Jazztin Antonii Acedillo 
Election season in the Philippines is here as the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) once again opened the filing of certificates of candidacy on October 1, 2024. With this comes a huge wave of political “aspirants,” many of which caught most of us off guard.
As with any good hiring and selection process, there should always be a phase for screening applicants. The process of sorting who’s who and which is which is by no means an easy task.
That’s where job requirements come into play. Having a detailed and specific list of what you’re looking for certainly helps out in speeding up the whole process. But even with such strict systems in play a few stragglers tend to show up every once in a while.
“Oh but they look cute and they mean well so what’s the harm.”
Good intentions coupled with little to no knowledge, experience, and qualification will more often than not do more harm than good. Requirements and criteria exist for a reason, they’re there to make sure that actions taken are well informed and backed by the necessary expertise. While the desire to help may be genuine, a lack of the necessary competencies only increase the risk of unintended harm.
“Shiny enough to make me turn a blind eye.”
Following the latest trend is not for everyone. So hard-set in our ways that even if it inconveniences us we stick to it because ‘at least we know what’s coming.’ As long as we get something good out of it every once in a while, we continue to overlook warning signs in an attempt to maintain comfort. As we continue this trend of turning a blind eye, who’s to say that this won’t harm us eventually. Deliberately ignoring visibly present risks will definitely lead to a cumulative effect of bigger and negative consequences.
“Fine, I’ll do it myself.”
We’ve all gotten that feeling of ‘if that were me I could certainly do better’ and ‘I don’t feel represented well enough, so fine, I’ll do it myself.’ Now while the sentiment is indeed shared, unfamiliar roles require necessary skills and a higher level of expertise to actually pull through. Taking a backseat with a more supporting role is sometimes the best course of action. By giving way to people with more experience than us and giving them the spotlight, we strengthen their voices and breathe life into their vision and leadership.
Selection is by no means an easy task. Whether it’s simply choosing what we’re going to eat that day or the arduous task of planning out an entire year’s worth of meals. Once a decision has been made, we are locked into it and we should be held accountable for everything that comes along with it. Commitment is a heavy weight to bear indeed. The complex process of selection and the amount of possibilities we need to take into consideration certainly doesn’t make it any easier. So the next time you’re about to make a choice, take the time to understand the situation and the tools you have at your disposal, couple it with a bit of background research and you’ll certainly go a long way.
