And yet....

I've been watching more than my usual share of television lately, just trying to keep up with the count. There's a lot of jubilation and elation over what seems to be a successful and peaceful elections, but there's an odd silence about what is also so glaring:

What do you see that isn't being clearly discussed? From the VP down, nothing has changed. Though NoyNoy was not my candidate, I still hope that the position he now holds (assuming the final count sees him at the top)will inspire him to be more than he has ever been. But from Binay down, I see nothing but traditional politicians. The rest are old, old, or new but have gone the way of traditional politics fast. Where is the change I thought we stood in line for?

It needs to be addressed. True to form, many are calling for unity and calling people who speak out negative, but I do not think it is negative to call out the truth before us. Yes, there is something to celebrate about the way things turned out. Who isn't jumping for joy that GMA is out (well, lurking, but no longer in Malacañang) and Noynoy is in? Who isn't thankful for the swifter count?

And yet.

One of our helpers was offered P400 and a sack of bigas to vote for Noynoy. This was in Cavite. A friend's helper was offered the same in Bacolod. Our driver and his wife were offered P1000 each to vote for Villar. And look at the names of the people who have made it into the Senate. Or the Marcoses winning not just there, but also in their hometown. Macapagal-Arroyo and Pineda winning in Pampanga. Is Mangungudatu truly better than Ampatuan and will he create change in Maguindanao? And isn't anyone bothered that ERAP did so well?! Or that Acosta--an invisible and disqualified candidate--did better than Perlas, Madrigal and delos Reyes? So much is going on that we must pay attention to as well! How can we not talk about how we put the same TRAPOS in office, when we could have done differently? How can we jump for joy without seeing what else is going on? With this kind of Senate and a distressingly similar Congress, just how much room will Noynoy have to create change?

Seeing the full picture is not being negative. It is seeing the full picture. It is being vigilant. We can only truly move forward as a nation if we quit looking at stuff that's easy on the eyes, yet ignoring the filth that is but a hair's breadth away.

Change is at the doorstep but it has yet to make its entrance.