THE GREATEST MAGICIANS have something to learn from Mr. Mistoffelees’ Conjuring Turn – PRESTO! But hey! Look out for that moving van driving down the streets! You better lock up your man before he meets the new girl in town!
There is a lot to know of this unfamiliar visitor in town. They say that this new girl seems to dance on air, has the coolest hair, while having the flair of making a boy act like a clown. It seemed like this girl had got it all—so much so that with just a mere snap of a finger the homecoming queen could lose her crown to the new girl in town.
“Who knows? Today it’s the crown, tomorrow she could be the next legislature in town.”
It’s indeed poetic, to say the least. Even despite having little to no knowledge of this stranger who came supposedly uninvited, she already has the entirety of the town in the palm of her hands.
What has happened to our community? Have we lost every bit of our principles and humanity to such an extent that we can easily be bewitched by mere shows of grandeur in the likes of beauty, fame, and power? Have we really become so desolate and obsolete to easily be dumbfounded and subjected by someone we know so little of?
Today, maybe this new girl could really steal the crown from the homecoming queen. But tomorrow lies a rage of uncertainties. Who knows? Today it’s the crown, tomorrow she could be the next legislature in town.
In recent events, the Philippines was at a standstill as polar individuals from all over the country had resurfaced to file their candidacy ahead of the 2025 midterm elections. Sure, the diversity of these candidates was ever so booming—with some hailing from the modern parts of the country that we know of as social media, while others, on the other hand, came from the more traditional and elitist part of town, wiping their cobwebs off to make a grand comeback into the political arena once more.
Our town, in this case the Philippines, is so welcoming and unrestrained—a feature which I know would come back to haunt us in the future. Our country is so hospitable and friendly as seen in the demeanors of our locals, and even as reflected by our own political systems that would willingly open its arms before strangers, legacies from old dynasties, and even familiar faces who have lost all shame to run for office despite betraying the nation through staggering acts of plunder, violence, and corruption to name a few.
Elections, therefore, have become so dehumanized that the privilege of suffrage has merely become a renewed effort for candidates to use the people as a leverage for political gain. The competitive and beautifully intricate aspect of elections vanished as voters have degraded to become so simple-minded who would easily be enthralled by money, misinformation, and fame to shield them away from the reality and the not-so-captivating truth.
Even the old petition to “vote wisely” has little to no effect in swaying voters to incorporate wisdom in every decision that they’d make. Why? Precisely because of how social media, or media in general, has this ability to view weak candidates in rose gold specs. It also doesn’t help that candidates from political dynasties have a head start on the electoral race because of fame and power. How then can we truly vote wisely when voters are so easily distracted and swayed by temptations instead of hard bound credentials?
In these troubling times, we must forge a system—one that would meticulously study and examine the new girl in town. Collaborations between researchers, civic groups, associations and the like must be made in order to provide a more detailed profile of this uninvited stranger. Check her background, assess her records, study her platforms in hopes that we can make certain of what truly lies beneath that rosy facade.
But still, just as how complicated and unpredictable the tides are, so are elections and the looming behind-the-scenes threads. We can never truly say that publicizing facts would increase the likelihood of forging a more profound nation, but at least, by promoting a well-informed environment, we have encouraged prospects of accountability and finally, on a deeper level, get to know the new girl in town—a fake or the real thing? That is the question.
Oh! Well, I never! Was there ever a cat so clever as magical Mr. Mistoffelees?