just ours, we can cure the ignorance by sharing information, understanding issues and using technology. As I pointed out to the members of the religious, the Catholic Church in the Philippines is potentially one of the best information networks already on the ground. All they need to do is “plug and play”.

However none of that is possible unless we all cure ourselves of the worst disease that afflicts the Filipino people, our INDIFFERENCE. Many of today’s critics of government and politics have said that the last 10 years was enough lessons to teach them that if they don’t act others will.

Many businessmen have learned that their interests have trailed behind or been dumped by politicians because the mob or the masa has determined politics in the Philippines by sheer numbers and not logic.

There is after all, some wisdom in the phrase:

“If you want something done, do it yourself”.