Photo taken from Philippine News Agency

Getting involved

Awakening the apathetic

Sandy Gee C. Santiago

The long-lost story of the non-voters will be told. 

A sudden adrenaline rush was sent through their systems as their hearts beat faster and they opened their eyes, knowing that they had finally reached the freedom they had longed for the most — the age of majority. 

Everyone rained down on them with words, showcasing gleaming smiles. While the typical words of a newly 18 bloomer would say that they wanted to get a tattoo, piercing, or anything under the sun, they simply wanted to register to vote. Despite what everyone else wants, there will always be that person who will be different, wanting the latter. 

However, there will also always be that person who does not want to register to vote — even if they are eligible to. By looking underneath the surface, the untold stories of the different types of non-voters can be explored as they speak and share their reasons for not voting. 

Some members of this tiny fraction of Filipinos elucidated their own reasons. According to Jemuel Santiago, he does not want to vote because he does not watch the news and knows little about politics. Meanwhile, Alexander Balmats believes that his vote would just go to waste with Jonas Ramos saying it was not part of his priorities for the moment.

The last two of them think that their vote does not matter. Balmats pointed out that with the number of votes, there will simply be a gap of hundreds to thousands, making it hard for his one vote to make a difference. On the other hand, Ramos believes that shading the circle will be a gamble for a win-lose situation. 

“Mas okay na yung ibang tao na mas may alam sakin ang bumoto, kaysa bumoto ako ng mali at makaambag pa sa pagkakamali sa government ng Pilipinas,” he said.

When asked about whether they would vote if given the chance to learn about politics, both Santiago and Balmats agreed, albeit reluctantly. However, Ramos preferred not to take the chance and devote his time elsewhere. 

“For me, it’s just a matter of time and managing life in a smaller circle,” he asserted. He holds the belief that if he cannot even fix his own problems, there is even less that he can fix for the country. For Balmats and Ramos, the act of not voting is a form of apathy rather than a political protest. 

The non-voters story that has been hidden in the past few years has now been told. We are made of different sequences of beliefs, principles and priorities but do not let it hinder you from speaking for yourself.