And So It Begins

Just the perfect timing to find inspiration – from ourselves. After all, there are only 15 million voters whom I called the designated survivors of Comelec, and it is only us 15 million who need to draw strength. There are 31 million more voters who are the designated winners of Comelec. They need no more reward; they got theirs early. Many were paid as Filipinos everywhere were comparing notes how much they received to vote on May 9, 2022. They believed in promises, too, and to the regret of most, they are still holding on to them.

And so it begins – the movie, I mean. It serves to remind us that we were once heroes, that we braved the odds and stood for what we believed in – responsibility, accountability, and bayanihan. More than that, we are being asked if we still believe in the same virtues and values, if we still try to live our lives guided by the same. Well, the packed movie houses are the answer. Because who would change their minds anyway? Leni was the symbol, but responsibility (ambag), accountability (resibo), and bayanihan (abonado) were the causes.

It was not as though the 15 million did not believe in promises as well. They believed in Leni, but Leni was not just a promise. She was real, she was performing her duties as Vice-President with dignity even if she was treated in an undignified manner. The promise she gave is a promise that still appeals, more strongly than before. She promised that our lives would be better, Angat Buhay, she said, if we help one another, if we stay with the truth, if we love radically instead of lying and stealing wantonly.

And so it begins – the unraveling of false promises. The Comelec’s 31 million did not listen to the purity of their hearts or the nobility of their souls. They are finding out today just how deaf and dumb they were – blinded by disinformation, sent running in circles by trolls on payrolls. They forgot the past, they skipped the lessons, and now pay the price. A local term in the vernacular has been popularized; it capsulizes what happened so succinctly – budol.

I am not scornful when I point out the painful truth of being deaf and dumb. Neither am I being partisan. Take Leni out of the equation and I still believe in the same primary values of truth, of responsibility, of accountability, of bayanihan. Ask the 15 million, too, if they still believe in the same things they campaigned and voted for. Losing the Comelec count gave deep disappointment, not regret. Their values remain important to them today as much as two years ago.

EDSA People Power in 1986 was not a promise either. It was the culmination of a painful process where Filipinos experienced the loss of freedom so a sitting president could become a dictator. The reward was instant the moment Ferdinand Marcos fled from Malacañang. Because it was the people who rebelled, they exacted their reward immediately. They rebelled from their disgust, from their frustration, for their freedom. That was why euphoria filled the land, not because Cory arranged it, but because the people could not contain their joy.

And so it begins – the unraveling of a false unity. The Uniteam brand was precisely that – a brand. However, because it was hollow from the beginning, it is only natural that it is unraveling today. To understand just how flimsy this unity was, it is now disintegrating on its own. It did not need an outside force; it did not need the 15 million to go ballistic. The Uniteam was composed of pieces of wood infested with termites; it is now collapsing from its own inner rot.

When power and money are the primary motivations for unity, it can never last. The nature of greed is such that it always craves more – and positions of power, authority, and wealth are impossible to share for long. In less than two years, those who had less desired more, while those who had more had no intention of sharing; instead, they amassed even more.

Still, the angry dissolution of partnerships will cause disruption, if not destruction. I hope many of us have been observing the drama since the topic of confidential funds became a sensitive issue among partners in late 2023, with tensions escalating since then. A minor mistake in flashpoints like Davao City can bring violence into play.

I wish that only the 31 million voters registered with Comelec would bear the consequences of social and political unrest. However, in life and in society, everything is interconnected. The decision made by the 31 million, as reported by Comelec, has repercussions for the additional 15 million designated survivors as well—meaning it affects all of us.

September is here, and for Filipinos inspired by Christmas and Joe Mari Chan, the festive season begins. We might be lulled into thinking we can simply escape into a Christmas bubble. Every year, when we avoid confronting the true state of our affairs, we only make things worse for the following year. Let us allow Christmas to soothe our fears and let the festive spirit enter our insecurities. But let us not be blind, deaf, or dumb. We have had too much of that.

There is only one path forward, which is to work diligently in the right direction. It is not the government’s ayuda that will increase our capacity and security; it is only what you and I can do, learn, and produce that will add more food to our tables and more income to our savings.

I know that our problems will never be solved quickly; we have been wrong for too long, and our mistakes have become habitual. However, perhaps the young people watching And So It Begins can show us the way, because only they have the energy and idealism to lead us forward.