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What's The Use Of Telling People To "Vote Wisely" In The Midst Of Necropolitics?

It's really sad how Noynoy Aquino died just before the elections. I could care less if Noynoy died AFTER elections but not BEFORE elections. Right now, there are some people who stupidly want to think that Noynoy's death is "necessary" to save the country (HOW CRUEL) or how maybe either Kris Aquino or Bam Aquino should run for president. The trend of having Ninoy died then Cory won, Cory died then Noynoy won. We also have Jesse Robredo who died and then his widow Leni Loud Robredo became the vice president. Now, Leni Loud is pushed as president. Maybe, just maybe, if Antonio Trillanes IV should die before elections then his wife Arlene Orejana-Trillanes will file for candidacy too! Fortunately, UP-Diliman's Professor Clarita Carlos (a pro-reform UP-nian) defies the likes of Neil Doloricon, Sarah Elgago, and Gerry Cacanindin by actually hitting in badly needed reforms! I don't hate UP - I still believe it can be cleaned off leftist influence and that the UP-DND Accord hasn't been honored by the pasaways either. Note that just because I'm NOT a political analyst (I'm a business school graduate) and just a nobody blogger doesn't mean I can't learn basic politics. 

We need to think about the ugly history of necropolitics. Carlos is right when she blasted the problem. I don't deny the late Ferdinand E. Marcos was a dictator. There's no way the Marcos Years were the golden years of the Philippines - ONLY FOR THE OLIGARCHY. The problem is that people decided to let Cory lead them all because she was the widow of Ninoy Aquino. What's often ignored is that Ninoy actually was right to say that the Marcos Parliament was no parliament. Cory was an inexperienced housewife who was fitter to work in a symbolic position - not as the actual ruler of the Philippines. Yet, Cory was allowed to hold such power anyway which didn't prove to be good. Cory may have not put the Philippines into a dark age like the Marcoses. However, Cory was pretty much easy to manipulate due to her lack of experience. Cory was fitter to be the president in a parliamentary form of government - a ceremonial person who opens the door, who accepts credentials, and gives the Filipino people to look up to.

This video really made me facedesk with how stupid people can get. Are we going to keep voting for people based on their relation to somebody great? For example, I don't want to deny that Noynoy himself did give us a strong economic foundation. However, it's best to ask if Kris can really do the same thing as Noynoy if SHE suddenly became president this 2022? The person here speaking is really clueless and be living under a rock. Noynoy's rule peaceful? Well, why don't they account for the STATISTICS under Liela Dilemma's reign as the justice secretary for a start? Kris will make the nation better because of Noynoy? Please, just because you're related by blood to someone doesn't mean you are the same. For example, the royal dynasties eventually will produce inferior heirs along the line because they just accept the crown. The founder of the dynasty is the one who started it, fought to establish it, and the heirs tend to wait until the crown is theirs. Was Kris even trained to be like her brother Noynoy? The idea of Kris becoming president just because her brother Noynoy died is really NOT voting wisely at all.

This also addresses the big issue that necropolitics is indeed more fun in the Philippines. People just love to have a sympathy vote, right? Just because you feel sorry for someone doesn't mean you condone their defects. For example, you sympathize with the bully who teased you frequently or who misbehaves a lot in school when you find out that deep down - he's an insecure person who comes from a dysfunctional home. However, you shouldn't excuse the bully's behavior just because he is powerless against his dysfunctional parents. People with mental defects also deserve your sympathy but it should NEVER translate to votes. Kris deserves your sympathy for the death of her brother or whatever trauma she had passed through but that shouldn't automatically translate to votes either. Yet, here in the Philippines, it's become the norm because we're in a personality-driven system. Sympathy is one thing while voting is another. A person in grieving needs time to recuperate and it's really not a good idea to let them do a major task while in that process!

The parliamentary system goes from personality-based politics to credibility-based politics. In short, if you're voting for the Liberal Party - it will not be because of an Aquino or a Roxas. Instead, people will vote for the Liberal Party based on its ability to perform in Philippine politics. The Liberal Party will work as a whole based on teamwork performance. In a sports game - we are to cheer for the entire team and not just their star player. The star player didn't do all the work. Instead, the star player is the one who manages to put the team together. In a parliamentary system, the star politician is the one who leads his or her respective party and they win as one. That's why it's better to shift to parliamentary than to retain the lousy presidential system. 

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