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Letter to the Editor

I WISH to thank Gold Star Daily and its management for giving me a little space in the midst of media commercialism during the election campaign.

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Secondly, I thank my beloved husband and children, relatives and friends, and all the volunteers and sympathizers and all those who supported  my campaign for an electoral post. It was difficult, painful, but joyful. I joined in it (despite the initial reluctance of my beloved husband and children), thinking that I, a woman lawyer, may have a chance to help society for the better through legislative work. I thought the political soil was fertile and moist enough to allow the growth of new, clean politics. But I was wrong. We have seen the massive vote-buying, the most blatant and brazen. Shameless. It was done in broad daylight and under the nose of the authorities. What kind of society and institutions have taught us this? It was unthinkable. The political soil has remained dry, corrupt, unable  to allow the seeds of a new social order to sprout and grow in a gentle, clean, and less violent atmosphere, unlike the birth of a child which can be bloody.

But now I realize, Christ himself showed the way towards social change. He chose a bloody way and sacrificed his own self on the cross. His own people, the elite, and the priests of his time, crucified him. In a biblical passage (Luke), prior to the betrayal, he even asked his supporter and follower, if he was ready with his swords. It was an indication that Jesus knew the limits of a peaceful  and legal struggle. He knew that social transformation would be resisted by the kings, the emperor, the high priests, and the ruling class of his time. He would be called a rebel and a threat to the established order for he spoused social equality and social justice.

Now we have seen how shameful and dirty that election was. It was a circus indeed. But we cannot blame the poor masses too much. As Freire in his Pedagagy of the Oppressed, said, the poor himself is the product of a corrupt society dominated by the elite and powerful. In the midst of crocodiles, he would develop the mentality of a hookworm and crocodile. His poverty imprisons his mind and attitude and makes him an easy prey come election time. He needs to be awakened from his corrupt senses, and that is not easy. Christ and his supporters showed the way. They went out of the their comfort zones, left behind  their  families, jobs, and wealth, and sacrificed everything in the struggle for social and spiritual reform, a struggle that is continuing to this day.

In the course of my campaign that brought me to the squalid and dark areas of the city, I have seen the bloated stomachs, the malnourished faces, the vice of gambling, drugs, and drunkenness, the smell, narrow roads and canals, and miserable homes of our people, even as the few wallow in luxurious condominiums and  enclaves of the rich and social crocodiles.

Now, I understand why society and the enlightened sector need to struggle further. I fully understand. I and my family will always be part of that struggle until our last breath. We owe it to our Creator who wants to see a just and humane society on earth, and beyond. We and some others, we can justly claim that we have put up a good fight. We and a few others like us, never engaged in money politics, in taking advantage of the poors’ material and cultural poverty. Yes, we are proud to have stood up, struggled, and lost with our pride and dignity intact. To those who won and lost in a different fashion, we extend our hands of sympathy, unity and friendship, and may we all join in the enlightened process and start a new tomorrow, and be hopeful.  God bless.–Atty. Evangeline T. Carrasco

 (Note: The author ran for congresswoman in the 2nd District of Cagayan de Oro.)

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