Immediately after the polls closed Monday, Filipinos tuned to the running tally of election results available in traditional media and the internet.
Several elections ago, this would have been impossible. People had to wait for days, even weeks, to get a sense of the what happened. There were countless opportunities for rigging and manipulation—opportunities that grew by the hour.
This time around, the public is able to get a preview of what the final results might look like. We no longer have to wait so long—and we have less time to adjust to the reality and the imminence of what lies ahead.
By this time, trends have emerged. They would be decisive, especially among those separated by wide margins. We would know who the next crop of leaders would be—the knowledge no doubt accompanied by strong feelings about the elected officials and the prospects they bring.
Monday’s exercise and the days leading to it, to be sure, were far from perfect. There were violence, power interruptions, disenfranchisement. There were allegations of vote buying, either clothed in some project or outright purchase. Among candidates and their supporters, there was acrimony and contempt.
All these, however, pale against a higher good: That the results reflect the true will of the people, whatever that will may be, and whoever each of us believes to be the “right” candidate.
Because the results came fast, the country can sooner start pondering how best to move forward after this bitter and divisive phase.
Despite our worst fears, it appears that the system, while imperfect, still works. We then focus on what lies ahead in the next six years, and ultimately on how to make decisions that are good for the country instead of those that just feel good.
In the end, we do get the leaders we deserve, for better or for worse.
