This has got to be one of the most difficult posts I’ve had to articulate to date. There really is no way of saying what I want to say “diplomatically” as it it’s bound to offend or disappoint any “idealist” out there. It’s like trying to explain calmly to a woman how a man’s mind really works (the horror!) despite them desperately wanting to believe otherwise. I’d take arguments over Religion anytime.

Anyways, enough of that. This post hopefully will be my last with regards to the political events that have transpired recently. ¹ I will continue commenting on posts though hahahaha, I’m still waiting for my “i told you so” moment, which I believe will come soon enough. At this point, I think I really have to get back to worrying about the stuff in my regular “life.”

I actually had wanted to post this much much earlier (like right after the election), but couldn’t find an “angle” to use as a springboard. The reason was because the last thing I wanted was to post it late in the game and people would think Dude, you’re still hung up on this? Get over it!

But thanks to a friend of mine who felt passionate about the whole issue, and took offense to how I simply generalized Noynoy supporters believing in the false notion of mabait = magaling. I was called out publicly, which I didn’t mind. ² I can take it as much as I can dish it out – further proof that I resonate with Gordon So thankfully, now I do have that “avenue” I was looking for to get to post my thoughts – because I’d like people to understand where I’m coming from.

So, where should I begin…

See, the thing that makes this complicated is that I still sincerely believe my assertion to be true. And this isn’t because I’m being stubborn or anything, nor is it because my goal in life is to offend the people dear to me. I’ve claimed in a past post ³ Talking about a totally different subject matter that I tell people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.

Gordon/Gibo vs Noynoy: The Objective Approach

As others have correctly observed – these elections were rather stressful given how divisive our social class ⁴ Middle or upper-middle class. aka the “thinking” class was in selecting a leader. There were 3 clear candidates to consider: Noynoy, Gordon, and Gibo – but that’s as far as our “solidarity” went. The very act of choosing between them drove some ill-will between the camps of what was supposed to be “like-minded” individuals.

Yet, given that fact, it’s also worth pointing out that there is not as much “animosity” (if any at all – relatively speaking of course) between Gordon and Gibo supporters than there is between them collectively (and individually) against the Noynoy camp.

My Girlfriend (and her family) and my cousins voted for Gibo – yet I didn’t even bother arguing with them cuz to me it was just like “he’s fine too, I just think Gordon is better” Same way they felt when they found out I supported Gordon and applied their own “judgements” on me. But at the end of the day, we let each other be without feeling the need to “convince” each other as we seemed to have found a common ground in what we percieved to be what the country really needed; doers instead of icons.

The fact that both our sides are very iffy about Noynoy winning; that was indicative of something. And I guess I felt that it was significant enough to be a topic for discourse. Our camps didn’t “conspire” to do this, nor is it in our goals to sabotage the administration in any way. ⁵ We’ve got our own personal problems to deal

We simply and sincerely believe the majority has chosen not just an “inferior” candidate, but a significantly inferior one. And again, we’re not saying Noynoy will do poorly, nor are we saying that we hope he does poorly. We’d be relieved to be proven wrong; after all, a good president is good for the country – and that what everyone’s after at the end of the day. What we are saying simply stems from the sheer frustration that we, as a people, rarely get a chance to have candidates with such promise and potential, and we blew it so we can take chance on “the nice guy” – and sorry to say, that reason just isn’t good enough for me.

The “Anthropological” Approach

Take note of the quotes. Again, as Marian Rivera would’ve probably said it; I’m not a Social Anthropology, so this is just me trying to make sense of the whole thing in a societal context.

We go back to the issue of people being offended by “the generalization” I’ve asserted earlier on. So I will now explain why I have essentially distilled everything to that. It’s not because I simply “discarded” all other factors and just stubbornly would like to stick to the whole “hype” and “status” angle (though it’s very tempting to do so, I must admit) I certainly acknowledge that a number of Noynoy supporters did put more thought into their decision – but I daresay that the majority of the supporters didn’t.

This is analogous to claiming people who voted for Erap, Villar, etc. are generally misguided – perhaps that’s one thing we all can agree on right? But I personally know intelligent people who somehow still chose those candidates for one reason or the other.

So before anyone takes offense in my “prejudice,” try to remember how all of us generally feel about the other candidates’ supporters as well – and you’ll understand what I’m feeling – and hopefully be less offended; as we’re all guilty of “judging” those people at one point.

Unless you can honestly and truly say that you believe that all Erap supporters [in general] are of sound constitution, and that they weren’t “misguided” in any way, then you have no right being offended if people feel the same way about your group. In fact, I dare say that this might very well be the reason why people from the Noynoy camp get so agitated with our claims, ⁶ Well, that and because they seem to be put in a public petri-dish with everyone paying close attention to every mistake they might make perhaps its because they feel their decisions are belittled to the same degree of how we belittle the decisions of those who choose someone like Erap.

Another possible reason is perhaps they equate that single, isolated part of them (opinions on a specific topic) as representative of their whole being. That should they be proven wrong… it would diminish their value as humans. Of course not! It would certainly diminish their opinions with regards to politics, but not as a person. So us being proven wrong means we’re the ones who don’t understand, and my opinion on the matter would certainly mean less the next time around. If we’re proven right, then the opposite is to be expected. Simple as that, no need to make it more complicated; either you’re right and I’m wrong, or I’m right and you’re wrong.

And the thing is; I don’t mind being wrong, because that’s the only way I learn. What I’ve noticed with people is that they tend to be defensive; like they absolutely cannot accept the possibility that they might be wrong – maybe it’s because the stakes are much too high for them to just say “ooops”

We have to learn how to separate these different aspects of our lives. For example, I have asserted that most reasoning Noynoy users have, no matter how “intellectually engaged” their arguments are, when applied to the reality of the situation (and I’ll delve into this extensively in a bit) – can be too idealistic, and a bit naive. Shallow if you will ⁷ At least when it comes to thinking what’s best for the country goes.

But that by no means implies that the person is shallow. While it is likely for a shallow person to arrive at the same conclusion without any need to think critically, arriving at said conclusion doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t think critically as well.

Correlation != causation.

But after saying all that, if it so happens that they still can’t (detach and relax) – should that really be my problem?

There is one tidbit that people tend to miss; that given all the facts and figures, there’s one thing that usually serves as a tipping point for these kinds of decisions: subjectivity. Subjectivity is what caused all this divisiveness. After all the facts, figures, projections, assumptions and calculations are done, we ultimately have to make a subjective choice as to what we think is best for the country – because ultimately, we really don’t know. Gordon might turn out to be a tyrant; Gibo might turn out to be a dog of the past administration, and Noynoy might be a great leader. Only time will tell who was right and wrong.

But make no mistake; that subjective call we all make was and should have been predicated on probability. If you just rely on faith/hope, your “decision” was no different from a gamble. And if we’re just gambling, why even bother campaigning or voting – let’s just spin the bottle and be done with it. It would certainly save us a lot of stress and bloodshed.

So there’s the rub… the probability, what do you base your “probabilty” on? Coupled with the things I’ve mentioned earlier, now you see why I root for Gordon – and why we think Noynoy is a considerably inferior candidate to the likes of the former or Gibo – and why people like us are soooo frustrated.

Nasasayangan talaga kami To me, Gordon or Gibo were like Titanium and Carbon bike frames and that we already had the budget, all we needed to do was pick one or the other. But for some reason, we started compromising here and there and ended up with a good ol’ steel frame. Which again, is perfectly fine, but it could’ve been so much better.

The truth is, we can’t help but reach that generalization you Noynoy supporters dispise; that it really boils down to Noynoy just being mabait – because if we would objectively test all other aspects… no matter how many legitimate examples you could use to support Noynoy… the simple fact is whatever Noynoy has done, compared to Gibo or Gordon, there’s no escaping the fact that he’s inferior in every other way ⁸ In fact, I will argue that Noynoy loses to Gibo in ALL ways, because mas mabait si Gibo sa kanya from what I’ve seen – and I guess that’s where Gordon/Gibo supporters see eye-to-eye. Noynoy being “more capable” than they are simply doesn’t compute – it makes no sense. It would be a fluke at best – and again, if he does turn out to be a great leader… does that mean the mentality used in choosing him would be an optimal way of choosing leaders the next time around? Of course not!

Idealism vs Reality

I’m going out on a limb and claim something which I’m not sure would open a new can of worms: I think that the Noynoy camp is being too idealistic.

I know, I know, they did say that they have no delusions that it would be an easy administration and all that jazz – and I actually believe that statement. But consider this:

I personally was hopeful for the Aquino administration if Mar was in it. Because I think Mar, compared to Noynoy, is a more capable politician. I was kinda hoping he would do the work I believe Noynoy wouldn’t do, and yes, I’m being extremely biased at this point, so forgive me – it’s just how I feel personally. Anyways, even people from the Noynoy camp admitted that the decision for Noynoy to run was specifically because no matter how good Mar was, he simply wasn’t winnable – his “brand” was weak. So it would’ve been a wasted campaign the party had led with Mar. That’s totally fine with me; a good strategy is a good strategy no matter how you slice it. And I extend this “logic” to the other candidates in his party in various positions.

Here’s the problem with that approach, and it’s precisely why I’m claiming what I claimed above. They seemed to have banked on the idea of the government working as a “unit.” Which again, is certainly how everything should be – but not how it actually is. Naturally, having a bunch of your party-mates in the senate would give you the leverage you need for your administration to work. Again, the concept was sound.

But of course the results in the election showed it was an impossible feat to accomplish – and we’ll see soon enough what the implications of such idealism will be now that he’s got a bunch of people surrounding him that don’t necessarily share his “agenda.” This is where a leader’s individual capability will be tested; how he can tame that goddamned circus. And given the type of person Noynoy seems to be, I’m really not so sure he can handle those animals – because he doesn’t seem to be the aggressive type. 12 years and nothing to show for it, very aggressive!

What Exactly IS Our Role?

Which segues perfectly to the other argument the Noynoy camp loves to use now that they’re probably feeling the pressure of everyone expecting so much of their candidate. And this is actually what I really wanted to post about but could never get the right “angle” to start since it would sound too selfish if I had led with it right off the bat.

We have to do our part; the success of INSERT LEADER HERE will depend on the people.

Ok personally speaking, that’s the lamest cop-out I’ve ever heard. But sure, let’s run with it; lets try to discuss it in a more sensible manner.

The implications of that claim essentially passes responsibility back to us. As a citizen I’m very wary of this statement because while it is sound conceptually, it’s flawed realistically. Let me explain:

Assuming “active involvement” of the public as a major avenue of fixing the country, while certainly possible, will only work if it’s a sustained effort – meaning when all the hype of elections is gone, when the next “issue” comes and goes, whatever “we” have “started” should not only be still going, but going strong. And the chances of that happening is very slim.

As much as I don’t want to be pessimistic, I think maintaining critical mass of a sustained concerted effort for fixing the country on a voluntary basis, is nearly impossible given the culture, overall mentality, and population. ⁹ Most of that “effort” will be coming from the middle / upper middle class – which is still a minority no matter how hopeful one is

I mean think about it: I will be first to admit that if I wanted to be that active/involved in fixing our country, then I would’ve gotten into politics/public service myself, which I didn’t. Why? because apart from following the law, I believe that anything else related to the country should be the responsibility of the government – that’s why we have a government in the first place! That’s why public service for the most part, is a job in every sense of the word. Volunteerism will always be a pleasant and welcome bonus, but by definition is not (nor should be) a requirement.

At the end of the day, After all the hype is over, I will return to my normal life to make ends meet. I’ll worry about my family and not necessarily the country’s issues ¹⁰ Unless our problems stem from it hahahaha And I’ll will “act” as much as I can to serve my family’s needs. Selfish? Hell, yes! But you know what? Those are my priorities, and I’m not ashamed to admit it – now, who’ll cast the first stone? 😉

The bitter truth (while not appealing to admit) is that it’s not unreasonable to think that way. Why? Again, because anything more should really be the government’s responsibility. And I’m willing to bet good money that many share these sentiments (wether or not they like to admit it) – even from the Noynoy camp.

I would definitely be a responsible citizen regardless of who’s on top – that should go without saying. But to imply that “doing our part” entails more than just being responsible citizens can be impractical – and can even be unreasonable in some cases.

As Randy David mentioned in his article

It is time we recognized the gap between our idealized notions of ourselves and the actual functioning of our society.

To me, the “involvement” required from us is to make sure we properly elect the people that will be fixing our country. And the elections was just that – and now we have what we have and will have to live with it for half a decade.

That’s why I’m being this vocal about it. Because to me, advocating is one thing that can actually work realistically; to make people realize that we choose leaders for the wrong reasons. The question is if and when people will listen; If and when people will start voting based on sense rather than sentiment. Clearly, given the election results, we are still in the dark ages as far as our mentality with that particular issue goes.

While I agree that a certain amount of cooperation from the people is needed for any government to function effectively. I submit that if you’ve got a great leader, simply obeying the law should be enough. And that the nation’s progress would still depend greatly in the vision [and more importantly actions] of the man on top.

Bottomline

So having said that, I refuse to accept Noynoy supporters “copping-out” claiming “we have to do our part.”

I will do my part; my part is not breaking any laws and not getting in the way of Noynoy’s plans. But what I’m really tempted to say is that, if you guys claim “involvement from the people” is that which will determine his success, then that’s your issue, not ours. I choose reality and you choose idealism, and I will not be suckered into personal suffering because of a decision I didn’t make.

Look on the bright side; if you’re right – you shouldn’t have any problem proving me wrong… because the fact that Noynoy won means that 40% share your “ideals” and 40% is a significant number. Literally enough that should all the Noynoy supporters actually put their money where their mouths are, it can turn the country around. And you could gloat all you want then and I would be the first person to admit I was wrong.

So there you have it, 40% of the population can do their part – for better odds, isama ninyo na those who claim they feel the same way regardless of their candidates 😉 All that’s left is to observe and see how the “percieved math” above stacks up in real life. 😉

You know why people like me are so “arrogant” and “confident” in claiming these things? Because doing great things without necessarily having the “support of the people” can be done. A lot of people from Marikina may hate Bayani for various reasons, but you cannot deny what good he has done with the place – and to the greater part of Metro Manila as MMDA chair. You may hate Gordon’s guts all you want, but you can’t deny what he’s capable of dong when push comes to shove – and no matter what weaknesses those people (or their projects) had, they still have something to show for it.

We’re talking about the highest position in the land here; we should be expecting no less than the best. If you had deliberately chosen an inferior candidate (for whatever reason or “strategy”) under the impression that he may “step up” and live up to the expectations of the whole country, that’s perfectly fine. Just make damned sure he does live up to the hype he’s been given. Because I wouldn’t mind putting that exact same expectation on my candidate – and I’m certainly more confident that my man can get the job done – as he has already done great things without having the title of president.

Now that Noynoy is ensured of the title, he should have much more influence and clout to get things done. That’s why I will be holding him to the same standards I hold my candidate to.

Yes, we are watching your man, and yes we are holding you accountable for putting him there. Yes it may seem unfair as we would never do this with anyone else ¹¹ Because only now have we had the chance of choosing truly capable leaders and we blew it If you feel uneasy now that such stipulations are “unrealistic” and “unfair” – you know what? You should’ve thought about that when you decided to take a chance on Noynoy when we clearly had better options. Simply put, if he is the man you paint him to be – then you really have nothing to worry about right? All these things I’ve been saying will not matter once your man does his “magic.”

Wrap up

To end on a positive note, one thing I appreciated was that thanks to the progress in technology, we have eliminated a chunk of the concerns that kept us distracted (e.g. cheating etc.)

Given that the automated elections are far more reliable than the old method, it gave the people a chance to be more discerning about their choices. Seeing that Erap is legitimately #2, and even the whole divisiveness of what I’d like to call the 3 “good” camps. Hell, the fact that I even took the time to “care” about this whole thing. ¹² I’m usually very apathetic to the political scene as it was my belief that our country was a hopeless cause. Shows how more engaged we all are. And that’s a good thing.

Gordon’s appearance made me reconsider my stance on our soceitey being a hopeless cause – that maybe we do have a chance in progress. Here was a guy that basically felt the same way I did; that stupidity ruled the majority – yet still was willing to take on the responsibility of trying to turn things around, regardless if he was appreciated for it or not. I will never have the kind of “patience” with the people he does. He may be sharp-tongued, but I can see just from the opportunities he turned down for a chance to get into a thankless job of fixing a majorly broken country, that he’s one of those who will really go the distance.

And in spite of all the frustrations involved; it is crystal clear that we do love our country more than we would like to admit – and that always a good thing.