“Many things can still happen.”
Supporters of Bongbong Marcos must be warned. They should not to be too complacent about the big lead of the BBM-Sara tandem over all other aspirants.
There are many factors to consider about Philippine elections, like man-made miracles that can frustrate the will of the people in the May 9, 2022 elections!
There is cheating in the counting of election results, canvassing from the election precincts by the city and provincial canvassers. Just remember that the votes are not considered final until they are canvassed by the Comelec.
Considering the fact that Smartmatic remains the system in the counting of ballots, my gulay, cheating is possible. Just recall that when the counting of ballots started that night of the election day in the 2016 polls when then vice presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos was leading in the counting of votes, when suddenly, the Smartmatic server manipulated the system and another vice presidential aspirant overcame the lead of Marcos.
The Presidential Electoral Tribunal has ruled on this matter, and declared Leni Rebredo as the true winner of the elections, but my gulay, this is what I believe! Especially when that decision was penned by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.
I remain convinced that somebody from Smartmatic changed the election results in order to give the vice presidential lead to Leni Robredo, who was then the administration candidate.
There are also other factors that can frustrate the results of the election. Cheating at the precinct level is another thing. This is so when the areas where the precincts are located are under the control of a politician who is against Bongbong. Things had happened before when a national candidate got zero votes which is against all reason because in the precinct level all national candidates are supposed to have a watcher. Now, where did his vote go?
There is also the factor of violence, considering the fact that the Philippine National Police has identified no less than 78 hotspots in the May 9 elections. There have been occasions where those known to be followers of a candidate were not allowed to vote by a candidate well-known to be against a national candidate. In other words, the supporters of a national candidate get prevented from casting their votes by the private armies of a politician, or by the police themselves under the control of a politician.
These factors can frustrate the will of the people. Yes, those cheated can protest, but we all know how protests go. Often, they get resolved after the election. Other protests never get resolved. What hurts most about election protest is that they get resolved when another election is very near and forthcoming.
Thus, supporters of Bongbong and even those of Sara should not be too complacent over the commanding lead. They may be ahead in the surveys, but in our kind of elections, there are many factors that can frustrate the will of the people.
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When former Senator Bongbong Marcos was asked why he does not attend television debates, his answer was expected: “I’d rather campaign directly to the people than attend television debates.” Bongbong is right.
First of all, television debates are good for only the A and B categories of the socio-economic classes of people. In his rallies and sorties, Bongbong talks to the lower C, D and E categories, the socio-economic classes who constitute the larger segment of the voters.
The most important reason why Bongbong would rather meet the people in sorties and rallies is that in those debates scheduled, the nuisance candidates take the occasion to come out with weird and undiplomatic remarks.
As the frontrunner in all poll surveys, Bongbong knows only too well that the other presidential aspirants, not only the nuisance candidates will surely gang up on him on whatever issue they can think of. A televised political debate gives an opportunity to other aspirants to expose themselves which otherwise they cannot do in other venues.
In other words, it’s best for Marcos, who already has a comfortable lead in all poll surveys as a presidential candidate not to give an opportunity from those behind and trailing behind to earn and gain some percentage points. Why make your opponent gain an advantage over you?
Besides, in those debates, there is limited time to argue and explain himself. It would be stupid on the part of Bongbong to attend those televised political debates.
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A far as I am concerned, it’s an insult to the poor people for the government to grant them a subsidy of P200 monthly. If the government must subsidize the poor, it would do well for the government to provide the funds that will be good enough for their daily subsistence now. And if you come right to it, it takes more than P1000 for a family to subsist with the soaring prices of all commodities created by the domino effect of skyrocketing prices of all goods needed for daily existence.
Santa Banana, how can a family of four, or worse, a family of six, subsist with only P200? Obviously, Duterte was not thinking when he approved that Executive Order.
