Barangay & Sangguniang Kabataan Elections 2018 - I Don't Know Who The Right Candidates Are

I just voted early this morning 
around 7:00 
for the Barangay & SK Elections 2018 
and it felt great to exercise 
the right to choose your leaders.

It's exciting to vote 
and when you go to your precincts, 
you can find people 
giving away leaflets 
and lists of candidates 
you can choose to vote for. 
The streets are lined up with vehicles 
and so many people are going 
that food stalls are everywhere. 
The whole scenario 
looks like there's a festival happening 
but just a special event 
when most people exercise 
their right to vote. 

In my case, 
I went to my voting place 
early in the morning around 7:00 
because I didn't want 
to join in the huge crowd 
who will be coming 
later in the day, 
because that would mean  
more time for me spent 
in the polling place. 
It took me just few minutes 
to find my precinct, 
and as I checked on my voter's ID, 
I found out that it had my precinct number there. 
That was the first time I knew. 
Anyways, 
my precinct was in a room
on the 4th floor of a high school building. 
I just spent few minutes 
casting my votes 
because I was the 3rd voter 
to come in that time. 
Fortunate of me I came early. ​​

But as soon as I got out of the room, 
it came all over me 
that I never voted wisely, 
or sad to say, 
I never did any research 
on any of the candidates I voted for. 
So many of them 
I was not even familiar with; 
that was the first time 
I knew their names. 
The only guy I voted for 
who was a little familiar to me 
was the current Barangay Captain/Chairman. 
The rest of the guys 
I never knew of 
or I was not familiar with even a little. ​

Was that bad of me, 
or irresponsible of me 
to vote without even doing research 
or at least attend candidates rallies? 
Sorry to say this, 
but I'm always busy in the city 
doing my thing to survive 
and giving just few minutes of my time 
to know more of the candidates 
was never part of my daily routine. 
I didn't have time for that. 
And even if I had the time, 
and did some research 
on any or most or all of the candidates, 
will I be able to choose the right ones? 
Will my research be good enough 
or credible enough? 
If I search the web 
and look for information on the candidate, 
will that information be accurate? 
That thing I'm not sure about. 
Information maybe edited 
to make the candidate look good 
or valuable to the voters, 
I don't know. 

So that is really my problem 
every time I cast my vote. 
I don't really know the candidates - 
what's in their hearts and minds, 
and if their motive is for everyone 
or just plain selfish. 
And if I do some research, 
the web is all I got 
and I don't trust the web much. 
Nobody knows for sure 
who the best guy is 
or who would be best
to run a barangay. 
Only God knows for sure. 
They can make you trust them 
with their promises during campaigns, 
but those remain to be seen. 
Promises are hard to fulfill 
but easily broken in no time 
especially when it involves 
a very big barangay 
just like Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City. ​
A candidate who has years of experience 
in public service 
does not guarantee good and honest service 
and a guy who is first timer in politics 
does not mean failure already 
because of his inexperience.

Whoever wins, 
may he be the right guy 
to do the right things for his barangay. 
May he be full of knowledge 
of the needs of the barangay. 
May his heart and mind be 
for the good of his barangay 
and not just for himself and his family. 
May he avoid corruption and bribery, 
and everything else illegal. 
May he be against drugs, etc. 
And may he become 
a role model for everyone.