It’s not over till it’s over

Election 2016 came and happened but up to now we are still waiting for the final and official announcement. Clearly, we have a new president. No questions asked. But for the vice presidential race, we don’t know yet, who is the real winner.

The downward trend of Marcos votes and the sudden upward swing of Leni’s votes happened in an instant. It seemed calculated. I did not vote for the man but I too am perplexed with how things happened so fast. The changes that happened over a matter of hours fueled the people’s doubts over the election returns. It was made worse when the script of the transparency server tabulating the election scores was revised by Smartmatic last Wednesday. Don’t blame us if we think that tampering of the results may have taken place. The rule is that you don’t tweak during a count. That’s foul play. I can’t wait to see how this controversy will end.

Comelec said that proclamation of Senators will be done this week. We need to know the official results soon. What we have been getting these past days are unofficial results particularly for the president and vice-president race. Until Congress starts canvassing the votes for president and vicepresident, the people will continue to speculate. Computerization seemed to be of no help at all. I thought Chairman Bautista had everything under control. Let’s get this over and done with so that we can all move on.

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This was indeed one exciting yet painful national election. Although the candidates were given time and more opportunities to speak about their plans for the country and how they will address the immediate concerns of the people, they also got themselves embroiled in a battle of words leaving wounds that will take time to heal. The candidates’ reactions to the issues thrown at them during debates and campaign sorties were varied. Some just smiled, others frowned, but most of them denied to high heavens the allegations and were quick to get back at their opponents with a harsher accusation accompanying a sneer plastered on their faces. But those debates sealed the fate of the candidates. The way they answered or evaded the questions, their body language, the tone of their voice, the way they stood, all of these became the subject of the voters’ own kind of debates be it in social media, at home, in bars, in public utility vehicles, in the market or even just around the corner in the villages, cities and towns.

And now, long before the sun set on May 9, the people have spoken. The angry voices of the Filipinos have been heard. At last change is coming! Winning with the biggest margin and garnering the highest number of votes for president in the history of the Philippines, the indisputable champion of the masses, Mayor Rody “Digong” Duterte (whom I heard still prefers to be called Mayor than President), has been giving very good vibes lately. His immediate call for unity and healing followed by the gracious giving way of his closest rivals may have resulted to an anticlimactic presidential race, but the clear people’s mandate was immediately greeted by an upbeat stock market and strengthening of the peso. This news surely quelled the fear and apprehensions of those who worried over Digong’s victory.

And as one presidential candidate after the other conceded to Mayor Digong, the strong majority of Filipinos were catapulted to a state of euphoria knowing that finally that thing called ‘change’ has come.

Is the dream for a new Philippines finally coming true? Everything that Mayor Digong said before, during and after the campaign seemed to be always grounded on reality although some may disagree. As observed in his sorties and interviews, he had no frills, no cheat sheets to read from, just the person and what is coming from his heart. He knew his facts. His charismatic ways although rough stole the hearts of the Filipinos who saw a ray of hope for a better Philippines!

Although some are wary of the tough-talking disciplinarian, the reported dream cabinet being formed, which includes Sonny Dominguez, Art Tugade, Gibo Teodoro among other persons of competence and integrity; his call for government offices to refrain from using expensive vehicles; the imposition of curfew on minors without accompanying adults; the projected big increase in the salaries of policemen and teachers; his 8-point economic plan; the resolve to stamp out corruption and crime and end the tanim-bala shame; his plan to visit the Vatican to personally have an audience with the Pope; and other writings on the wall, fill the air with hope for real change.

But true to human nature, when envy and evil prevail instead of just being happy for another person’s success, detractors from all sides surround the People’s President calm and candid disposition. Some groups have already made conclusions that with Mayor Digong’s so-called economic team, the same economic policies that has kept the Filipinos poor and our economy underdeveloped will still be in place. They say that Mayor Digong’s administration will be treading the same path as the Aquino administration. Well, let us wait and see. It is too early to judge what the next administration will do.

There have been too many conspiracy theories floating around. From now to July 1, 2016, a lot of things could happen. There is a pending motion for reconsideration on the disqualification case against the presumptive President. However, there are 16 million or more reasons for the Comelec to affirm its dismissal of the disqualification cases against Mayor Digong and it will be suicide for the commissioners to overturn their earlier decision. There could be real threats from syndicates considering Mayor Digong’s pronounced all-out war against drugs and criminality.

And there is the alleged Plan B of ensuring the win of Leni Robredo to eventually replace Mayor Digong. The alleged Plan B, if real, is a long shot. First, the official canvassing will still commence and the final count may be different from the unofficial one, so it is still a contest between Leni and BBM. Second, even if Leni wins the Vice-Presidency, impeachment is unlikely because a coalition in Congress supportive of the President will certainly come to form as it was in the past. Besides, a people-power uprising for Mayor Digong, bigger than the Luneta crowd, will likely abolish Congress if it plans any impeachment move against the people’s president.

Hence, only the security threat could deter President Digong’s date with his destiny. If something happens to him before he assumes the presidency, the second-running Mar Roxas could not become President because the people already rejected him in the presidential elections. Besides there is no provision in the Constitution for such case. Section 7, Article VII (Executive Department) of the 1987 Constitution states that, if at the beginning of the term of the president, the president elect dies or becomes permanently disabled, the Vice-President elect shall become President. Under the rules on succession, Leni or BBM (the winning Vice-President) would become President and a Vice-president will have to be appointed.

After we lost the chance for real change in 1986, another opportunity comes 30 years thereafter with DU30. It is time for change. We should not let it slip this time. We should support, secure and protect our President. We call on President Digong or President Rody to be more careful with his safety and health, for he now holds in his hands the destiny of the Philippines. Ingat Digong Ingat!