Bittersweet

At around six in the morning of May 12, 2025, I sat on a wooden chair inside a classroom at the Las Piñas City National Science High School and fulfilled my duty as a citizen.

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It was a long ballot but I already have my list of candidates I will vote for. It was an efficient voting process thanks to our dear public school teachers and other volunteers who were there to serve their country with courage and patriotism. There have been the usual reports of some glitches in the voting machines, confusion on the voting lists, and sporadic violence but as I write this article I continue to pray for a peaceful, honest and meaningful midterm elections.

I have been away from politics since 2013 focusing on my first love instead-entrepreneurship. But this midterm election is a crucial one in the history of the country. We are electing a set of officials—12 of the Senate's 24 members, all members of the House of Representatives, and almost 18,000 local officials—who will lead our country in these changing times. Geopolitical dynamics, trade wars, military confrontations, territorial disputes and technological shifts will require leaders who can deal with these issues as we continue to pursue peace and prosperity for all Filipino families.