Guns, goons and gold are back!

MANILA
It’s still three months before the nationwide elections here on May 13 but the campaign fever is already heating up. Campaigning is still not officially allowed at this time but the law can’t stop politicians from marketing themselves already to the electorate.
That’s the Philippines, where laws generally are only taken as mere suggestions by many people and not legal statutes that must be obeyed. This is the same with traffic laws; motorists and pedestrians alike don’t consider road laws as mandatory and to be obeyed by all, but as optional, depending on citizens’ dispositions or moods.
Ah, the Philippines, what a place, what a place.
The department of tourism’s current motto here is: “It’s more fun in the Philippines.” Which is made fun of by wags here that come up with all sorts of jokes and puns about the slogan? Like “It’s more fun in the Philippines to urinate in public” or “It’s more fun in the Philippines or kidnap for ransom” and so on, and so on.
Of course, it’s not helpful to the country when citizens make fun of the serious efforts of the government to boost the country’s tourism. But then again, life in the Philippines is so absurd; you would be a fool to take everything seriously. Humor is the Filipinos’ means of escape from hard reality.
But back to early political campaigning. The law sets campaign periods for when politicians can officially start presenting themselves to the voters. For candidates for national office (senators and congressmen), its 45 days before Election Day, and for local office, 30 days. Obviously, it’s still not 45 days before May 13, and yet there they are on television and radio “unofficially” campaigning.
It’s so typically Filipino to circumvent the law. Politicians claim they’re really not campaigning yet, but just sending messages out to the people. They disguise their campaigning by putting out messages on television ostensibly to support a good cause or “remind” people to be good citizens, etcetera, etcetera. The advertisements are camouflaged as public service messages, but they’re campaign ads in reality. And the involved politicians are breaking the law by campaigning prematurely.
In many localities, political rivalries are so intense; they’ve already resulted in a number of killings. Rivals are ambushed and shot dead.
It makes observers wonder why politicians would move heaven and earth just to win an elective position. The pay in government service is ridiculously low, you’re on call 24 hours a day, and you’re called names by your enemies and people who dislike you. Why would anyone want to be in that position?
Campaigning politicians all cry out to the heavens that they only want to serve the people by running. And so they make all kinds of promises that are later broken and forgotten. The people inexplicably believe the politicians’ lies and vote them into office.
In reality, politicians, especially those who have no other skills in order to pursue any other productive calling, turn the government into a milking cow when they are elected. They turn governance into a business from which they earn millions of pesos and be able to live luxuriously.
Imagine a politician spending his own money (or his benefactors’) to win an election. Do you think he does that only because he just wants to serve the people? Or does he do it so he could make money for himself and recoup his “investment” many times over? Politicians who were poor before getting elected often end up living in mansions, owning businesses, and supporting a mistress or two on the side (and helping the mistress start her own business too). There are very few politicians who continue to live modestly as before.
It’s easy to understand why politicians would move heaven and earth (and their opponents out of the way by “neutralizing” them either temporarily or permanently) just to get elected. There’s money in them darn hills, as the early pioneers of America shouted in anticipation of a better life.
Elected officials get a share (the lion’s share) of the money poured into government projects in their districts. American readers are familiar with the pork barrel in their country’s political system and culture. It’s the same here. Millions in funds are allotted to congressional and senatorial districts for infrastructure projects. Favored contractors are awarded the projects and favors are in turn given to the politicians in the area in the form of cold cash or favors in kind. What a rotten system.
And so, the races are on here despite the official ban on early campaigning. Politicians are among the thickest-skinned of the earth’s living species. They cannot be shamed into following the rules. They cannot be discouraged from their shameless behavior.
It’s starting to be a big fiesta out here. But this is just the start. The gore and the mayhem are still to come; blood and guts in the genre of Sam Peckinpah and Quentin Tarantino movies will be on display soon in the political landscape.
There’s a notorious saying here: Philippine elections are noted for their three “Gs” — guns, goons and gold. Violent armed confrontations, private armies of rich political warlords, and money, lots of money, will again characterize the electoral proceedings. More ambushes, killings, extortions, exposes and all the sordid activities during a typical Filipino election campaign will surely be in the news soon. It will be one big spectacle. But not the fun kind.