Today is Election Day

Back here in my very humid room where my only view outside are windows as usual, I find it very difficult to concentrate on editing the final pages of a manuscript written by a Japanese while TV anchors and reporters do their voice stunts reporting on each local precinct's performance. We're waiting for my brother to fetch my mother and myself so we can go to the public school where all our names are registered.

My mother is so excited about this election that the first thing she did when she woke up was to call my brother to ask him to take her to the polls. She had been murmuring against all Team Unity candidates and has promised to vote 12-0 in favor of GO. She had watched both ANC and kapuso's coverage of conversations (asking candidates three questions and giving them a minute for each question) and of course, she never listened to Team Unity and KBL candidates.

In fact, she has set her mind to vote for every "young" opposition candidate from the very start of the campaign period or even since Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said "I'm sorry". "Tama na 'yang mga matatanda. Iboboto ko si Bamboo at saka si Trillianes!" (And our laundry lady, Ka Yoly, while ironing our clothes echoes "Iboto si Trillianes!" raising up a close fist for effect.)

For my mother's local choices, she's debated against every one who has vowed to vote for Vilma Santos for Governor and Christopher De Leon for Vice Governor. But she'd been overwhelmed by the majority thinking that Batangas can do good with a live soap - "Let's show these soap writers a run for their money with our local version of 'Relasyon.'"

Just yesterday, my brother told us to vote for his kumpare's kumpare who is running for congressman. And at the mall, the vice mayoral candidate winked at my sister-in-law, who immediately said that he - the candidate - is a friend of a friend of a friend. Back home, my mother immediately castigated my brother and my sister in law, commenting that what's wrong with this country is that every kumpare and kumare of the candidate are forced to vote for their kumare and kumpare - to which my brother retorted - "E sino pa gang ating iboboto ay pare-pareho lang naman yang mga 'yan. Di dine na sa kumpare at nang may mapakinabang naman."

Posted right beside our Batangas City hall is a signed peace covenant. It's been blown up billboard size for everybody to see. I've never witnessed a violent election-related incident in Batangas, although in the past, there were news and rumors of ballot snatching and gunmen threatening teachers to cooperate or else.... We've only had black outs during the counting.

Anyway, my mother has twice reminded me already to get ready to vote. I feel that she has cast all her hope on her ballot -- the only expression of her anger and frustration over all kinds of corruption happening in our land.