ALL OVER BUT THE SHOUTING!

May 11, 2025 Opinion

Tomorrow we go to the polls and get to choose leaders masquerading as politicians. By this day, the electorate has already decided and the cast is die! By the looks, there can be not much expectation on the victors, as it seems the muscle-memory of voters or name-recall remain in place and the younger and more qualified, young candidates would have to wait for “divine intervention” to be able to sit a new breed, generation-wise in the seats of power. In every race, there are winners and there are those who would not make it. What is important though is the desire to serve, to help which has been ingrained in the veins of our bloods.

Running anew for office should not be for fame, glory or even money. At the end of the day, it should be to serve. “Salus populi suprema lex esto” -The health welfare, good, salvation, felicity of the people should be the supreme law”. I remember the story of two passengers in an airplane sitting side by side. One of them peeped through the window and noticed one of the engines on fire. He nudged his seatmate to
inform him of the situation but the other fellow feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed, not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm gave a non·cha·lant shrug said “Ok lang, hindi naman sa akin ‘tong eroplano!” The attitude is akin to many of us and we don’t
realize that like all the passengers in the plane, if it goes down, all of us will go down with it!

By these time, people have already made up their minds and even some friends who are high up in the surveys or have enjoyed the endorsement of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) would only be waiting for their proclamation as victors. There are still those however who are hanging on for “dear life” trying hard, up to the last second to turn the tables to be able to garner an upset and win. In the Senate race, the
battle has centered on the last two seats and among those fighting for survival are the VpSarah-endorsed presidential sister-the- Witch Imee who was heckled during her gate-crashed-Pangabenga-float parade as “manga” short for Mangagamit and the Prime-water-haunted-Camille.

To be able to stomp-right-in, the INC endorsement which they got would push them to the magic circle. Ideally the INC could endorse only a maximum of three, as the fourth Marcoleta is a given. Instead they chose 8 and that would be a drawback because the others enhanced their position in the top 10. Of the two Imee is in danger of not making it because the Solid North (11% of the national voting) might no longer be as solid for her! For one on-one-positions in the City -Congressman, Mayor, Vice-Mayor, Our Agila group has decided on a “conscience vote’ and not to make a consolidated- selection although we have come up with suggestions which they may or may not follow. I have my own choices but will be keeping it to myself though deep in my heart, I know they deserve to be in their seats more than the impending winners.

At this late in the day, though there is no other way to reverse the fortunes now except resorting to vote-buying or getting away with the machines, the “smart-matic” way. Since the results would no longer be transmitted via “cloud” where the “rebisador’ can change the data by switching the winner with the third placer. Todays Miru machines would directly send one’s vote to Comelec, Namfrel, the accredited major and minor political parties etc. This is a fool-proof plan of Comelec and we just trust and pray that it will work! The only way my simple-non-technical mind can think of is manipulating the machines while in storage, as was done in the past when a PNP official conducted an inspection without Comelec authorization and some sort og ‘milagro’ happened.

The other is on election day, early morning when the BEI checks the machines earlier than scheduled where the watchers are nowhere, which is admittedly hard, difficult or logistically impossible. The local council has at least twelve seats available. A seat can still be obtained, as long as one is in the top 15 , he or she can still enter the magic circle by directing at least 3,000 of his supporters, friends and
family to do single-voting which of course runs contrary to teamwork but what the heck, it is being done for ages. This would give a multiplier advantage to the candidate.

If the supporters elect only one out of 12 candidates, he would have at least eleven votes per voter and at 3,000 voters multiplied by 11 that would amount to 33,000 votes in his name more or less. The end will justify the means as anyway, the goal is to win, sometimes at all cost! Again our candidates should have character, competence and integrity but I doubt if some of the winners have them. Reality though sets in on Monday. Congratulations to those who will make it! For those who do not, sa Tamang Panahon! Sigh.