The Filipino people—nearly 66 million of the 110 million population —have spoken in the consequential electoral exercise hobbled by the infectious coronavirus 2019, which wrestled down the domestic economy, sent millions out of jobs and killed thousands.
Now the leaders, who had their political slogans at the ready even before the formal start of the 90-day campaign for national officials and shorter for local leaders, are preparing to take their respective oath of office. So help them God.
They are now challenged by the stalking memories of their promised platforms that animated crowds and caravans as well as urban rallies never before seen in the archives of Philippine political exercise.
This is now the time to give flesh and bones to the sketches made in the enervating political campaign filled with character assassination heretofore unseen in gravity during the post Second World War years from the time of Manuel Roxas in 1946 when Philippine Independence was restored by the Americans.
With analysts seeing above six percent first quarter Gross Domestic Product, a January surge in COVID-19 cases having been offset by factors like an added relaxation of health restrictions, increased business confidence and election-related spending, our newly elected leaders have a template, as it were, from which to capture their vision sounded out during the campaign.
But they would have to guard against higher inflation because this could make growth slower in its forward move.
At the same time, the winners – incoming President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio – have it on their singular political lap and table to heal the divisions caused by the exhaustingly harsh campaign mounted by 10 presidential candidates who aspired to win the country’s highest political gift.
While we congratulate the winners, we also congratulate the Commission on Elections which deserves the people’s unqualified support for protecting the generally peaceful elections that many had hoped would bring the country into a better tomorrow.
The salute also goes to the law enforcement agencies and all those in the civilian zone who volunteered to make the exercise truly reflective of the will of the majority as is expected highly in a democracy.
And thus the leaders must now prepare for the formidable horn they would have to quickly grab in the next six years to fill the bill in the anxiety of the people whose hopes for a brighter future and better life they sketched in the two-page ballot on Monday.
When the leaders have properly addressed the apprehensions and the dreams of the people following the schismatic political exercise, then the country, sans the slogans crafted by political handlers from the thoughts of candidates, can truly move forward and face the forbidding challenges before the country.
We add that the people, who had supported our leaders, whatever their colors during the campaign had been, are now one with the country’s tricolors.