By ALDWIN QUITASOL
www.nordis.net

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” — Alexander Pope

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) already proclaimed the winners in the national as well as local level of the 2nd automated elections despite the many protests and petitions. The temporary job of the campaigners distributing leaflets and other campaign paraphernalia is over for now and will resume after three years. All the promises politicians for decent jobs, justice, upliftment among others who won will again remain as promises while Filipinos continue to hope that even a pinch of them be fulfilled.

On May 20, parents, teachers and even the students and generous out-of-school youths will join forces for the yearly “Brigada Eskuwela”.

They will again encounter the sorry state of facilities in public schools: destroyed armchairs, dilapidated classrooms, missing pages of text books and others. Under the guise of making every citizen part of molding the future of the children, government agencies tapping the help of non-government organizations and civic groups will be repairing the chairs, painting the walls, taping the books and other remedial steps like putting patches on a hole-ridden pair of pants. That will all be done voluntarily by the people especially the parents who want their children will have an environment conducive to learning.

May 27 is the scheduled enrollment for the school year 2013-2014, the poor Filipinos wooed by politicians will now face the reality that the situation of the education system is still the same. That there are impending tuition fee increases in many schools while the poor quality of education is not getting better and is even deteriorating.

In the Cordillera Region like elsewhere in the country, majority of parents are farmers and lowly workers who hopes to send their children to colleges and universities to cities like Baguio and other urban centers. They will have to ensure their produce to be able to raise money for the tuition of their children. Cordillera workers will have to work double time to double their earnings and salaries. Some have to borrow money from the loan sharks so that their children can enroll.

These the parents must do as there is no expected wage increase or any wage relief or price increase in the farmer’s produce while prices of oil and other basic social services continue to soar and above all, there will be no change.

Every elections, TV stations and many media outlets feature their election coverages and programs even decorating their titles with the word “pagbabago” (change). That word is yet to be realized.

A taho vendor in the People’s Park of Baguio was overheard while talking to his fellow street peddler saying: “hindi ako bomoto sa eleksiyon, marami na ang naupo sa ilang beses kong pagboto, nagtitinda pa rin ako ng taho.” (I did not vote in the elections, while many were seated as I voted many times, I am still a taho vendor anyway) # nordis.net