It's Beginning to and Back Again

I'm back in Ilocos Norte. Been here a little over 2 weeks and of course it's like I never even left. Although in a matter of less than 3 months, my mother has stoped walking supposedly because of arthritis--have to pick her up just to sit up in bed to drink water. Got here in time for the last week of election campaign (Commisioner of Elections and the media use the term ERVI: Election Related Violence Incidents). Here in my father's hometown. The current mayor, my uncle, is running for re-election against his current vice-mayor, his younger brother. The current mayor's choice for vice-mayor is his only son, my cousin who is 9 months younger than me. His brother's choice for vice-mayor is another uncle of mine--who apparently doesn't get along with my father and his family. Aparently this is typical of Phil. politics--keeping both political regimes and oppositions all in the family--read a story about one town where the 2 candidates for mayor were an ex-husband and e-wife. Thankfully there was only one ERVI here, apparently unrelated to any of the family, some political fallout in a remote barangay of the town, an officer guarding a school polling lpace shot. Right after midnight on the eve of elections at my uncles house, they slaughtered 2 horses and made various dishes with the meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner--tasted like a tougher less gamier beef--maybe mcdonald's does use horsemeat. There were accusations aired on the local tv news between the brothers of vote buying--which it seems like no one is absolutely innocent of perpetrating.