Philippines' Election Day

I'm a total Pinoy today. I can't believe I'm actually tuning in to the Filipino news channel the whole day. Coincidentally, I was wearing a tee imprinted with a map of the Philippines. I swear it was really a random pick from my wardrobe. :)

May 10 marks the day for the Philippines' presidential and local government elections, another milestone for the Philippines' political history. I am very curious what the results would turn out to be, but as at the time I'm typing this post (11pm), only 38% of the total votes are being tallied.

This is the first time the country is carrying out fully automated polls, but of course not without glitches. A week ago, vote count machines were reported to be configured incorrectly, and today, there were cases of machines breaking down, leading to speculations that the election could be manipulated.

Such a large country, with over 17,000 positions at stake, from president down to municipal council seats, I would say it is an eye-opener for a foreigner coming from a very protected and regulated government. Ha.

The campaigning has been very colourful, and I mean it literally. Different parties, presidential and vice-presidential bets adopt different colours to identify themselves, and the entire nation has been coloured by banners, ribbons and posters during the campaigning period.

But of course, their political scene comes with violence and yes, corruption. Gunshots, private armies, massacre, bribery, whatever. Despite how much the Filipinos are fighting for their so-called democracy, the fight would just be a dirty one.

It sets people thinking, how would the country develop amidst such challenges against corruption, and how capable the candidates would be. Are the citizens wise enough to choose the right person to lead the country and the local governments, or are they easily swayed by the publicity the candidates are pumping millions of dollars into. And with the endorsements from the celebrities, and celebrities themselves running for senate and local government positions, would it just make the entire election a child's play? Not to mention the buying of votes. How would the country fight for their democracy when their actions are the complete opposite?

I will be waiting to see which colour would be ruling the country for the next 6 years.