On May 9, 2022, election day, all of us electorates will exercise our democratic right and cast our votes to elect or reelect leaders seeking both national and local posts.
This election is considered the most historic election after the 1986 EDSA people’s power revolution. Political analysts said that this is the most crucial election of this era, similar only to the 1986 snap elections that triggered the ouster of then-President Ferdinand Marcos, Bongbong’s father.
Most researchers predicted a landslide victory for Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., son and namesake of the late president, Ferdinand E. Marcos who ruled the country for 20 years.
Many of these analysts and researchers said that the results of this election would indicate whether Marcos’ “command vote” based on endorsements from various groups and well-fueled political machinery is more successful than Robredo’s “retail vote” based on her volunteer-driven house to house campaign.
At the local level, the last few days before the election day were twists and last-minute endorsements, and changes in sample ballots as local candidates shift their support to another congressional candidate. However, the move has been expected by many local political analysts and spectators since there have been prelude, signals, and probabilities that this scenario will happen. Indeed, politics is always changing party mates and crossing party lines.
This election should be a game-changing moment for a substantial number of Filipinos. Many among us lift our hopes to our newly elected leaders who would bring us to a new era of our growth as we struggle to bounce back from the effects of economic slowdown due to the pandemic and other problems that we faced today. Increasing prices of fuel and other basic commodities, limited food supply, and reliance on imported products are among the burden that we continue to carry today.
The next leaders of our country, our province, city, and municipalities, should be more aggressive this time to pursue economic recovery projects to fill the gap of the economic slowdown and help a substantial number of families and individuals displaced by natural calamities and pandemics. They should craft and implement more comprehensive and inclusive programs and projects that should address not only poverty and food supply, but also help boost the local economy, promote local-based businesses, and increase local employment, while ensuring environmental sustainability.