Election is about winning

In his Inquirer column today, Jose Ma. Montelibano described the three Ang Kapatiran candidates as sacrificial lambs. He compared them to the 299 Spartans who "dined in hell". (One returned to tell the story.) But no, we don't need another heroes.

Mr. Montelibano tried very hard to justify the significance of the candidacies of the Martin Bautista, Adrian Sison and Zosino Paredes in spite of being unknowns, "penniless" and without a machinery. He claimed that they are symbols of purity. That the party they represent is the opposite of compromise and corruption. That they are not the lesser evil nor the alternative but the pure and virtuous. But how can we be sure? Should we just take Mr. Montelibano's words as the truth about these candidates and the party they represent? Of course not. Mr. Montelibano is merely expressing his point of view.

What about my point of view? Well, I came to know some of the people behind the Ang Kapatiran. They are indeed very honorable individuals. Their love for country is beyond reproach. But they are just a few. Still, I have a lot of respect to the group as a political party. I believe they mean well and that there is no personal agenda. But I sincerely believe that it is not yet ripe for the party to enter the political arena as I have state in their forum. That's just my point of view.

What about the point of view of the magtataho, the masa? Chances are, their take on this is, sino sila? Elections in our country is always about the person not the platform nor the party. I myself don't even know who these three candidates are or how sincere they are. I am merely taking my cue on the fact that they are Ang Kapatiran members. That is enough to convince me that these three are righteous individuals. But what about the masa? They who have no access to internet and may not even know what a podcast is. What the Kapatiran candidates say are also being parroted by the trapo candidates. So how can the masa tell the difference?

All politicians mouth motherhood statements during campaigns. They all say they will stamp out corruption. They all say that they will create jobs. They all say that they will lead us to our Dream Philippines. But they are all, well most of them, the same after the election. It is personal interest first before the national interest. So how cna the ordinary people tell the difference? It is not enough to tell our people that these three candidates are "saints". Prove themselves first.

But no, they did not take the route of introducing themselves first to our people as who they are as individuals. Instead, they immediately offered themselves as an option and make the people believe that what they say is who they are. The problem with Ang Kapatiran is that it is not capable of seeing things from the point of view of the masses. It does not shed its elitist character but instead magnifies it more.

Now that the candidates are not even appearing in the top 20, Mr. Montelibano tried to justify the wisdom of Ang Kapatiran's entry into the political fray. It will be very, very interesting to see what happens to the party after the counting.