It’s that kind of year again. 2019 is when we head back to our voting precincts and decide who will represent our voices in the country’s legislature for the next term to come. We’ve reached the point of the cycle where we peak on reckless hope and bullish ambition. After all, it’s only right for us to have better aspirations for our country as we shade the names of the people who we trust will fight for our rights, seek the needs of the marginalized, and, above all, maintain justice, sovereignty, and democracy in our nation.

We’ve always been told to look at platforms over popularity, but our current administrative slate argues otherwise. There will be 62 names on the ballot, so our advise, dear Filipino voters, is to learn more about the integrity, convictions (both meanings of the word), and policy focuses of the people behind the names you’ll be seeing on your ballot come May 13, Monday.

Votes are bought by campaign promises. Others by the slew of tarpaulins, litter of campaign stickers on the road, and the entertainment trapos provide during sorties. Most voters align themselves with the picks of the president himself—trusting that his judgment is best for the people.

This is one tough batch of senatoriables to get to know—most of them have a track record to show for the advocacies they claim to uphold, with long lists of what they plan to do for the next six years. While some have a political last name to bear, one has been in playing in the game for generations.

Maybe other people don’t care about getting to know all 62 candidates. Most of the voting population would probably rely on name recall, even if corruption headlines are the main reason why those names seem familiar in the first place. But not you, our dear reader.

The ballot-shading is about to commence. It’s important that you vote, and that you put into power individuals who can best represent you and the advocacies and legislations you want to be prioritized. You have to remember that the elections can also be seen as a path to acquittal, if not the start of the cycle of public betrayal.

You can read our senatoriables series through these links:

You are who you vote for: A crammer’s guide on the 2019 Senate bets (Part One)

You are who you vote for: A crammer’s guide on the 2019 Senate bets (Part Two)

You are who you vote for: A crammer’s guide on the 2019 Senate bets (Part Three)

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