Unity After Elections

On 22 May 2019, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) of the Republic of the Philippines proclaimed the 12 senators-elect who topped the recently concluded polls for the vacant seats in the House of Representatives. According to Rappler, it was the first time in 80 years that nobody won from the opposition, Liberal Party.

Nine (9) out of 12 candidates who have allied themselves with President Rodrigo Duterte, head of the ruling party PDP-Laban or Partido Demokratiko Pilipino - Lakas ng Bayan, made it to the senatorial seats. It goes to say that for the remaining term of the president, his leadership advocacy will be more supported when it comes to the other powerhouse. The non-inclusion of any of the opposition candidates is an eye-opener for them to reassess the organization, the leadership, the connection with the people and their political campaign strategies.

Wikipedia shows that 74.31% (47,296,44 of 63,643,263 voters) was the total turnout. The list of top 12 senators-elect is as follows --

1.  Sen. Cynthia Villar (HNP, Nacionalista)
2.  Sen. Grace Poe (No coalition, Independent)
3.  Sen. Bong Go (HNP, PDP-Laban)
4.  Sen. Pia Cayetano (HNP, Nacionalista)
5.  Sen. Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa (HNP, PDP-Laban)
6.  Sen. Sonny Angara (HNP, LDP)
7.  Sen. Lito Lapid (No coalition, NPC)
8.  Sen. Imee Marcos (HNP, Nacionalista)
9.  Sen. Francis Tolentino (HNP, PDP-Laban)
10.  Sen. Koko Pimentel (HNP, PDP-Laban)
11.  Sen. Bong Revilla (HNP, Lakas)
12.  Sen. Nancy Binay (No coalition, UNA)

I hoped to see Mr. Rafael 'Raffy' Alunan of Bagumbayan-VNP, the last candidate endorsed by Pres. Duterte who considers him to be a "thinking guy", to make it to the top 12. He was 32nd in the ranking (total: 62 senatorial candidates) with 2,059,359 votes (4.35% of total turnout). May he be appointed as one of presidential advisers or cabinet head.

It is interesting to note that a woman (Sen. Cynthia Villar) of Nacionalista Party and coalition HNP, topped the list, and five (5) female candidates were included, which means more women empowerment. We can expect that more laws protecting interests related to family, particularly women and children, will be legislated. Two women senators-elect also from same Nacionalista Party and coalition HNP are Senators Pia Cayetano and Imee Marcos.

Sen. Grace Poe made it to the 2nd top, considering that she ran as an independent candidate and not a member of the leading coalition HNP. This proves that one strong candidate does not need a party nor coalition to win. Her father, Fernando Poe, Jr., one of the legendary movie stars in the Philippine cinema, ran for president in 2004 but was defeated by then Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Sen. Poe also ran for president in  2016 but PRRD topped the presidential polls.

Sen. Nancy Binay of United Nationalist Alliance or UNA was likewise not a member of the leading coalition HNP.  She made it despite all challenges being faced by some of her family members who were/are in the political arena.

Sen. Lito Lapid of Nationalists People's Coalition or NPC was also not a member of the leading coalition HNP but he won.

Of four (4) PDP-Laban and HNP Coalition candidates who emerged as winners, three (3) are new faces in the national politics, Senators Bong Go, Ronald dela Rosa and Francis Tolentino. Sen. Aquilino 'Koko' Pimentel III is the only one who has been in politics for a long time, being the senate president from 2016 - 2018, and followed the footsteps of his father, former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. (2000 - 2001).

Sen. Bong Revilla from Lakas Party and HNP Coalition made it despite some past personal and political career challenges. This is his chance to repair what was damaged and to play his role very well to meet his supporters' expectations.

Being visible in all kinds of screens (movie, TV and gadgets) with a wide, wide reach, really helps. Senators Lito Lapid and Bong Revilla were both actors in the Philippine cinema. Sen. Grace Poe is his father's (FPJ) daughter. Senators Bong Go, Bato dela Rosa and Francis Tolentino, though new in that particular powerhouse, were always or interviewed by the media parallel to their duties in the government. So it is a kind of social media influence which really gives a big weight for them to give their messages to the voters and be liked.

Sen. Bong Go was the third in the list, but as we could see he was a man of fewer talks and less smile then, yet he was identified as the "Little President" and the man behind the most powerful leader in the Philippines.

Being endorsed by the top leader of the country matters. In the list of senatorial candidates endorsed by Pres. Duterte, nine won, 75%.  Five (5) candidates were from PDP-Laban, and one lost it -- Maguindanao 2nd District Representative Zajid 'Dong' Mangudadatu (19th, HNP/PDP-Laban). Of seven (7) guest candidates, three (3) did not make it -- former Sen. JV Ejercito (13th, HNP/NPC),  singer Freddie Aguilar (30th, no coalition/Independent), and former DILG Sec. Raffy Alunan (32nd, no coalition/Bagumbayan),

Being a child of a popular politician helps (no matter if there were dark spots in the names of some roots); six of twelve senators-elect -- 50% -- of them are. Most voters now are mature to understand that the child is different from the father or mother, although there is a saying that "the fruit comes from the tree". Known as children of popular politicians are Senators Pia Cayetano, Sonny Angara, Imee Marcos, Koko Pimentel, Bong Revilla and Nancy Binay. Six (6) of twelve senators-elect, half of them.

Now the elections are over.  I wish all elected senators and rest of candidates who won in the local elections the best. I am sure many Filipinos pray for you all.

May the new senators make laws that strongly promote the decent living of all Filipinos, so there will be no vote buying in the future.

Those who did not vote comprised 25+% of the total voting population. If they did go out and vote, maybe the results would have been different. Something can be done to reduce this % in future elections.

May the authorities work on regular refreshing of the voters' database -- delete the records of those who died, encourage the new voters to register and properly add their names to the database.

May there be verified platforms for all Filipinos to access national and local laws online, so they know what laws are there, and if they have ideas for them to legislate, they can suggest freely. For areas without internet, some TV and radio programs can help promote awareness on laws particularly those affecting them.

May all Filipinos be one in spirit, no matter where they are in the world. As Sir Raffy Alunan always puts it, "One country, one flag, one people".  I hope that the elected ones will focus more on national interests and unity, rather than the colors and logos of their parties, and individual motives. Because as they divide inside, the weaker the country becomes, and so do its citizens.

May everyone of us passionately metamorphose to the person we are born to be and become, connect with each other in a very meaningful way, and boldly rise to all challenges, united and powered by one strong divine force.

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Photo credits: Pixabay