Moving forward together

Last Monday, I, together with the nation, made my way to the voting precinct where I am registered to cast my vote in the national elections, or as it is more commonly called #Halalan2016. I was there early, as were many others, to exercise my right of suffrage, and I was pleasantly surprised by what an organized process it was. Yes, the lines were long, and there were plenty of people, but on the whole it was a very streamlined and organized process.

My daughter went in closer towards lunch time to vote and was in and out in roughly 30 minutes, which led me to believe that most people went in early to cast their votes like I did. I think, after all the vitriol and all the mudslinging, the elections were actually quite a catharsis and people wanted to go early, cast their ballot, and let go of the negative energy of the past few months. After all, after the Monday elections was over, we would have new leaders and that would be the end of it.

While there were some allegations of machines breaking down, or people who claim to be registered not on the lists, and of course the “selfie” with ballots and other rules that were questioned, overall I think it was a very successful elections. I have to commend the Comelec and the hard working tireless volunteers like the teachers who gave their time and effort to safeguard our votes and protect our democracy. I know it can be quite a thankless job, but for all of those who served last Monday, know that your efforts were not in vain.

Unfortunately there were still a few incidence of violence reported in the news due to the elections such as the shooting of mayoral candidates and convoys in certain areas. While we were all hoping that this would not happen, I still think that it was more peaceful overall and that if we remain even more vigilant moving forward, we can prevent these types of things from happening in the future.

At the end of the day, we’ve all done our part and voted and as they say “the die has been cast.” There is no turning back now. After months of arguing politely (and more often than not, not-so-politely) the people have spoken. This morning, at the Tuesday Club coffee and breakfast fellowship at Edsa Shangri-la, we all discussed how we felt about the elections and the results that were coming in as well as what the future held for the Philippines.

While I initially thought that it would still take a few days to determine the winners of the elections, it actually happened faster than I expected. As of this writing the results aren’t “official” yet, but for certain positions you can already see who the winners are. Congratulations to president elect Rodrigo Duterte for being the clear winner last May 9. The people believe in you and support you. Now we all need to work together to help you achieve your goals, because as everyone says – “we’re all in this together.”

Of course, in the past few months Mayor Duterte, the tough talking candidate from Davao,99 has been such a polarizing figure in the media. I have never actually seen a candidate elicit such a response – both positive and negative. His charismatic message for the need for change was embraced by so many who are fed up with the way things are now. While there were some hang-ups about the mayor’s international relations plans and his manner of speaking, overall, the Philippines has placed their trust in him and it’s important for all of us now to move past the bickering and focus on the bigger picture.

Mayor Duterte said it himself that now is the time for healing. The road ahead is a long one and we aren’t going to get anywhere if all we do is fight and refuse to work together. I think the president elect is already setting a good example by telling everyone it is time to unite and by releasing statements claiming that he promises to keep his behavior in check as he is now representing the country. I think these are incredibly admirable first steps for a man who has always spoken exactly what was on his mind. He is showing everyone that true change has to come from within and I can only hope that all of us follow suit.

Meanwhile, while the presidential race was quite clear early on with Grace Poe, Mar Roxas, and even Vice President Binay conceding as early as Tuesday morning, the very nail biting, exciting race was for the position of Vice President. On Monday when 60+% of the votes were in, it seemed as if Bongbong Marcos was going to be the winner. However as the night wore on and more and more votes came in from various parts of the country, the numbers began to change and slowly but surely, LP bet Leni Robredo began catching up. And by early morning of Tuesday, Robredo had already surpassed Marcos to take the lead. We all had our eyes glued to the television screen (with many wishing Tuesday was a holiday as well so they could stay tuned) in anticipation of what would happen. As it was, it was anyone’s ball game.

As of this writing, Robredo and Marcos are still neck and neck in the race and we can’t say without a doubt who the winner will be. Personally, I hope Robredo takes it home. I voted for her because I believe she will do the job well and serve as a voice of compassion and strength in the government. I believe she loves the country and her clean track record, hardworking approach to politics, and down-to-earth personality is something we should all aspire to.

At the end of the day, regardless of whoever officially wins in the election, the time for being divided is done. Now is the time to unite. We have to move forward together for the betterment of the nation. The Philippines can most certainly be great and we can only achieve that greatness if we all work together.