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Today I got the most important manicure of my life (so far).
It's my first time to exercise my political right as a citizen, that essence of democracy that has never bee more emphasized in my lifetime than these past few months, that imprint of nationality on the person which is but summed up by a purple finger--the right to suffrage.
I remember going with my mom on past elections, back when I was too young to care or have an actual grasp of things in this country. Now I know enough to give a damn, know enough that such numerations you'd see on your television can dictate your imminent future.
I admit that all this tumult regarding elections, citizen journalism, voluntarism, and so-called slack-tivism has hit the youth like a fad. There came a point where me and my friends checked upon each other during voters' registration period. Those without registration stubs were jokingly chastised, as if you're not "in". Fad or not, it's certainly beneficial to the country and I do hope it keeps up. Citizen empowerment and activism has become a game-changer in this elections and ultimately the next six years.
I wear my inked finger like a medal of valor today, and it made me realize it feels good to contribute to your country. The long lines in the precincts meant hours of waiting under the incorrigible heat. The long lines was also a celebration of democracy.
Let us not limit this determination to one day, this devotion for one candidate to remain in that person alone, and this faith in our capabilities rot in the cold plate of apathy. It does not stop with the proclamation of the 15th president of the Republic. He is but one person in a country made up of more than 7000 islands. He can only do so much as we too can only do so much as individuals. "Bayanihan" is a concept overused in ad campaigns yet rarely practiced. Let's try it for a change.
Let us respect the results as we respect each other's opinions. Not winning doesn't always mean you've been duped (but let us also have the intelligence to know if we have been duped). Kapag hindi ba nanalo ang gusto mo titigil ang pagka-Pilipino mo? Keep a wary eye on whoever wins the elections as we have protected our vote today. You are a first-class citizen only in your own country, do something to make it better if you think badly of it.
I hope the attitude each Filipino voter held today would transcend throughout the next years--that you get up and make a stand if change is to be achieved, wait patiently for your turn, respect and follow the rules, and have some compassion for other citizens who suffer as much as you do if not more:
Tiis Ganda para sa Pagbabago!
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