The elections are over. Most of the winners have been proclaimed. It’s been a great “first” for our country, the first (and fastest) automated elections. I think it turned out pretty good.

You already voted, now what? This isn’t the end. It’s just a start.

Here’s what you can do to make your vote count…

It doesn’t matter if those on you ballot won or lost (that’s the reason it’s called a democracy). What’s important is that we monitor the new leaders of our country. How do we do that?

• Stop bickering sa tindahan, stop the chismis about the candidates. Let it go. In an election, there are winners and there are losers. My president didn’t win, but at least he conceded gracefully. It’s time to move on and accept the winner and give him the chance to start anew.
• Monitor the winners. From your mayor, your new congress representative, governor and the senators. If you’ve been following them online, you might have read some of their platforms or promises. Save the damn text file on the website and return to it after 100 days, after several months, after a year. See if that candidate made true his promise, if not, let him know by sharing your opinions online via social networks, tweets or blogs.
• Check on their accomplishments. Follow the news, check their websites (I hate it if the politicians just made their site for the political campaign) and take notes.
• Let them know about the issues – comment on their Facebook pages and tell them about issues in your community, industry, etc. Let your voice be heard.

May 10 was a historic day for our country. If the corrupt system is still in place and we just changed the personalities, then we’re back where we belong. We’ve been saying that it’s now time for a better Philippines for the past 3 elections ever since we ousted a dictator, yet we let the politicians alone solve the problems. It’s not about them, it’s all about working together for a better future for our children. Let’s start caring and make a difference.

It all starts from the person we all know best – ourselves.