Stand By Me.

LEFT  - Seymour, the sea lion, one of the stars at Sea World in San Diego, California.

It's now two days after the Philippine elections.  There were problems, but generally speaking, the elections were a success, compared to past elections. 

The images flashed on television showing the long lines of people waiting to vote, people blocking the transfer of PCOs outside the voting place despite the heavy presence of the military, people sweating it out, etc proved that the Pinoys are passionate about suffrage - choosing their leaders.

Pinoys, wherever they are, are power-oriented, not authority-oriented.  

We exercise our right to vote and we closely guard our ballots because we want to choose and elect our leaders.  But then we look at our chosen ones as gods, not as servants, which they really are.

The politicians are the peoples' servants, and they have been mandated not to RULE but to SERVE.

We should demand that they serve for the good of everyone. 

Power-oriented is looking at elected officials as giving them the power to rule, while authority-oriented is looking at elected officials as individuals having been given a temporary task or job to exercise at a given period of time, and respecting this mandate.

This orientation emanates from our paternalistic/materialistic/familial outlook at every aspect of our lives; we judge everything from the perspective of familial power. 

For instance, we call the first born, "Kuya or Ate," and their siblings are expected to accord them the same level of respect given to the parents.  Aunts and uncles, even un-related people to us are being called "Tito or Tita," and neighbours are referred to as "Manong or Manang," in order to promote the idea of respect and harmony but in the process, to unwittingly preserve the concept of power.

In the U.S. and in Canada, this Pinoy power-orientation presents itself in the way local social associations operate.  Because of lack of family, Pinoys abroad bond themselves into social groupings, such as school or fraternal affiliations, municipal or provincial brotherhoods, etc.  Officials are then elected to lead these groupings.

But there are too many instances when losing candidates and their supporters in such elections back out from their original group and form their own so that they can lead the new entity.  

Here in Manila, an embarrassing proof of this Pinoy power-orientation is seen in the level of so-called "village or subdivision Barangays."  Homeowners in private subdivisions bind themselves into homeowners' associations for security and management purposes, but in the process, some individuals' power quest lead to violence, cheating, and even murder. Thus, instead of promoting the original ideals of camaraderie, neighbourliness, and common good, the "neighbourhood barangay" which has no real political basis becomes another menace.

The smallest but the most potent form of political affiliation is the family. Parents are the leaders in such entities, and sons and daughters, especially the minor ones are obligated, both legally and otherwise, to follow them. 

In the case of grown-up children who leave their family abode to marry or to live on their own, the parents' authority over them should ideally, cease to exist. All financial support should also stop. Children who continue to seek financial aid on top of moral and other support (e.g baby sitting services, etc) should be discouraged from such forms of juvenile activities. 

In dealing with children, parents or couples should present a united stand or shared leadership. 

Pinoy parents should take note of their U.S. and Canadian counterparts when dealing with children who burden their parents with too high expectations, high maintenance, immaturity, difficult and bad behaviour, lawlessness and immorality, especially for those over the age of eighteen. TOUGH LOVE. 

Do not cave in to your children's bad morals, bad behaviour, bad temper, bad lifestyle. 

Good luck.