A Post-Election Post

I was reading through one of my favorite blogs and came across a promotion of the movie Badil, by  Chito S. Rono. I first heard of the word "badil" as a child while manning our store near Pier I. Fishermen would bring in their catch of the day, and "badil" would somehow find its way to their conversation. I did not bother to find out what it meant.

The second time I heard it was during this year's local election. Post-election, I would stay with my mom on the phone while she incessantly complains how there are no pedicabs after elections so she had to walk to the bank, in the noontime heat, to make the required daily deposit for her lotto outlet. The town is awash with money, she said. No one likes to report for work (hence, no pedicab drivers), the Taiwanese store selling electronics has sold out every single cellphone, and my dad has to sleep late counting the practically limitless number of Php20 bills coming in (my parents are in the retail business, hence the small bills). Actually, it's not the counting of the bills that irritates him but the need to peel off every politician's campaign stickers stuck to the money. Sticky bills, we call them. If you leave the stickers behind, some of the goo would stick to the next bill, and chances are, your counting would be off. 

I am no stranger to how election is held in my quaint little town (I have been repeatedly corrected that it is a city now, but the sentimental side of me wanted it to remain a town). The day before election, I went home from volunteering in the NAMFREL office (this was pre-automation years, when NAMFREL still mattered), and found that I have an envelope waiting for me. Inside is a sample ballot and about Php1,250.00, in various bills, each with a campaign sticker of a local candidate. Come election day, we would gather information from our watchers and be puzzled why the voter's turn-out is  still low when it's already past noon. Turns out most voters would be in the waiting sheds outside the school, all refusing to go in and vote because apparently, they have not yet received their "envelopes."  I must count myself lucky, yes? 

This year's election is no different, except that the stiff competition between the parties has certainly upped the ante in vote-buying. Out maid, for instance, insisted on going home to our town and voting because she said she is guaranteed to receive at least Php4,000.00 from candidates. She earns that amount in a month, so who am I to argue with her? My mom confirmed this, saying some of our employees received up to Php8,000.00, because while their votes have already been bought, some of them are "nagpapa-badil." I thought then it meant that they are bidding out their votes to the highest "bidder" but get to keep all the bid money. Well, my favorite writer explained "Badil" better:

Written by Rody Vera, Badil follows a small-town political operator and his son as they do their rounds on the day before the election. The father, a recent stroke victim (played by Dick Israel, himself a stroke victim), distributes cash to the mayor’s supporters and reminds them of personal favors they had received from the man. Everything is personal in Filipino politics. They get word of “dinamita”—a plot to manipulate the vote by paying the mayor’s supporters to stay home on election day. (According to Rody, “badil” is Waray for “dynamite fishing”, and in this context, “killing the vote”.)

Ahh the things you learn everyday. I have not been able to go home to our town for the past elections, so I asked her if an envelope came for me. You see, you don't even have to approach any of these candidates; their representatives would go to your house, give you the envelopes, cross you out on the list, then move to the next house. My mom explained that there are no envelopes for me because I am no longer on the list of registered voters, my growing political apathy having deactivated my registration 2 elections ago. She then showed me the proceeds of the crime money, fondly saying it's her "souvenir." Take a look:

Envelopes with your printed name, precinct number, etc. One from each political party. So organized!

Stickers all over.

This one is my favorite. Mommy said the candidate is a known tailor in our town. Points for Creativity!

And this one is probably's Dad's favorite, because it sticker-free! Comes in a small, nice envelope, and probably less incriminating.

 I used to think only the local candidates resort to vote-buying.  Here's one from a party-list.

Years ago (and I think every election thereafter), advocates realized it is impossible to do away with vote-buying, so they created the slogan "Ibulsa ang pera, pero iboto ang konsensya" (err...pocket the money, but vote according to your conscience?). Well, the rule in my town is that whoever gives the most gets voted. Because there is no honor in receiving money from one and voting another candidate. I suppose in the midst of these election crimes and dirty politics, some sort of "decency" still creeps in. Well, yeah, decency is a stretch, but it cannot be denied that some sort of unspoken rule or order is still followed even when there is no compulsion to do so. 

It's been months now and I was kinda hoping that our maid's election money would have run out by now, so she can go back to us (evil, I know), and restore order in our house. But oh, the barangay election is coming up. This is going to be a long wait.