“Most of all, my friend said, she is honest.”
Last weekend, I had a very interesting conversation with an old friend who has been in many political battles and is now in the camp of VP Leni Robredo. I complimented him about the huge crowds attending Robredo’s campaign rallies in places like Bacolod and Cavite.
This must have hit a raw nerve because it started a very animated conversation. He said that for the first time, those working in the Robredo campaign are beginning to truly believe that the election will be a lot closer and that VP Robredo has a very realistic chance of winning.
One reason for their optimism is apparently due to the tracking that Google has been doing that shows VP Leni Robredo winning over BBM in all the regions except Region 1. This winning all the regions with the exception of the Ilocos Region may be a stretch. What the Google tracking tool is telling us, at best, is that the contest is tightening in the last few weeks of the campaign. Besides, the non-supporters almost certainly do not believe this because many believe that BBM is already the sure winner due to all surveys saying so including the latest of March 15.
Google, however, is not new to political trending. It has been doing this for some time not only here but in other countries as well. For instance, it predicted the victory of President Duterte in 2016 as well as the election of former President Donald Trump of the United States.
The February 22 to March 5 trending shows a Leni victory—contradicting all published polling surveys. I do not know the exact methodology that Google is using but if this tracking is accurate, this will remind us of what happened in the 2016 presidential elections. In 2016, for the most part of the campaign, it was Senator Grace Poe who was leading until about nine to eight weeks before the election when President Duterte started to surge in the polls.
It was a very quick turnaround which was never explained satisfactorily by political analysts. It seems that the people simply decided to shift their votes to President Duterte. Could this be happening to Leni Robredo? The crowds in her recent rallies are indeed surprising and could be an indication of this so-called surge.
The last one in Cagayan for instance was also huge considering that it is part of BBM’s solid north. In addition, there are many local politicians this late endorsing VP Robredo which is not a sign of someone who will lose. From what I was reliably told about that rally in Bacolod, the local government unit did not initially agree for the rally to be held at the city Plaza but the residents and supporters apparently insisted until the city government finally relented.
The exuberance and enthusiasm of the recent Robredo rally crowds have also been very contagious. That is perhaps the reason why Leni’s campaign team is now feeling optimistic about their chances.
It has to be said, however, that this Google tracking is only for BBM and Leni Robredo and does not include the other candidates. My friend could not explain why the other candidates are not included in the Google tracking.
•••
We often hear that Leni Robredo is a weak leader perhaps because of her gender and might also be due to the way President Duterte has treated her. We have heard the President say more than once that VP Robredo is not qualified to become president. In all this time, she has been completely ignored and never given a position long enough for her to prove her worth.
But from what I have learned, she has one outstanding trait that we need in a leader. This is the fact that when she takes a position on an issue, she would stand by that decision and will unlikely reverse her stand. She also believes that once someone works for her, she expects that person to be committed and be counted upon. As my friend insisted, she is so unlike other politicians who believe that everything is negotiable.
Most of all, as my friend again emphasized, Leni Robredo is honest.
But with the time remaining, can the Robredo campaign maintain its momentum and win? This presidential election is so critical, considering the perilous times we are in. It is not only all about our many local problems. There is also a war going on that has the potential of spreading, not to mention what will happen if China decides at some future date to enforce its claim over Taiwan by force.
The challenges that await the winner, whoever it turns out to be, are enormous.