“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.
How much do you cost? P20? P50? P500? P1,000? How much does the country cost? P1,000 x 100+ million? Are we that cheap? And are we willing to sell our country at a price?
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.
Election fever is finally over. There is little doubt, if any, that billions of pesos passed from the pockets of the candidates and their supporters to the open and waiting hands of many, many, many voters.
The mayor of food-loving Osaka has spoken and his statement is extremely hard to swallow. Mayor Toru Hashimoto said that the so-called “comfort women” of World War II served a “necessary” role to enable beleaguered soldiers to let off steam.
Narciso M. Reyes Jr. proposed that, for several reasons, it is pointless for us to pursue our claim to Sabah.
The results of the May 13 elections gave President Aquino a mandate to consolidate his control of both houses of Congress in the midterm of his office.
But of course Grace Poe topping the senatorial race is the one dramatic, phenomenal, game-changing feature of the last elections.
