Over the weekend, some 200 vehicles draped in pink accessories roamed the metro to campaign for Leni Robredo's presidency. Others think it was unnecessary especially as we are still in a pandemic and the actual candidate was not even around. Yet, it isn't even officially the start of the campaign period. On another day scheduled next month, Bongbong Marcos' supporters will also do a motorcade to campaign for the leader which they think is best for this already-dying country.
On social media, we are seeing a lot of incumbent government officials who are wearing the color green to signify support for the president's daughter who already declined her bid to run for president. She did file for a candidacy but it was for her city where she is incumbent mayor. Out in the streets, we are seeing tarpaulins and posters of those who are vying for the highest seat in the land --as if great photos on a glossy material would get them there somehow.
Colors can tell you so much and it could speak a thousand words, even spark an endless debate. The stage of the election as early as now feels like sifting through all the available colors in a crayon box, to see which one fits us the best. But I would like to think of it just more than colors that could speak for our values and principles. It has an implicit meaning, yes. However, it goes beyond that as it only identifies you and others to the candidate. It doesn't speak so much of their track record and what they can do for the country.
As of the last count, Comelec has about 90 candidates for the presidency and many more for other positions. It will be their burden to streamline the numbers to come up with the final list. That's the beauty of the democracy in the Philippines; there are too many parties, let alone partylists where the true meaning of these political machineries are not even bothered to be used at all. We seem like we are in a circus, a child's play where celebrities dominate the scene just because they are well known.
Yet that has been the tradition since we were given the liberty of suffrage. There is no move whatsoever to keep the parties at a maximum of two, like the United States where there are only two prevailing ideologies. You are either one or the other. For some reason, diversity has made our political arena so colorful that we give the issue of colors a whole new big deal with a new issue.
There are many things to address in the coming weeks and the political warfare, especially on social media, continues. We are given only a few months to actually choose the right people to govern us, unless a law is passed postponing next year's polls. We all want change, right? So the choices now go beyond jingles and appeal, but actual track records that speak.