Not all was light and hope in the last elections, there was a dark side to them. Agence France-Presse pointed it out last week. The elections also produced a “rogues’ gallery” of winners. Those rogues are:
Textbook history is riddled with cardboard characters to hide the complexity of human nature that some teachers find difficult to explain. With the exception of the rivalry between the two Cavite factions of the Katipunan (Magdalo vs. Magdiwang), or the overblown but poorly explained conflict between Emilio Aguinaldo and Andres Bonifacio, or between Aguinaldo and Antonio Luna, all the characters in the story of the nation are selfless and only thought of the country’s interests. In order to make sense of the way we in the present deal with elections—local or national—we have to go back and confront the ghosts of the past.
Before the Aquino administration could consolidate its control of Congress following the midterm elections, the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) pressed the government to redouble its efforts in ensuring energy security if it wanted to attract more investors.
My daughter just went through her second open heart surgery last week, a successful repair of the mitral valve which her surgeon, Dr. Karl Michael Reyes, said could last a lifetime.
The defect in the proclamation of the winning senatorial candidates has been corrected, according to election lawyer Romulo Macalintal, who criticized the proclamation soon after the first six senators were proclaimed. Macalintal was one of the three guests at the Kapihan sa Manila at the Diamond Hotel last Monday. The two others were Dr. Honorata L. Catibog, director of the Department of Health’s National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, and Dr. Anthony P. Calibo, also of the same center and a specialist in the care of the newborn.
Peace and reconciliation, in a region rife with armed conflicts over sectarian, ideological and territorial differences, were the focus of the recent general assembly of the Centrist Asia-Pacific Democrats International (Capdi) in this coastal city in Southern Sulawesi, Indonesia.
“Do not look at the heavens through a bamboo reed.” Can this Japanese proverb help us sift through the May 13 elections’ mixed bag? Nobody loses an election here. Those trashed insist they were cheated.
Another dramatic thing happened in the election, though not quite a surprising one. That was Leni Robredo leading the rout of Luis Villafuerte in Camarines Sur. Leni buried Luis’ wife, Nelly, in a landslide in the congressional fight for the third district. John Bongat, a Robredo ally, remained mayor of Naga City, leaving his nearest rival, Jun Pelagio, biting the dust as well, and Luis himself lost to his grandson, Migz, as governor of the province.
Apparently, there was a sympathy vote for the late, defeated presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. At least that is what many commentators, both professional and on-Facebook-only, assure us is the meaning of Grace Poe’s 20 million votes.
As the saying goes: “Defeat is an orphan while victory has many fathers.”
With the midterm elections behind us, it’s time to focus back on the work to be done—and there’s a great deal of it.
Just when the Philippines is about to rise, it is afflicted by another ailment—the rule of political dynasties, where spouses, siblings, offspring and other family members take turns at government posts, effectively blocking democratic representation.
