May 13, 2025. Today is the much anticipated midterm election day here in the Philippines. It's also a time when a lot of political dramas happen-a candidate gets suspended, opposing parties entered into heated arguments, and a whole lot of vote buying. These phenomenon has always been present in every election period, more so during presidential elections.
This election is specifically for senators, mayor, councilors, governors, and party list.
As you know these positions are close to the people, which means campaigns are more intimate. Vote buying is even more rampant that it's already normal for every candidate to alot a sum of money for every potential voters.
My family and I arrived at our precinct an hour after lunch. We were quite worried as the weather was too hot and the queue was long. Fortunately, the queue was fast moving that all of us were done voting in 30 minutes.
Admittedly, I'm not politically inclined and certainly not well aware of current events. I've read a bit of news here and there but politics isn't really one of my interests.
So how did I choose who to vote? First, I educate myself by reading posts on Facebook about the candidate's credentials and works. Although majority of voters are unaware of all the candidates, I'm thankful for those that share their knowledge to the public. But of course, we should also be careful of fake news. Second, I try to watch their interviews. Most of these are readily available online. Lastly, I get the opinions of my friends and family about my chosen candidate.
12 senatorial seats up for grabs this election is a lot. I only have 3-4 candidates that I truly want to vote. Some candidates are neutral (okay to vote and okay not to vote). But there are also candidates that I strongly do not want to win.
Camille Villar- this senatorial candidate comes from a prominently rich family in the Philippines. His father has been one of the top 10 richest man in the Philippines and also once run for president in our country. Although I'm not personally against her or her family, I'm alarmed that they've been acquiring government lands and making it into home subdivisions for sale. Plus, during the latest of top spender candidates, her name was on top with spending over 2 billion pesos. Who on earth would spend that much for a position that only offers a salary of 300,000 pesos a month? I suspect there's a larger story than what it appears.
Hence, the reason why I do not want her to win.
Ultimately, i hope this election brings a betterment to our country and not just for the benefit of those in position.
That's it for today's blog. See you in my next one!
Sending some love and light
With love, Jane
