ON GETTING POLITICAL

Do we know what moves people to go into politics? Power of course. Without power, who can exist? We may have power in the family, in the workplace, in the community but without power in the larger societies, especially globally, we could be eased out of major decisions being made that define the directions of life on this planet.

When I was only 11 years old, I went to the United Nations office with my classmates and asked for posters. The woman there commented, "Oh how cute she is. Look at her," and then gave me several posters on how the UN functions, and some others that contained their advocacies.

Since then, I have been posted on foreign issues.

Then when I reached adulthood, I wanted very much to travel around the globe, but the only way was to get a scholarship to study at some university. Then during martial law, when I would look at a map of the Philippines in a PAL ad, (my sister Luzviminda, was an international stewardess at the time) and how their planes travel from Manila to Hong Kong then to parts of Europe and the United States, I really felt very sad. I even shed copious tears. Why because we were second rate country, unlike Hong Kong. International flights were emanating from them while ours had to pass by HK first before going anywhere in this planet.

But luck is still very much in my hands because in the 80's I got a chance to visit Amsterdam (my namesake is Queen Wilhelmina of Holland, btw)which is a great coincidence. Annette Forster, a Dutch writer invited me to join the First International Conference of Women in Film and Video and show my Super 8mm films.

From Amsterdam, I travelled all around Europe and saw, read and interacted with all types of activists on many issues, political, social, cultural, economic -- indigenous, migrants', anti-racism; Third World vs First World films, and feminism, among others.

My head was reeling from many books, other printed media, films, tv shows that I could read when I based myself in London. I even listened to BBC tv every morning as my house mate, was a fan of the station.But I could not finish reading the newspapers because they were so bulky and my whole day would have been spent on them. Since i always deemed my stay there temporary, I just read the front pages, and parts of the cultural pages. However, in the beginning, I read through page by page, including the adverts. I was curious what things were selling in Britain.

I think that my stint in Europe, meeting filmmakers especially, gave me enough courage to view the world as it is and to join in all kinds of discussions and debates. This is the only planet we have and that we need to take care of it, no matter if we come from the "Far East" a far-away country, far-away from whose point of view, my friends would ask.

I guess had I stayed on and become an immigrant there, i would also have been very agog over politics there. But you see, in London, I was curious about what was happening with Princess Diana. I pitied her very much because Prince Charles' dalliance with now his wife, was being bandied about in the papers and among all circles. Why, a princess was in distress, and I empathized with Prince Di so much that I wrote a letter to her in the Guardian and advised her to get a divorce and also to involve her life in feminist issues. I never got to know whether my letter got published or not.

In 1991, I got the chance to go to and speak at a conference in NY courtesy of Sue Rosenberg-Zalk, bless her soul, of City University of New York Center for Women's Studies, Graduate School. Afterwards, I got immersed again in politics, watching the Democrats debate themselves to death over many issues. I commented to Linda Pichon and Ludy Resurreccion ow their style of debating could boomerang on the Democrats, with people saying "how can I trust these Democrats when they are always quarreling?" So, after watching another tv debate, i called up the 1-800 number and started criticizing. The guy at the other end, asked my how they could improve their show. So I suggested, you can debate but at the end of the program, show unity. You are all Democrats, after all, and you must present a united force to the people. In the following debate, I saw a great improvement. of course, Bill Clinton won the following year.

Now, I need not tell you anymore how I got involved writing my emails through Fil-Am Forum and the Overseas Filipino Council. I wrote heavily during the 2008 presidential campaign in the United States heavily favoring Obama over who? McCain-Palin? That election sounds very much distant now, what with many issues being raised.

One thing I have learned, any person can easily drown in the plethora of issues and advocacies. We always say, let's junk this and that person or that party and try the other one. Here in the Philippines, our officials switch parties easily and so there is no definite direction as to where they are going -- everything depends on who is up there.

However, in the western world, the stands of the different parties are very much delineated. And until now, I still cannot say that if I were an American, I would vote other than the Democratic Party. Why because once you say you are a democrat then ideas about debating, discussing, people's advocacies, women's issues, children's rights, all these come into mind. And I think I won't be able to forego all of that where questions of power exist.

Yes power, electoral power, is the most important of all in any society. How I wish, all the people, our people would use that to the hilt, electing those with whom we can praise, criticize, debate and wonder about this planet.