Red, Yellow, Blue, Pink, name all the colors of the rainbow, surely one will be associated with a politician. A yellow ribbon, a person wearing one is a Dilawan, supporter of the Aquinos. A red shirt, “Ah yes this is a supporter of the Marcoses.” A pink mask, kakampink, “Oh a Leni supporter.” Every politician has a color associated with their name. 

There is a history behind every color, every partylist. Years worth of affairs written in the pages of our history relate to these colors. Many people, many events define that one hue and all that has happened reflects on the candidates under the party. For example, the color red is commonly associated with the Marcos name. The bold color reminds you of your, either positive or negative, inclination of the Marcos regime.

Many people may not know this but colors actually affect our subconscious minds. That first thing that pops up in your mind when you see pink, is going to initiate every other thought that comes after. Remember watching the movie ‘Inside Out'? Colors corresponded to the different emotions the characters portray. Yellow for joy, blue for sadness, red for anger, and so on. This same thought can be applied on how we view colors in politics. It initiates our thinking process, whether we think of a person as good or bad, an event as nonviolent or destructive, a situation as positive or negative.

Your subconscious thought behind a color defines who you are as a person. A person’s ideology can unofficially be determined by the color, a symbolism for their beliefs and leanings, though sometimes people have a hard time picking out a color from a palette. Many voters nowadays do not realize the power they hold with that single vote. 

We must be biased. In politics, a person must always have an opinion, something they stand by. Having an opinion must not mean you should be prejudiced. A bias may mean you are partial, but you should never be resistant. One should always have a stand on something, having no opinion is comparable to having no contribution to our society. Unsure voters usually side with the candidate they see most often as they neglect doing research. You should do what you can, be useful. If you are not going to spark change, no one will. You must be opinionated if you want to live in a country free from the unfair treatment and the unjust oppression we, Filipinos, are currently living through. 

Colors in political parties may seem like a good enough rationale to go off of. Having your own opinions, doing your own research, and being unafraid to go by what you believe in and not what the masses do is the greatest weapon in our war against poor governance. This is not a license for you to forget about the past, but only a sign for you to stay open about what is happening in the present.

This is a call to all those who go with the majority. Your vote matters, do not just go for what is in front, but look beyond, look further than what they want you to see. When you are sitting down on that chair, a ballot in your hands, remember to wear your black and white glasses. We must oppose indifference, sometimes. Do not side with a color, it will not rule the country, but who you vote for will.