Mindanaotoday.com | Local artist urges voters: ‘Don’t sell your vote’
By Jigger Jerusalem
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A renowned multi-talented artist joined church leaders and civil society groups in urging the electorate not to sell their votes to political candidates as people will cast their ballots during the national and local elections today, May 9.
Through a street performance held at the Cogon public market, Nicolas “Nic” Aca has made his appeal to the electorate to shun vote-buying and choose deserving leaders.
Wearing a long-sleeved white barong tagalog, slacks and black shoes, Aca looks out of place standing in the middle of J.R. Borja St., one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares, Saturday morning, May 7.
With his getup, the 53-year-old multi-talented artist could be mistaken for a politician or a lawyer.
But vendors and market goers have also noticed that Aca is carrying on his shoulder a small bamboo pole where a cooking pot is attached on one side and a discarded ballot box on the other.
Braving the heat of the sun and the danger of being run over by oncoming vehicles, Aca stood on the middle of the four-lane road beside the Cogon public market, telling passersby “boto dili ibaligya” (don’t sell your votes).
Currently the resident artist and gallery curator at the Capitol University’s Museum of Three Cultures and chairperson of the City Historical and Cultural Commission, Aca said he has been holding his street version of voter’s education for the past five elections starting in 2004.
In previous elections, Aca would roam the corners of the city’s business district; there were also times that he would position himself outside the St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral meeting devotees going in and out of the church.
Aside from the election-related performance, Aca has also performed during the commemoration of the Typhoon Sendong and has marched with journalists in condemning media killings in the past.
He has also participated in art events in other countries representing the Philippines.
“This is my way of appealing to the people not to sell their votes,” Aca said after his performance.
The artist said there are electoral candidates who are highly qualified but won’t make it on election day because they don’t have money to give away to voters.
“There are many deserving candidates who I know can serve the people better, but the electorate won’t even give them a second glance since they cannot provide for the ‘ulan-ulan.’ Their political career won’t take off just because of that – they have no money,” Aca said.
“Ulan-ulan” (drizzle) is a slang for cash given by political candidates to voters on the night before the elections, usually delivered by campaign workers on residents’ doorsteps.
He lamented that in today’s political landscape, only those who are financially capable to mount a campaign have chances of winning.
What made it worse, Aca said, is the culture of “utang na loob” (debt of gratitude) prevalent among Filipinos.
Because of the “utang na loob” behavior, he said many Filipinos will find themselves obligated to vote for those who have given them cash.
Besides, Aca said, the money given to voters will not last for a long time.
“Juan dela Cruz is given P500 to P1,000 by the politician. That is only equivalent to a ‘goto’ (porridge),” he said.
That’s why, Aca said, his props include a cooking pot, which symbolizes the “goto” and the used ballot box, to remind people of their right to vote.
“The props are to show our countrymen that they should vote for who they think are qualified and that they must not accept money that will just be gone,” he explained.
Nestor Sablaon, a cooked food vendor at the Cogon public market, agrees with Aca’s advocacy.
“We must not sell our vote because it is sacred, and we must choose the right candidates, from the barangay officials to the president,” Sablaon said.
He said vote-buying is a form of corruption that must be stopped.
“We must not wait for ‘ulan-ulan’ and ‘ayuda’ (government aid). We must do away with them. Most of us can still eat three times a day, even with just ‘bulad’ (dried fish) and ‘ginamos’ (salted fish),” Sablaon added.
He said that if only people will strive hard, there is no need for them to depend on politicians for help.