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How Barangay Kamuning voted
Who needs voter education? The
middle-class and higher-income households. In our Barangay Kamuning
in Quezon City, voter turnout for residents of Kamuning Road, K-1st,
K-2nd, K-3rd and K-4th ranged from 30 to 40 percent only. Sixty
percent to 70 percent of the well-off households did not vote. They
chose to lose by hand over victory to the choices of the more
politically active residents of our barangay who are residents of
the K-5th to K-8th streets.
The apathy of most of the
residents of Barangay Kamuning is very disappointing. The wide
public perception is that most of them simply do not care about what
happens to the barangay and how it is run, but they are among the
first and noisiest to complain about the delivery of public
services. I believe they care and face other priorities and that it
takes much more effort to get them to vote.
I was one of many who tried but
failed to get elected kagawad of our barangay, but I am very happy
about the support I got in terms of votes. It was my first time to
run and I campaigned for only nine days as provided by law and I got
more or less 250 votes from my relatives, friends and neighbors. I
spent only about three thousand pesos of my meager savings to
produce campaign flyers and three pieces of tarpaulin banners. I did
not have to join any liquor-drinking affair or treat neighbors to
lunch, merienda or dinner to get votes. All of my watchers were
volunteers gratis et amore.
Not bad for a first try and
baseline effort. It was truly a worthwhile learning experience, but
I am concerned for the majority in our barangay who did not vote
because they lost by default and abdication.
Earl Victor L. Rosero
5 K-3rd Street, Kamuning,
Quezon City
kevlar49171@yahoo.com
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