A prayer to guide voters

In barely 48 hours, 50-million-plus Filipinos are trooping to the polls to choose the president who will be running the country…and our lives…in the next six years.

On that score, election lawyer Romy Macalintal is sharing with Funfare readers the following information:

One of the last-minute preparations of candidates and political parties in the election is the training of their respective watchers in the voting precincts. Each candidate is entitled to two (2) watchers. With 93,000 clustered precincts nationwide, each candidate for president is entitled to 186,000 watchers. With five (5) presidential candidates, then there would be an estimated 930,000 people with important work schedules on May 9.

And this is only for candidates for president. You can just imagine if we add to this figure the number of watchers for candidates for vice-president, senators, representatives and candidates for local elective positions. This means “employment” to millions of poll watchers during the election period.

Romy and his son-in-law lawyer Ace Bautista have been conducting various lectures in different areas for candidates and political parties, such as in Quezon City, Meycauayan City, San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan; and Porac, Pampanga.

Here’s a poem from Romy that should serve as guide to voters:

Voter’s Prayer

By James J. Metcalfe

I pray that I shall cast my vote, the way it ought to be

At least that it will help preserve, our life and liberty.

Whichever candidate may win, or party may succeed;

I want the ballot that I cast, to be my honest deed.

I may be right, I may be wrong, as I have thought or guessed;

But I just hope my choice will be, the one who is the best.

I want to do my duty, as a voter in this land

However much all politics, are hard to understand.

I pray to God my vote will not, be cast upon the sea

But it will help preserve our life, of truth and liberty.

Showbiz-related bets

Missed out in Funfare’s recent list of showbiz/showbiz-related guys running in the May 9 elections are Cris Mathay and lawyer-singer Dot Gancayco.

Cris, who is running for councilor in San Juan City, is the “mukhang artistahing” half-brother of Ara Mina, grandson of the late Quezon City Mayor Mel Mathay, and the son of former Quezon City Congressman Chuck Mathay. His grandmother Sonya Mathay was the first Barangay Captain of Greenhills in the late 1970s, and San Juan has since been Cris’ home. Nevertheless, he carved his own mark in the political arena as he started “from the ranks”, from being Board Member, then president of North Greenhills Homeowners Association. In 2010, he became a barangay kagawad of Greenhills, and in 2012 he ran as city councilor, where he finished the highest in Greenhills and Addition Hills.

More than 12 years ago, he met his future wife, former ABS-CBN broadcast-journalist-turned-philanthropist, Rikki Kwek and the two became inseparable since then. They celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary last April 27. Cris and Rikki are active volunteers of the Philippine Red Cross, who organized the first accredited group of Red Cross volunteers in Greenhills.

Cris was recognized as the Most Outstanding Councilor in Metro Manila by the Gawad Sulo in the University of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, showbiz and media personalities are rallying behind Dot (#113) who is the Agbiag Partylist nominee, among them Boy Abunda, Erich Gonzalez, Daniel Matsunaga, Bobot Mortiz, Tirso Cruz III, Ricky Davao, Al Tantay, Nonoy Zuñiga, Marissa Sanchez and Yves Flores.

Known as “The Singing Lawyer,” Dot was an artist of Boy Abunda’s Backroom Talent Management in the ‘90s, until she had to quit her professional singing career to give birth to her second child Mika after which she decided to work full time as Chief of Staff for various representatives in Congress including Gov. Albert Garcia of Bataan and #113 AGBIAG Partylist Rep. Patrick Antonio. She held this position for about 20 years, until she was elected president of the Association of all Congressional Chiefs of Staff at the House of Representatives.

Dot is a STAR contributor.

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