May 12 elections: Progressive thoughts have an audience

It’s all in the numbers! My good friend, Dr. Corina Gochoco-Bautista of the UP School of Economics sent me a resibo showing that it was not the members of the ruling dynasties in key areas in the National Capital Region that topped the senatorial elections.

- DIWA C. GUINIGUNDO

It was Bam Aquino. Kiko Pangilinan was not far behind. And if I may add, fighting against all odds with limited resources and exposure, Heidi Mendoza and Luke Espiritu proved that issues-based political campaigns are making some initial breakthroughs in the mind-sets of the Filipino electorate.

Progressive thoughts have an audience.

As we wrote in our recent report for GlobalSource Partners, a quick assessment of the results of the Philippines’ May 12 mid-term elections demonstrates that the Filipino electorate has started repudiating movie stars and game show hosts, political dynasties, deadwood, and those suspected of plunder and corruption. The formula of name recall, political machinery, and using public money to win elections, or whatever drives survey after survey, does not seem to hold much water anymore, or at least is no longer as deterministic.

Pulse Asia’s voter preference survey in early May indicated nine out of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.’s 12 senatorial candidates were likely to land in the “magic 12,” including six current and former senators (Pia Cayetano, Ping Lacson, Lito Lapid, Imee Marcos, Bong Revilla, and Tito Sotto), a current city mayor and former congresswoman (Makati’s Abby Binay), and two current members of the Lower House of Congress (Camille Villar and Erwin Tulfo). Only two of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s candidates (Senators Bong Go and Bato dela Rosa) and one radio and TV personality and public service host (Ben Tulfo, running as an independent) completed the magic 12 in the survey. In general, many similar surveys predicted a rerun in the Senate.

But did these surveys’ results really reflect the popular vote on who finished among the top 12 in the senatorial elections?

As of 10:14 p.m. last Tuesday, partial and unofficial results seem to be telling us a different narrative.