#elections2022

(Long post but this is important so please read)

For those living outside of the Philippines and are currently unaware of the ongoing situation in my country, we just had our elections yesterday on May 9 (Monday) and results have been coming in since last night. Bong Bong Marcos, the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos is in the lead for president while his VP candidate Sara Duterte, daughter of the current president, also in the lead. And this is bad. REALLY BAD.

I can't give a complete and comprehensive summary of Ferdinand Marcos' rule in a single post but this is all you need to know. A lot of people were killed, tortured, and raped during his time, and those were only the ones who were found and accounted for. We still have so many missing victims until now that we call them the Los Desaparecidos or The Disappeared. The Marcos family also stole about billions from the country and her people. They literally lavished in their homes while children were dying from starvation.

Already foreign investors are pulling out which can mean really bad things for our economy which not many of us can afford right now.

And as for Sara Duterte if you've heard of her father and the War on Drugs then you'd understand why we're so apprehensive of having another Duterte have a seat of power in the national government.

As of now there are already allegations of the elections being rigged. Some might think it's a wild conspiracy theory but with the history of these political dynasties and the corrupt system of our government I can't help but agree that something's wrong.

Because before elections even officially closed there have already been reports of about 1800 faulty Vote Counting Machines (VCM) , the highest number in election history with VCMs rejecting ballots or malfunctioning effectively delaying the voting process by hours which resulted with registered voters being turned away by COMELEC because they didn't make the cut-off of 7 p.m.

And speaking of COMELEC (they're basically the committee in charge of handling the elections) their handling of the whole elections is just downright incompetent and shady. There have been allegations of ballots being manipulated and only a few hours has passed since the tallying of votes has begun and somehow they've covered more than 85 % of the precincts just not all over the country but also overseas. Which is questionable considering that about 50% of the country's VCMs are broken.

There is also a noticeable trend with how Leni Robredo, Marcos' most serious opposition who beat him for the position of VP in the 2016 elections, always has 47% of the total transmitted votes for Marcos during every election update.

(tl;dr)

This will be my last political post. I just want to give my full support to the candidate whom I think is deserving of the presidential seat. A person who doesn't depend on her fame and last name to make an impact, but someone who has shown resilience amidst misogyny and fake news. Someone who is qualified due to her credentials, achievements, platforms, integrity, and humility. Someone who is a woman. A woman who leads by example.

I am not here to pick a fight with anyone, because just like you, I just want what's best for our nation, regardless if we have different political perspectives and even if we choose a different candidate. (As long as you are not a fake news peddler or an enabler of online harassment and bullying, or a promoter of criminals, then we're good.) Hindi po ako ang kalaban mo, kakampi mo ako, at kung di kita kaya ma-convince sa stand ko, okay lang, ipaglaban pa rin kita.

If our goal is to “win,” then we naturally think of others as our opponents. Pero hindi ako ganun. You are not my opponents. If so, our tools of choice are blame and shame. Ganito kasi thinking natin minsan: We think the world will be better only if THEY change. We are willing to put them down and make them feel bad in the service of being right.

However, politics shouldn’t be just about winning. Politics doesn’t end when your favorite candidate or party is in power. The prevailing politics determines our nation’s way of life. It determines the kinds of laws and policies we enact.

but we do have some blue representation for the state legislature. and a black muslim woman from fargo won a seat in the state house of representatives. that's a pretty big deal. congratulations hamida dakane!

It's a sad tale It's a tragedy But we sing it anyway See, Orpheus was a poor boy But he had a gift to give He could make you see how the world could be In spite of the way that it is Can you see it? Can you hear it? Can you feel it like a train? Is it coming? Is it coming this way?

This campaign season, I’ve seen people who were largely apathetic to the politics of this country pick up flyers and walk from house to house talking about a possible future for our country. I’ve seen them register to vote for the first time. I’ve seen them walk through rallies and amass numbers in the hundreds of thousands. I’ve seen them stay from six in the morning to well into the early morning of the next day to guard their ballots. 

By evening, I’ve already seen people talk about leaving the country and crying at each other-- blaming people for putting the son of a dictator into Malacanang (if this were a clean and honest election which COMELEC still needs to answer for). And I get it. There is grief and there is betrayal. There is even hopelessness that this was written long before we had a chance to shade the ballots.

Pero di ba nakakahiya kay Leni. 

Mahirap mahalin ang Pilipinas-- kaya mas radikal magmahal.

But we loved this country in those rallies. We loved this country when we imagined its bright future; when we imagined holding politicians accountable for their actions; when we told people that Leni had plans to strengthen the skills of workers so that they can earn more. There was so much love there. And I think it’s still there, under all that grief and hurt.

Let’s not lose what we’ve gained and who we’ve become these past few months. Let’s not shrink back. Let’s not let cynicism drown out our will to engage in participatory governance-- as our right and duty. Let’s not stop fighting for our marginalized countrymen (or blame them for the systematic disinformation-- especially when so many are so firmly on our side).

The fight’s not over yet.

There was also an instance in 2013, VP Leni, was a congresswoman back then, she was a guest in the same event I volunteered to participate in. The event "Parangal sa Mga Manghahabing Bayani" was an event to recognize the jute weavers behind a homegrown bag brand - Mr. Kengkoy. The humble congresswoman appeared in the events hall wearing a simple black dress, who just came from another engagement that day. She was calm and very soft spoken, and very, very humble.

Fast forward to 2017, I luckily bumped into VP Leni and Tricia at the bus terminal. I was with my parents and sister. My papa and mama were pushing me to talk to Tricia to have a picture taken with VP Leni. I was really shy but ended up doing what my parents asked me to do. It was a very short kumustahan. Tricia just said that it was really a long time since we met in person (I think that last time was when we were in high school, we did some grade 6 class reunions). She also asked me where I am currently working. And I just answered briefly. I was REALLY shy. My parents were also able to talk to VP Leni saying that me and Tricia were grade school classmates in USI and have been in school events with her and Sec. Jesse. VP Leni responded that she remembered seeing my parents too! And yes, her memory is really sharp and even if she's the second highest official of the countrty, she's still very humble. And as were leaving the bus terminal, we also learned that my ate, who was also travelling to Manila for work was luckier because she got to ride the bus with VP Leni, Tricia, and Jillian.

February 8, 2022 was the kickoff rally of VP Leni, Sen. Kiko and the Tropang Angat in CamSur. I was so excited to go to work that day because I it feels festive, seeing all the preparations made in various towns in CamSur and Naga City. I was also monitoring the Facebook live feeds in my computer while working. I really felt the joy that the Bicolanos experience during fiestas such as the Peñafrancia Fiesta held every year in September. But due to the pandemic, the festivities were suspended. As soon as my work ended, I and my bestfriend, in our hot pink and old rose shirts, decided to attend the Grand Rally in Plaza Rizal. We carpooled and parked the car at SM City Naga and walked going to the venue for we were assuming the entire Panganiban Drive will be closed, or if not, we'll be stuck in traffic. Slightly tired from our walk, we decided to eat our snacks to fill our tummies before joining the crowd of Bicolano Kakampinks. Naga Garden, known for serving delicious mami and siopao, was filled with people - young and old, wearing their Leni shirts of different designs and shades of pink. "Wow! Solid! Lupet!" That's what I was thinking. I was full of hope and am very proud that VP Leni, the most qualified and competent presidentiable is from my hometown - Naga City.

** Online rallies. News on the upcoming election. Trolls/bashers **

I just recently attended the One Pink March, the second grand rally of Leni-Kiko and the Tropang Angat. I was really eager to attend the said event and even signed up as early as March. Belonging to the employees who work in shifts, I eagerly requested and insisted that I may be on off duty during the grand rally, May 6, 2022. I even bought three kakampink shirts and pink items to show my support. I hate being in crowded places, being under the heat of the sun, and being stuck in traffic but I didn't mind those simple discomforts. I just wanted to show my support and let my candidates win for the Philippines - for a better nation! And that flame of hope lit up when VP Leni decided to run for the presidency in October 2021. She has been working tirelessly, showing resilience and resourcefulness to every calamity, fighting corruption, aiding the pandemic, and helping each and every Filipino live a better life. But despite doing an excellent job, she became the center of fake news and trolls.

Election Day - May 9, 2022

EXCITED! I left the house after eating breakfast and without taking a bath yet because I wanted to vote already! I waited for an hour for my turn (I'm kinda lucky my voting precinct isn't as crowded as the others) but didn't mind the waiting time and the summer heat. And then, my turn finally came! I WAS HOLDING THE BALLOT AND THE MARKING PEN! I WAS A BIT TENSED that I might invalidate the vote! I might commit an undo-able mistake in shading the circle. BUT I WAS FULL OF HOPE! I was very happy to have casted my vote to my most deserving candidates. I was proud of myself for not messing up. I am a voter. I was a proud Filipino. When I got home, I was monitoring the updates via twitter about VP Leni and the other presidentiables. I was also excited that I might bump into VP Leni somewhere in the streets of Naga. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. I wanted to see my beacon of hope so baaad! >.<

Loads of Disappointment

The results of the election was a disappointment. It crushed the ball of flaming hope in me. I was devastated. From the time the first partial unofficial result went out, that was just 3% of the election returns, until the votes of BongBong Marcos reached 30M, I can hardly look at the figures. I can't look straight at the monitor. I was brokenhearted but still hoping that there are glitches in the results.

The day after the elections, a thanksgiving mass for VP Leni was held at the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral. I had the leisure to attend to it but I was really tired, devastated, and heartbroken. I didn't go. But I passed by the streets of Naga, it was still filled with pink banderitas, ribbons, ornaments, tarpaulins, and murals. I also passed by the Solid Leni Bicol Headquarters in the Carmen Hotel. Everything was still intact but there's a big thing missing - the excitement, joy, and hope that was birthed during the campaign period.

I reached home and opted to attend the thanksgiving mass virtually. I can still feel the sadness. And it might even be sadder if I was physically present in the Cathedral.

Coping Up -- dream about VP Leni :)) FB live, pink museum

Pasasalamat -- Angat Buhay Foundation