Hope is one thing that Filipinos have in abundance.

Despite widespread and massive cheating, vote-buying, fraud, political violence and killings, intimidation, harassment and disenfranchisement in election after election, Filipinos are still optimistic of elections; that, hopefully, winning candidates will deliver a just and equitable political structure  and changes that will promote progress for the majority poor.

In the Philippines, elections are a veneer for a lack of democracy.

Traditional politicians rule. Political aspirants generally belong to the elite or powerful clans and dynasties would have to have millions, if not billions of pesos, to oil their political machinery and fund campaigns. Like advertising magicians, they peddle platforms to entice the majority poor and disenfranchised voting population and discard these as soon as they assume office. Once in position, the new plutocracy increases its wealth fed by corruption. Often, incumbent regimes resort to authoritarian ways when challenged by public opposition and criticism.

During the May elections, millions of Filipinos’ desire for a fairer society hung in the balance as they endured long queues that lasted up to eight hours, mishaps with the new AES (automated election system), and reports of missing ballot boxes.

The nightmare scenario of the ‘dagdag-bawas’ (add-subtract) anomaly, which is characteristic of the last elections is still fresh in people’s minds. (Dagdag-bawas means changing of vote counts at various levels of polling precincts – from village to town to provincial to national – as money changes hands). Few Filipinos successfully cast their ballots without experiencing grief, fear or frustrations.

Now, that the election is over, we see new faces, but somehow we sense there is nothing new in the changing of the guard in Malacañang. Nearly all winners belong to the traditional politician or commonly known as ‘trapos’ (colloquially means rag) mould.

The President elect, Benigno (Noynoy) Aquino III, belongs to a family of big business people and is also among the biggest landlords in the Philippines.  All ‘trapos’ are either big business people or landlords or both. At every instance, they resist pushing for fairer wages and benefits to the labour force. Any talk of a comprehensive agrarian reform is relegated to the very bottom of their to-do list.

Hope needs to be coupled with vigilance. There is a long list of changes to ease the lives of Filipinos that we have long been fighting for.  One of these is the P125 (A$3.20) / day increase in wages put forward by the KMU (Kilusang Mayo Uno or May 1st Movement) Labor Confederation in 2003.  The distribution of land to the landless will reduce the exploitation of farmers and farm workers.  The protection of the new era Philippine heroes, the Overseas Filipino Workers, is another.

Migrante organisations abroad are at the forefront of campaigns to promote the rights and protection of Overseas Filipino Workers. These organisations have also been supportive of legislation introduced by progressive party-list congress in the past years. These legislative acts were never supported by the very same people who will now occupy Malacañang.

Filipinos are not only brimming with hope but are also very forgiving.  They have forgiven or, perhaps, forgotten, that the Cojuangco family is responsible in the massacre of farm workers and supporters at the Hacienda Luisita in 2006; that they put a family member in the highest position of the land, the president. They have forgiven Noynoy’s inaction; he has done absolutely nothing for the interest of Filipino masses while he was a senator.

As for Migrante Melbourne, we hope that the Filipino people will eventually realise that they could create progressive societal changes through united and relentless struggle. These will never be delivered by Traditional Politicians.  History repeatedly teaches us that fighting masses bring about liberating changes in society.