let pacquiao run

I am currently working on a legal article that endeavors to argue that the rule against nuisance candidacy by the COMELEC is against the ideals of democracy and rather evinces oligarchy. It is in the process that I realized a basic mistake that we commit every time we learn of an actor running for elective position. Every time we do we always dismiss such celebrity as opportunist, taking advantage of his popularity to win votes in the elections. Little do we realize that it is also these celebrities’ right to run for office. As Filipinos, they are also clothed with political rights to participate in the politics of the country in any legal way they know how, even if it means that they have to run for public office. Let them do so! It is their right and as citizens, their right should only be restrained if there is a clear and present danger of a substantive evil in their exercise of such rights. In this juncture, there is no clear and present danger of a substantive evil in their candidacy.

We also accuse them of being useless if ever given mandate in the government not realizing that the responsibility rests on us not on them. Regardless of whether they really are opportunists or not, or whether they are useless in the government or not, their mandate is not for them to decide! The responsibility rests on us for the sovereign will rests on the people and all government authority emanates from them. No matter how popular they are, they are at the mercy of our votes. If they are useless and inexperienced and they win the blame should not be out upon them but on us who voted for them! It is as simple as wan tu tri God damn it!

I am not rooting for cesar montano in the senate, neither am I going to vote for that actor malonzo for our mayor, nor am I going to vote for pacquiao if ever I am from his province. I am just stressing the fact that elections are our responsibility and not of the candidates. Raul Roco once said that in election, you give the people the choices and you let them decide. At this very moment we are so tired of getting mediocrity from our incompetent celebrity public officials and blame them for it when in reality it is us to be blamed not them! If only we will quit acting saintly and own the blunders that our public officials have committed then maybe we might see the electorate genuinely learning to make their sole vote matter.