Let loose the hounds, 250 Kroot Hounds, let loose the hounds of war!
The season of war is beginning, with the first declarations of candidacy this week, all readying up for the coming campaigns of conquest and rule.
So far, we have a few confirmed lairds and ladies looking to gain positions of power in service of the people of Baguio, in service of the populace, and surely more will pop out of the woodwork once the deadline looms. Still, a few days remain before we have the final battle tome of all the competitors seeking election.
Far be it for us to endorse specific candidates—as a tenet of the Baguio Chronicle is objectivity and neutrality—we will simply state the facts as they are, and allow you, the reader, to come to an appropriate conclusion on who best represents your interests as a member of the voting public.
The commitment from the media industry is to present the candidates as clearly as possible, for better or for worse, and that requires a commitment from readers and viewers as well—a commitment that the vote cast will be a vote made in good faith and, in light of fact and rationality, a vote that aims for the betterment of society.
The previous electoral races, not just here in the Philippines but in the larger political sphere, have been marred and marked by a distortion of fact and truth, a pervasive climate of misinformation and disinformation, lies, lies, and more lies.
The commitment that has to be made, then, is that you as the voter will not let yourself be swayed by these lies and delusions of grandeur, and that your votes will be guided by truth and fact.
There is always going to be a level of dirty fighting in Philippine politics, which we have experienced over and over, and with the advancement of technology and proliferation of unverified fast information through the Internet and social media, it becomes ever easier to drown in the deluge of disinformation and anti-truths.
This war will shape up to be bloody and dirty—potentially in a literal sense—and only you, as a voter, can decide what direction it’ll take.
Shall the winner be the most meritorious? Shall it be the most glib? Shall it be the one with the most money to spare to buy goodwill?
War has begun, and only you can decide the winner.
