All eyes on Marcos as Filipinos vote tomorrow for new president
Up to 65m are eligible to cast vote to decide on the successor to Duterte, in addition to thousands of other posts, from lawmakers and governors to city mayors and councillors
MANILA: The country’s 10 candidates vying for the presidency on Election Day, May 9, set their “last hurrah” in the official campaign period which ended at midnight on Saturday, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
“May 7 (Saturday) is the last day of campaigning,” said Comelec Commissioner George Garcia. He said the Saturday midnight deadline involved all candidates running for national and local positions in the May 9 national elections.
Up to 65 million Filipinos are eligible to cast ballots on Monday to decide on the successor to President Rodrigo Duterte ater six years in power, plus thousands of other posts, from lawmakers and governors to city mayors and councillors.
But national atention centered on the preparations for “miting de avance” (advance meeting) by the country’s two main presidential rivals – Vice President Leni Robredo and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, the only son and namesake of the late Philippine dictator.
Robredo won over Bongbong in the May 2016 vice presidential race by a margin of over 300,000 votes. Bongbong protested Robredo’s victory for alleged cheating but the Supreme Court (SC) siting as the presidential electoral tribunal rejected his petition.
But for the second time in their meeting, Bongbong appeared to be the favourite in the presidential race, ahead with 54 per cent based on various national surveys. This stood in sharp contrast to Robredo who received a maximum of 22 to 24 per cent.
Victory in Monday’s election would cap a decades-long effort to rehabilitate the Marcos legacy ater the patriarch was deposed and the disgraced clan chased into US exile.
But the prospect of Ferdinand Marcos Jr moving back into the presidential palace has alarmed rights activists, church leaders and political analysts who fear he could rule “without constraint”.
The Marcoses’ remarkable return from pariahs to the peak of political power has been fuelled by public anger over corruption and poverty that persisted under governments that followed the dictatorship.
Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana reminded the 45,000 soldiers deployed for electionrelated duties to stay neutral. Most of them, he said, have been assigned to areas described as “hotspots” or called “areas of concern” by the Comelec. “I also reiterate my previous guidance to the military to remain professional and non-partisan as the Filipino people head to the polls on May 9,” Lorenzana said.
So far, the Comelec placed under its control 24 towns and four cities under the “hotspot” category. The same message was aired by Major General Valeriano de Leon, the chief of the Philippine National Police Directorate for Operations. In particular, he said they were preparing anti-riot teams to cope with problems posed by groups who refuse to accept the outcome of the elections. De Leon said: “There are individuals and groups who may not accept the outcome of the election and resort to violence or huge crowds that will disrupt the smooth flow of traffic.” But he assured the PNP anti-riot teams were prepared to cope with such eventualities.
Meanwhile. the Department of Health (DOH) will proceed with its plan to set up coronavirus (COVID 19) vaccination sites near all the country’s voting centers on Election Day, May 9, a top official disclosed on Saturday.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DOH wanted to take advantage of the presence of the estimated 67 million registered voters who are to cast their ballots on May 9.
“We are going to set up the vaccination centers near all the polling precincts,” Vergeire told a pubic hearing in a fix of Filipino and English.
“Ater casting your votes you can go directly to the vaccination centers for your primary doses and booster jabs.”
“These are all free,” she said, “so you can get continued protection from COVID 19.” However, she did not elaborate following a statement from an official that the plan needed approval from the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Hundreds of thousands of red-clad Marcos supporters on Saturday amassed on a dusty wasteland overlooked by a gleaming luxury casino resort -- a stark reminder of the country’s vast income gap.
Wielding national flags, they gathered before a stage featuring an enormous screen of the smiling candidate as Filipino reggae, hip-hop and pop played at deafening levels.
“We will win as long as you stay awake on Monday so there won’t be another tragedy,” Marcos told the crowd, referring to his claims that he was cheated of victory in the 2016 vice presidential race.
Mary Ann Oladive, a 37-year-old call centre worker, said she hoped Marcos Jr would bring unity to the country.
“We hope for greater opportunity and jobs. We trust him, we hope that ater the election they will give us a beter future in the Philippines,” she said.
The country’s 10 candidates vying for the presidency on Election Day, May 9, set their “last hurrah” in the official campaign period which ended at midnight on Saturday, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
“May 7 (Saturday) is the last day of campaigning,” said Comelec Commissioner George Garcia.
He said the Saturday midnight deadline involved all candidates running for national and local positions in the May 9 national elections.
Up to 65 million Filipinos are eligible to cast ballots on Monday to decide on the successor to President Rodrigo Duterte ater six years in power, plus thousands of other posts, from lawmakers and governors to city mayors and councillors.
A two-horse presidential race has emerged between Vice President Leni Robredo and frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son and namesake of a strongman whose two-decade rule ended with his overthrow in a 1986 “people power” uprising.
Tens of thousands of supporters gathered in the capital Manila at rallies for Robredo and Marcos, braving the scorching aternoon heat hours before candidates were due to arrive.
The location of Robredo’s rally was symbolic, held along Ayala Avenue, where a huge march took place in 1983 ater the assassination of senator Benigno Aquino, an icon of the struggle against the Marcos dictatorship.
The rally exuded a festival-like atmosphere, where supporters in bright pink, Robredo’s campaign colour, handed out ice cream, drinks, T-shirts and flags.
“Robredo has helped many people and they appreciate her,” said Mary Ann Ileto Fernandez, who was celebrating her 27th birthday at the rally.
“While many people do not openly show support, we know they will vote for her.”
If opinion surveys are accurate, Robredo, 57, will need a late surge, or a low turnout if she is to win the presidency, with Marcos, a former congressman and senator, leading her by over 30 points having topped every poll this year.
If that deficit holds, Marcos, 64, could be the first Philippines president to be elected with a majority vote since the end of his father’s rule.
Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana reminded the 45,000 soldiers deployed for election-related duties to stay neutral. Most of them, he said, have been assigned to areas described as “hotspots” or called “areas of concern” by the Comelec.
“I also reiterate my previous guidance to the military to remain professional and nonpartisan as the Filipino people head to the polls on May 9,” Lorenzana said. So far, the Comelec placed under its control 24 towns and four cities under the “hotspot” category.
The same message was aired by Major General Valeriano de Leon, the chief of the Philippine National Police Directorate for Operations. In particular, he said they were preparing anti-riot teams to cope with problems posed by groups who refuse to accept the outcome of the elections.
De Leon said: “There are individuals and groups who may not accept the outcome of the election and resort to violence or huge crowds that will disrupt the smooth flow of traffic.” But he assured the PNP anti-riot teams were prepared to cope with such eventualities.
The Department of Health (DOH) will proceed with its plan to set up coronavirus vaccination sites near all the country’s voting centres on Election Day, a top official disclosed on Saturday.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DOH wanted to take advantage of the presence of the estimated 67 million registered voters who are to cast their ballots on May 9.
“We are going to set up the vaccination centres near all the polling precincts,” Vergeire told a pubic hearing in a fix of Filipino and English. “Ater casting your votes you can go directly to the vaccination centres for your primary doses and booster jabs.”
“These are all free,” she said, “so you can get continued protection from COVID-19.” However, she did not elaborate following a statement from an official that the plan needed approval from the Commission on Elections.