Nobody expected Governor Gwen Garcia to lose. But nobody also thought she would win by a margin of just below a hundred thousand votes. The expectation, while not exactly a landslide, was something approaching thereat.
So what happened? There could be three reasons why the results did not bear out the expectations, and these are Gwen herself, Noynoy Aquino, and former chief justice Hilario Davide Sr., the father and namesake of her main rival.
There is no question that Gwen was herself a factor in her election performance. Having been governor for two successive terms, her bid for reelection to one more term would naturally bring to the fore the issue of character and past performance, as well as shortcomings.
Noynoy Aquino, on the other hand, enjoyed the so-called bandwagon effect in a country that, well, enjoys bandwagon effect. The results showed that many local candidates who made it a point to be identified with the color yellow ended up victorious.
Finally, there was former chief justice Hilario Davide Sr. Almost no moment of the campaign passed, nor every inch of ground covered, that did not have the well-respected elder Davide either at the side of, or pinch-hitting for, his son.
Gwen will therefore have to look long and hard at the results in order to arrive at some answers as to why her bid ended the way it did — successful in that she got reelected, but thought-provoking going by the numbers.
Gwen, however, can take comfort in the fact that it was not all a judgment call on her person and her office. There is no denying many ignored that aspect in making their choices but simply went along with the yellow tide, or just couldn’t say no to one fine man: Davide Sr.
So where does that leave Davide Jr.? To be sure, the younger Davide is one fine specimen. In another time he probably would have made it. But last May 10, the game was about going yellow and honoring the father. Davide Jr. can take heart in that he was not alone in that respect.