The Philippine Online Chronicles

This is the best time to turn over a new leaf as a voter. The May 2010 elections are drawing near, and it is definitely unacceptable to just embrace traditional ways of thinking. I often say things with "must and shoulds" but I also realized that it weakens my resolve as a person. Here are the top 10 things I WILL DO as a Pinoy voter.

1. I as a Filipino voter, resolve to cherish my one vote and make best use of it.

There are many lazy people who claim that one vote ceases to make a difference. If everyone in the country thinks that way, there will be no future for the country. I have only one vote, and I ought to make use of that one vote. It is better to think that I spend that one vote added to deserving candidates. That is also one vote less to corruption and indifference.

2. I will refuse to be bribed by garbage politicians who will just use their position to generate illegal wealth for their own interests.

I need money. Everyone needs money to survive. But this year, I will refuse to take in bribes, no matter how many digits that bribe contains, because my one vote is priceless. My vote is something that helps shape a nation, and I will not allow politicians to intimidate me. I will also discourage other people who will receive bribes. I'd rather stay where I am financially than take the bribe, improve my lifestyle and succumb to the downfall of the government in the future. Plus, I will have a good night's sleep knowing that I have not done anything drastic enough to contribute to the country's future ruin.

3. I will be proactive and stand for what is right and lawful, even if other people around me will do otherwise.

There are no rewards to doing good in a political world where corruption seems to be the norm and ill shady deeds are rewards. But I refuse to lower my standards just to accommodate what I see around me.

4. I will refuse to be pressured by other people who may not have identical preferences as mine.

Even if my friend, my church, my clan or my lover chooses another person to vote, I have a right to my own vote and will refuse to be swayed by other people's preferences and hidden agenda. Even if I am different or part of the minority, the fact that I was able to make my own decision as a voter is already more than enough for me.

5. I will look beyond the colorful packaging and see through results and not marketing schemes.

Colors, banners, shows of charity and humanitarian efforts abound all around me. But beyond that, I will research hard on all the candidates I am considering and see what they are really made of minus the publicity. It will be very hard to get all the information as a voter, but I will do my very best to exhaust my resources because my vote is worth it.

6. I will keep my eyes open around me during election and report any anomalous happenings.

I will not just stay on the safe side and do the right thing on my own. I will also be open to castigating wrongdoers and report them to the authorities when I catch them red-handed.

7. I will do my best to look after the interest of the common good as I pitch in my voting ballot.

Certain people have their prejudice and advance only to their own interests. But I will pitch in my voting ballot in favor of the one who looks after the common good and not just catering to one group of people. The last thing the country needs is a partially performing official who cares little else about sects contrary to his own.

8. I will REMEMBER past mistakes and will not cast my vote to useless individuals who have already proven to be unworthy of public trust.

Even if some politicians who fell from grace still have the NERVE to run for office after having been exposed to corrupt practices, I will not give second or third chances to useless people who have already cast a record for betraying public trust. I'd rather make a fresh mistake in choosing a candidate than get someone who repeatedly abused the nation in the past.

9. I will learn as much as I can about the computerized voting procedure so as not to be slighted by possible pitfalls and cheating mechanisms.

The technology may not be that easy to learn. But for the sake of safeguarding my vote, I will do my best to learn as much as possible about the election process, even the plan B should things go awry in the computerized voting procedure.

10. I will safeguard the country's resources and not let money squanderers have their seat and fill their tummies with the nation's hard earned money.

It matters little if I have a humble plate on my table, just as long as I am sure that the person in office is not maliciously using off the hard-earned taxes of the Filipino people and is working in spirit in improving the welfare of the nation.