Barangay Election

I am a disenfranchised voter.

I went to the school, checked the records for my name, and found nothing. 

To be honest, I don't feel anything at all, which only shows how little the barangay elections matter to me. I don't know the candidates (except for Kuya Jong Montales, a fellow lector back when I was still reading in San Pablo. He's running for kagawad). Worse, I don't even know what's their say about the issues at hand.

Still, you have to be surprised at how many choose to run. Despite the tepid pay, many aspire to get these positions. Surely, there are "perks" that we common mortals don't know of (but can guess anyway). Or it's probably because the barangay posts are the next steps to the city/municipal/provincial positions then finally the big league of national candidates: the Senate and the Presidency.

Perhaps, one reason why the barangay elections mean so little to me is that I don't feel the pulse of the barangay. I've never heard of barangay officials (in our area anyway) tinkering about ideas on local governance or pushing for radical measures to improve communities. In the barangay, where innovative social programs can be implemented with minimal risk and maximum reward, there is no compulsion among the local political leaders to change ways, to experiment, or to redefine progress. 

Most, if not all, are simply content administering bureaucratic functions and preparing for the next election.

Given this scenario, can you understand now how little I care?