Anyare, Pilipinas? How to start moving forward from the election (Part 1)

As we wait for the official proclamation of the country’s 17th elected president and vice-president, emotions are still running high from all parties, especially those supporting the number one and number two in the race. But healing has begun. Vice President Leni Robredo thanked all her supporters and invited them to join her in creating the Angat-Buhay NGO which she envisions to be the largest volunteer network in the country.   

“Alam kong hindi madaling tanggapin sa inyo ang mga numerong lumalabas sa quick count. Hindi lang panghihinayang, kundi malinaw na pagkadismaya ang nararamdaman ng ating hanay... Gayumpaman, sinasabi ko sa inyo, alam kong mahal natin ang bansa, pero hindi puwedeng maging ugat pa ng pagkakawatak-watak ang pagmamahal na ito,” says Robredo.

Her daughter, Tricia, posted her black n’ white photo with her sisters and mother, and part of the caption says, “Kaya anuman ang maging resulta at anuman ang mangyari, taas noo. Hindi dapat ikahiya ang isang pusong pagod at sugatan. Ipamalas ang pinagdaanan at ipagmalaki ang lahat ng nasaksihan. Walang sayang. Kapit. Nagsisimula pa lang.”

“Kaya anuman ang maging resulta at anuman ang mangyari, taas noo. Hindi dapat ikahiya ang isang pusong pagod at sugatan. Ipamalas ang pinagdaanan at ipagmalaki ang lahat ng nasaksihan. Walang sayang. Kapit. Nagsisimula pa lang.” (Photo from Tricia Robredo’s Instagram account)

Bongbong Marcos, the presumptive president-elect, “addressed the nation” less than three hours since the release of the unofficial results from the Comelec. Like Robredo, he also thanked his supporters and called for unity for the rest of the country.

“Bukod pa doon ay nagpapasalamat ako sa mga kababayan ko na nandiyan sila at nagsuporta sila, hindi lamang sa mga kandidato, hindi lamang sa aming partido kung hindi sa magandang bukas ng ating minamahal na Pilipinas,” he says.

Presumptive President Bongbong Marcos thanked his supporters and called for unity. (Screenshot from live stream via BongBong Marcos’ Official Facebook account)

But given the huge number of passionate BBM supporters and the equally die-hard Kakampinks of VP Leni, is there a chance for these groups to unite for the greater good?
We had political analyst, Prof. Jean Encinas Franco (Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy at the University of the Philippines Diliman), for our Pamilya Talk Election series and she explained that this may be difficult to do.

"Marcos has a lot of baggage… for his unity campaign to appeal to the people who did not vote for him, he has to admit the sins of his family to the entire country. Otherwise, yung unity campaign niya will just be an empty message… But how will he admit to these sins when he’s already in power?"

“Marcos has a lot of baggage… for his unity campaign to appeal to the people who did not vote for him, he has to admit the sins of his family to the entire country. Otherwise, yung unity campaign niya will just be an empty message… But how will he admit to these sins when he’s already in power?” asks Franco.

Franco says, elections has always drawn a divide because people campaign for different parties. That’s why it’s also important for the upcoming administration to address this dissent and not allow past feuds to linger any longer. She reiterated that people should be calm and should consider everyone’s emotions.

“Masaya yung isa, nalulungkot yung kabila. We only have one country, and we both want our country to progress, iba’t ibang paraan lang yung alam natin. Sa magkaibang leader lang tayo tumingin para humingi ng direction to move this country forward. But then, there are a lot of things that can be done without relying on the government. You can work for this country even if you don't like its government by paying the right taxes, obeying the laws. Medyo matagal ang six years pero patuloy lang na maging good citizens even beyond the elections,” she says.

"There are a lot of things that can be done without relying on the government. You can work for this country even if you don't like its government by paying the right taxes, obeying the laws. Medyo matagal ang six years pero patuloy lang na maging good citizens even beyond the elections."

Franco further explains that both parties have such avid supporters, but with different reasons.

“They (Kakampinks) have been frustrated by the current administration. Hindi nila gusto ang mga polisiya at response sa pandemic, so they found inspiration in the Leni-Kiko campaign,” explains Franco.

If the Kakampinks are fervent with their fight to endorse and support Leni-Kiko, the BBM-Sara enthusiasts are just as passionate. Prof. Franco said the kind of government that the BBM-Sara tandem is proposing is paternalistic, which might be what appeals to most Filipinos.

“Andito ang gobyerno, ibibigay sa iyo ang lahat. Bibigyan ka ng ayuda, ng trabaho na hindi masyadong nagpaparticipate yung mga tao, whereas yung Leni camp gusto nila talaga maging bahagi ng solusyon ang mga Pilipino. And I don't think Filipinos are ready for that,” shares Franco.

Bridging the disconnect

But now that the rallies have cleared the streets and campaign jingles and commercials are no longer aired, the real work begins as the new administration starts. It wasn’t the smoothest election compared to previous elections, but we made it through. I’ll take a few lines from the statement given by Ateneo de Manila University President Fr. Bobby Yap, “This is not the time to give up on our country. Our country deserves better – and love should be what drives us in our mission to bridge the disconnects and make our nation finally whole.”

It would take some time to move forward, but we must try for the sake of our country. Even though it’s going to be difficult, the online bickering and disinformation should stop to make way for efforts to heal and unite our country.

Let’s continue helping each other rebuild our nation. Stay kind to one another—to the people beyond your circle, and most especially to yourself. Let us encourage and challenge the Marcos-Duterte government to make this country recover and be better, to put the name of the Philippines on the map not because of its notoriety, but because of the good things we can offer. Supporters and non-supporters of the BBM-Sara tandem should hold them accountable to maintain and defend this country’s peace, and whatever plan they may have for the Philippines and its residents.

After we’ve cried our last tear for our candidates who lost, and after many days of celebration for the victory of our parties who won, let’s all drop the colors we used to campaign for our candidates. It’s time to represent the colors of our flag—red, blue, and yellow. I hope and pray that the new leaders of this nation would bring us all the progress and the unity that was fervently promised.

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