I don’t think I have ever blogged this early! Unless of course you count my midnight-slash-dawn blogs back when I was masquerading as a student and when staying up as late (or early?) as 3am was totally permissible. I am actually already in the office because I had to commute (gasp!) today, and I am braving the watchful eye of our IT department by sneaking in a post. Haha.
Onto heavier stuff. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was proclaimed today, and is officially given a fresh mandate of six years to either slay or save this nation. We have seen how divided our nation is in terms of political beliefs. I together with all who voted for Pres. Arroyo can finally breathe a sigh of relief, but I understand how difficult it would be for the opposition, specially the supporters and voters of Fernando Poe, Jr. to accept this proclamation.
It’s funny how they say that in Philippine Elections, there are only two candidates: the winner (ang panalo) and the cheated (ang dinaya). Is this really how sore we Filipinos are as losers?
I remember how I ran for the presidency of my academic org back in 4th year college, and how I had cried foul after my opponent’s proclamation. Looking back, I still maintain my stand that we could have had a better electoral process. But in terms of claiming that I was the rightful president, I have stopped doing so long ago. I had seen how it was futile to do so; after all, I had won to an equally credible opponent, and I believed had fought for my right to the best of my ability. I still carry my what-if’s regarding that presidency, but for the most part, I have merely charged it to experience.
In a democratic process, there is a winner and there is a loser. Perhaps there was cheating or perhaps it was clean as a whistle. All the same, it is painful to lose, all the more in nationwide elections because so much effort and resources were put into the job. Thus if you are on the losing end, to be saddened by the results is totally natural; you are even allowed to sour-grape and bad-mouth to a certain extent, because everyone understands how much a candidate has invested in a campaign. But one day this will have to stop, and the desire to have a peaceful, progressive nation should prevail.
We have all had our share of losses, and I am sure that to a certain level we can empathize with FPJ, Ping, Roco and Villanueva. But we have a new president now, and as soon as GMA commences her task of leading and healing this divided nation, our duties as responsible citizens to support and trust a single president likewise begins.
Sa totoo lang, ano nga ba ang pinagkaiba ni GMA kay FPJ? Pareho naman silang Pilipino. Pareho lang din nilang nais isalba ang ating bansa. Fundamentally, they are equals… people with the same goals, the same aspirations, the same dreams for this country – let’s not complicate it too much. It is a tough job, the presidency, and somebody’s got to do it – this time, it’s GMA.
We have chosen, we have voted… and now, it’s just about time to get on with our lives.
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