We must expect no less

Egay Uy .

TODAY, barangay governance will hopefully have a facelift. Whatever will the face of barangay governance be after today rests in the hands of the voters. They or we will have to make that decision of who to install in the offices that will be vacated by the incumbents come noontime of June 30.

I purposely did not modify the word “decision” because that decision could either be a done deal or a well-thought decision when the voter enters the polling place to cast his ballot.

By done deal I refer to the reported flagrant practice of lista-lista by candidates or their authorized representatives.  The practice actually makes it very easy for the voter whose name to write on the ballot.  I need not elaborate on it otherwise I’ll be insulting the intelligence of the readers.

Of course there are voters who have not sold their souls, er their votes, nor are they ready to do so immediately before the enter the polling place today.  Those voters are the ones who have to make that difficult decision.  Hopefully, these are the voters who will really shape the kind of barangay governance in the next several years.

The campaign period gave us a glimpse of how the barangay folks will see the candidates once they will have been installed in office.  Facebook is full of “naka-ila-man-diay-sila-nako-nga-dili-man-ni-gapanagad-sa-wala-pa-ang-panahon-sa-kampanya” type of comments.

I cannot blame those who said that neither will I blame the candidates for having failed to shake the hands of the voters before they cast in stone their decision to run for public office.

Yes, running for public office is not a joke.  Even as one has the sincerity to serve his community, if he does not inform his neighbors in the community about it, then he cannot expect to muster enough votes to make it to public office.  He has to expect to spend money, too.

Without spending much, here are many ways of informing voters of one’s intention to serve.  The common practice is to wake up early in the morning and go house-to-house to inform others of the candidate’s intentions.  Of course, in the process he shakes the hands of the prospective voters.

Whatever the outcome of the elections today, I could only hope those who get elected do their jobs well and with sincerity.  Forget about politics and serve without favor.

Remember, the people you will serve will expect no less.