Over and out

Over the last few weeks, my Blogger site has been converted into my own Ang Kapatiran campaign HQ so much so that I felt as if I was one of the candidates myself. I exaggerate, of course.

With the singular aim of spreading hope for our country by way of campaigning for Ang Kapatiran, I’ve promoted Atty Jess Paredes, Atty Adrian Sison, and Dr Martin Bautista in almost all media including my own Friendster page; made unabashed postings in many different online fora; prodded and cajoled people at work to vote for them; enlisted my friends, fellow members of my Catholic yuppy community and my siblings and their officemates in my campaign army; and talked politics and hope with practically everyone I encountered from Bicol to Bukidnon whom I “sense” to be an open-enough-person. I don’t think I’ve advocated as intensely for anything or anyone, except for Gawad Kalinga.

I’m still not ready to give up, even in the face of the partial and unofficial results published by various media entities. As I write this, Dr Bautista has 101,599 votes according to the NAMFREL tally, good enough for 29th place in a field of 37 candidates. Leading the pack is Loren Legarda who has a little over 2 million more votes than Dr B.

But the receipt of an email from him accepting the fate dealt by the electorate was the cue for me to look forward to the next round of the battle to overhaul the Philippines. Hence my decision to christen that blog entry Chapter 2. After all, we’ve only just begun.

And so, in the next few days, this page will be undergoing some minor makeover, actually more akin to putting down Christmas decors. The fuzz and hustle of my vicarious participation in the polls will soon be neatly tucked away to make room for what is current and here and now. Hopefully equally inspiring and at times thought-provoking.

Hopefully this housekeeping chore, this spring cleaning task that I’m doing in my blog will somehow be translated to a slow but sure revamp in my own cluttered life. May others who likewise put segments of their life on hold to engage in this very worthwhile task of modestly helping in the Ang Kapatiran campaign find themselves busy with their own clean-up jobs and emerge better (and not bitter) people because of the campaign.

May we throw into the furnace the things that prevent us from moving forward as individuals, and as a nation use that same fire to set aflame love for our country and our people.

The task of rebuilding the nation is not just a rhetoric for candidates to use and abuse during campaign season. We trudge on well after the votes are tallied and the last winner is proclaimed. This is when the real action begins. And the struggle to be a better nation continues.

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First order of business: transfer my registration to the local COMELEC office covering our new home so I can vote in the 2010 polls.