Remember when the circus came to town
And you were frightened by the clowns …
–singer/songwriter: Paul Williams
I REALLY don’t like to scare you but it’s the time once more, happening every three years, sometimes six, that the clowns, lunatics, sociopaths and other weirdos come out of the woodwork and make themselves available for public scrutiny with the ultimate intention of making the people choose them.
Lest we be accused of making a sweeping statement here of lumping them all together as clowns and weirdos, sometimes not often enough someone with the purest intentions of public service occasionally risks it all and join the frenzy, and again sometimes but not often enough, they get chosen by the people in what we can only describe as “flashes of brilliance”.
This one event happening every three and six years and all the activities leading to that day can be describe as a three-ring circus, a comedy bar, a strip joint in Cubao and a dog meat market in Baguio.
It has everything legal and illegal from selling and buying to bribery, prostitution, dancing girls and boys a striptease, middle-aged men with erectile dysfunction doing “song and dance “acts and in between a lot of violence and the occasional murder and mayhem.
And in a supposedly democratic country such as the Philippines what I just described is a time-honored democratic process guaranteed by the Constitution called the…elections.
A “free and honest” elections are the hallmarks and the highest standard of a democratic country, well at least in theory.
In the Philippines the so-called democratic elections have become a mockery and a joke that is almost always not even funny.
But there are moments; Jerry Treñas and Ferjenel Biron trying to do a “song and dance” act in one of those sorties during the campaign period will always elicit a chuckle, perhaps laughter.
This, however, is not funny but a complete mockery of the elections not to mention the intelligence of the voters.
Excerpts from the Oct. 18 issue of Panay News:
3 Garins slug it out for 1st Dist.’s House seat
On the last day of the five-day period for the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) for the 2019 midterm elections, the Garin family pulled a surprise. Three family members are running for congressman in the 1st District.
Yesterday, Mayor Oscar Garin of Guimbal and daughter-in-law Janette – former Health secretary – filed their respective COCs for congressman.
Just this Oct. 11, incumbent Cong. Richard Garin, the mayor’s son and husband of Janette, filed his COC seeking reelection.
“I believe this is the first time sa akon pag-serve as provincial election supervisor,” said a bemused Atty. Elizabeth Doronila at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial office in La Paz, Iloilo City.
Janette Garin showed up at the Comelec around 4:30 p.m. and filed her COC. She was running under the Nacionalista Party (NP).
Around 4:52 p.m., Mayor Garin filed his. He was running as an independent candidate.
The father-in-law appeared surprised to see his daughter-in-law.
Mayor Garin tried to explain the unique situation to the press this way: “We’re fine-tuning the situation. Nothing is very definite…just ample preparation for any eventuality.”
Asked what he meant by “fine-tuning”, Mayor Garin further explained: “Bali gina-evaluate pa namon each and every angle, each and every level. We have yet to come up with a definite grasp of the situation. So, amo ina, may reserve lang so that we can still be flexible.”
That has got to be the most blatant case of making a mockery of the electoral process and the voter’s level of discernment.
Really, one family; the father, son and his wife all running for the same position that’s cornering the elections, giving the voters no choice at all. You vote for either of them and it’s still a Garin.
If they’re serious about this and slug it out, just imagine what family dinners are like and Richard and Janette’s bedroom, that is, if they still sleep together. Separate bedrooms, anyone?
The Garins must think poorly of the intelligence and discernment level of the voters of the 1st District of Iloilo.
Meanwhile in the premier financial city of the country, home to the most exclusive gated villages – moi is talking about Makati City, of course – we have a similar situation. And take note that this is Makati, not some backwater town of Tubungan or Igbaras (no offense meant, just a hypothetical comparison).
Running against each other for mayor of Makati are siblings Junjun and Abby Binay but compared to the 1st District of Iloilo this is acceptable – although not exactly an ideal situation as sibling rivalry happens not only in politics but in other aspects i.e. sports in the National Basketball League or the NBA there was a time when siblings Pau and Marc Gasol played against each other, Pau for the LA Lakers while Marc for the Memphis Grizzlies.
But father versus son and husband versus wife as in the case of the Garins of the 1st District of Iloilo, now that is something else.
And the circus and clowns are in town. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)
