Philippines. Beautiful.
Politics. Ugly.
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I don't really like to engage with anything related to the politics in the Philippines.
Why? Because of the people and the bashing you'll receive if you're known to be supporting a candidate. I don't like to argue. Even when there are healthy discussions which is very rare, I still don't want to.
I prefer to be in the shadows.
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To be honest, I already finished voting. I live in Japan and voting has already started here.
The ballot was mailed to my home here, and after voting, I mailed it back to the embassy, sealed. Some minor issue occurred but all good now. I sent an email to the Overseas Voters, and they have responded right away.
It was quite a dilemma to choose who will be my next president. I mean, I can't choose which one. They all seem to be good at their field but I'm looking for the Duterte-like factor. I'm not really a die hard fan but I really admire President Duterte despite his shortcomings. Too bad his term will end soon, but well, another will open.
In the end, I shaded the part to vote the next president - no, I didn't leave it blank, I did choose someone.
Here's my criteria in choosing the next president of the Philippines. I divided it into 2 - platforms and qualities. I don't really care about their educational background or experience as a public servant, although it would be a bonus but not a priority. For me, what matters is what they will be doing as a president for the next 6 years.
Platforms
There are a lot of factors but I'm only prioritizing 2. If I had to consider everything that I could think of (employment, education, economy, etc), it would become harder for me to choose only one.
Has Programs and Revised Policies for OFWs
I'm an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) so this is really important for me.
Here in Japan we're required to accomplish a lot just to visit home - no, not the covid protocols but the OEC stuff. One of the reasons why I don't want to go home.
I know these policies are there for OFWs to be in a safe environment while working abroad, but I can't help to be bitter about it. First, the company we're working here in Japan must coordinate with POLO, then submit a bunch of requirements and even have site inspection. The company also needs to partner with an agency in the Philippines. This is already troublesome, but not impossible, because some companies are start-up companies and some just don't want the trouble of processing stuff just for its Filipino employees.
Recently there's a news that OFWs are now required to pay Pag-Ibig so if I'm in the Philippines now and need to go back to Japan, I would be stopped in the airport? I don't know if that is how it works but nevertheless, I need to pay my dues in Pag-Ibig. I know it's good to have Pag-Ibig because there's MP2 savings now but hmm.. To be honest, I haven't paid since I became an OFW 4 years ago. 😳😱 That means I gotta pay A LOT in bulk.
I could still go on, but I realized this has become a rant. Hehe
Anyhow I hope the next president will make policies which are easy for OFWs like me to have a relaxing vacation home.
Has Solutions for Traffic and Improvement of Public Transportation
Another reason why I don't want to go back and live in my home country is because the public transportation sucks. I really hate it. I'm sorry but I really hate it.
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It's hard not to compare the convenience of the public transportation here in Japan and in the Philippines, particularly Cebu, where my family lives. Why would I go back when trains in Japan can take me anywhere in the country? And so fast! Yes, there's traffic in Japan but not as congested as Cebu.
There may be a lot of reasons why traffic has become a pain in the a*s and I want the next president to address this important matter. I want the next president to make the lives of the commuters easy because if I go back, I'll also be a commuter. 😅
Qualities
The next president is going to be the leader of the country, holding the top position and representing our country to the world. Of course, it's important for the president to have effective leadership qualities.
Vision For Philippines
I want the next president to have a strong vision for the country's future. And I want him/her to act based on it. There might be obstacles along the way, so he/she needs to consider that too. Having a strong vision will keep him/her stay focus. By having a vision, the people of the country will be motivated and will keep pressing on towards this vision.
Decisive and Strategic
It will be tough leading the country so the next president should be a strong and wise decision maker. There are a lot of issues, so it would be best if he/she is strong-willed and can make firm decisions. That means the next president should have deep knowledge and experience that will help him/her in deciding what direction the country is heading.
Summary
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There are a lot of qualities that the next president should have but I'm focusing on what I think is important for me. After all, this is my list.
As I have said, I already finished voting here so there's no more turning back for me. I just hope that even when there are so many broken relationships this election time has created, in the end, we are still one country, one Philippines. We're all Filipinos so let's support the next president, whoever he/she may be.
For Filipinos living in Japan like me, if you haven't seen your name in the list of voters from the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo or Philippine Consulate in Osaka, maybe you haven't registered last year or the previous election. The registration requires you to go to the embassy or consulate. Note I said embassy or consulate. It's because both have specific jurisdictions. Please do not be confused where to go. 😉
Please check the Certified List of Overseas Voters (CLOV) if you have completed the registration.
From Embassy in Tokyo: CLOV - Tokyo [Land-based and Seafarers]
From Consulate in Osaka: CLOV - Osaka [Land-based]
There may be cases the ballots haven't arrived at your home. Maybe because your address is incomplete or it's the wrong address. If so, please check with the embassy or consulate. I believe they have already made some announcements on RTS ballots on their official website. To vote, you may be required to go to the embassy or consulate.
For more details, please check the official website of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo and Philippine Consulate in Osaka.
This is an entry to HivePH's contest. To know more about the contest, please check this link.
All photos are mine unless stated otherwise.