IT’S that season again when the colorful tarpaulins of politicians bloom all over the metropolis. And as the days march steadily toward the elections of 2016, we can only expect things to get worse. After all, these tarps won’t just blow away and disappear over time. These eyesores stick around, long after they’ve worn out their welcome that, unless you’re a supporter, lasts only so long as it takes someone to realize what’s on the tarp.
For a lot of people, the outrage stems primarily from the belief that public money is being expended for something that clearly does not benefit the public. Others think it’s in poor taste—baduy—for public figures to be promoting themselves so brazenly.
For some, on the other hand, the objection arises from their refusal to be co-opted by politicians seeking to score brownie points with the public. Take this open letter, for instance, written by a college student apparently fed up with seeing tarps of local politicians extending their congratulations to the class of 2015. Clearly writing from the heart, she evokes images of graduates and parents trooping to graduation venues, surrounded by pictures of politicians with plastered grins. She asks, in all the hustle and excitement of preparing for graduation day: “Do your greetings matter?”
“If anyone’s faces are to be displayed at graduation rites, they should be the faces of students who, like myself, devoted ourselves to our studies and are now receiving rightful recognition for our efforts.” More important, she adds, “the faces on those tarps should be those of our parents, who worked hard to get us through school. They’re the ones who should be held as heroes; they’re the ones who deserve the limelight, not you.”
“This is our graduation,” she writes. “Not your campaign period.”
She makes an excellent point; one that politicians would do well to heed.
I’m excerpting her letter here. It’s written in Filipino, using the idiom of the writer’s generation. I would have tried to render it all in English, but it would have lost too much in translation. Considering that she is also dreaming of working in the civil service—a worthy ambition for the youth—I am omitting her name, lest some benighted politician doesn’t respond well to being lectured by a young person. Personally, however, I think the College of St. Benilde is doing a great job with this one.
“Sa mga politikong halal o nanga-ngarap mahalal,
“Ang liham na ito ay para sa inyo. Marso na kasi at, sigurado ako, ilang libong gaya ko na nagpupursigeng makatapos ng pag-aaral ang magmamartsa para tanggapin ang inaasam na diploma. Inaasahan ko na ang mabigat na trapiko, ang hirap sa paghahanap ng espasyo para sa parking ng mga mapalad na may minamanehong kotse o ang agawan sa taxi ng mga nakapormang magsisipagtapos, ang haba ng pila ng mga magulang at mga estudyanteng sabik pumanhik ng entablado, ang mga talumpati ng mga piling estudyanteng umani ng iba’t-ibang parangal, mga magulang na umiiyak sa tuwa at mga magsisipagtapos na nasasabik at natatakot sa kung ano ang naghihintay sa kanila pagkatapos ng seremonya. Iba’t-ibang eksena sa mga graduation venue na napaliligiran ng mga nakasasakit sa mata at nakadudumi sa paligid na mga tarpaulin ng pagbati kuno ng mga Photoshopped na imahe ninyo.
“Opo, kayo po.
“Kayong mga nasa kongreso hanggang sa kapit-bahay naming kagawad ng barangay, walang okasyon na nakalimot kayong isabit sa kung saan ang inyong mga ‘greetings.’ As if naman nakapagdudulot ng masayang pakiramdam ang bawat tarpaulin na isinasabit n’yo sa kanto. May ‘impact’ ba sa amin ang mga mensahe ng inyong pagbati sa mga nagkalat na tarpaulin? Hindi namin kailangan makita ang tikas at kakisigan o kagandahan ng inyong mukha kasama ang napaka palasak na mga kataga.
“Kung may dapat mang ipaskil na mga larawan sa mga lugar na pagdadausan ng aming pagtatapos, iyon ay ang litrato ng mga katulad kong naghirap sa pag-aaral at siyang pararangalan. Kung may dapat pang ipaskil bukod sa mga estudyanteng napagtagumpayan ang lahat ng hirap, ito ay ang larawan ng mga uliran at masisikap na mga magulang na nagpursigeng mapatapos kami sa aming pag-aaral. Sila ang dapat maging sikat sa panahong ito. Sila ang karapatdapat sa limelight at hindi kayo.
“At hindi naman kailangang kayo ang magpa-print ng mga ganitong tarpaulin para sa amin upang masingitan nyo lamang ng inyong pangalan at mukha. Hindi dapat kayo nakiki-esksena sa mga mahalagang okasyon sa aming buhay. Iwasan din maging ‘epal’ pag may time. ‘Wag maging ‘photobomber’.
“Graduation po namin ito, hindi po ninyo campaign period. This is our moment. This is our time. Hindi namin nais ipagamit ang okasyong ilang taon naming hinintay para lamang sa inyong pamumulitika.
“Tama na ang pagiging epal. Hindi po bawal ang magkaro’n ng kahihiyan.”
James Jimenez is the spokesman of the Commission on Elections.