There’s always that inner thrill when one watches two competitors gunning for the finish line. Now that our right of suffrage started off with a bang about two weeks ago, there are mysterious murmurings and whimpers around again — as usual, questioning the seemingly snail pace of the count, and accusing the administration of gaining unfair advantage through cheating. Yes, the runners are in slow motion, but they will reach the end eventually, if we let them.
What dampens this electoral exercise is that one of the competitors has lost all sense of allowing the game to play out until the final whistle. Thumbtacks have allegedly been thrown on the track, and flash bulbs are glaring at those in the lead who are claiming victory without reading the final mark. Not just yet, my over-eager friends. Sadly, any insinuation of electoral fraud is hyped up and presented as gospel truth. What happened to just letting the race run its course until the penultimate finish line?
The Genuine Opposition (GO) is currently ahead, so they are hurriedly (and prematurely) trumpeting an imminent win. This is understandable, but what makes the situation deplorable is their constant assertion that any province whose electoral results show a majority win for Team Unity must be the result of cheating. Will Alan Peter Cayetano manage to keep his slot with only a third of the votes tallied so far? Are there already foul misgivings if Trillanes loses his spot to candidates who are not that far behind him in the count? Anything short of a complete sweep by the opposition is unimaginable to them. So does that mean failure of elections has been pre-determined because GO is “no go” to nothing less than complete annihilation of their opponents? There’s nothing wrong with a thorough drubbing, but again, let’s see how things turn out in the end. When the dust has settled, the real winners will be noticed and rightfully proclaimed by the proper authorities.
Team Unity has been quite chivalrous in accepting the results from obvious opposition areas. But when their bailiwick contingents throw full support their way, GO noisily and immaturely cries “foul,” claiming widespread cheating and electoral fraud. Any ground that the Team Unity senators gain seems to be unacceptable, because they’ve pre-judged the administration’s intentions. Sadly, letting things play out is far from their thoughts. Perhaps they have other destabilizing plans in mind, as they have stated time and time again in their election platform and advertisements. They have touted themselves as model leaders and a supposedly better alternative. Unfortunately, part of being a good leader is to exercise head over heart — using reason over emotion — when the results don’t go your way. The administration does have its own bailiwicks, and does have its own resources and political machinery. Believe it or not, cheating is not the only avenue available to them. Seriously, how can there be any widespread cheating when the results show the TU bets behind?
I like to recall what St. Paul wrote about completing the race so that you can wear your crown of merit proudly, because it acknowledges your triumph. Has GO also unwittingly cast doubt on their present lead in Comelec and Namfrel tallies? They don’t seem too happy being front-runners as far as the last published announcements. Maybe they’re now caught off guard at being in such a position. The pressure is subtly cast on them to be magnanimous and accepting of the final vote counted in the canvassing. Team Unity seems to be the only senatorial slate. Behaving admirably so far. Even if they weren’t able to achieve their 12-0 aspiration, they’re not bemoaning the partial postings at the moment. They patiently wait for the people’s choice, and they seem ready to accept it as such.
And what of this so-called “evidence of cheating in Mindanao” that has the GO frothing in the mouth? I don’t know about you, but there’s something about a nameless, faceless, voice-altered individual that defies my trust. Anyone can claim to have seen so-and-so, or heard about so-and-so, and hide behind concealment. Maybe I’m being slightly cynical, but in my career I’ve seen all sort of people claiming to be credible witnesses that turned out to be duds. And they are usually the “nameless, faceless” types. If and when these alleged teachers do step out of anonymity, I hope they have clear, hard facts and evidence to back up their claims. Because otherwise, a grim message is made clear to all: anyone can make an accusation against someone without any obligations to support their charges.
Let the cards play out. Let’s wait for all votes from all precincts to be accounted for. Let’s not give in to suspicion, rumors, and hearsay. The Filipino people have made their voice heard. Let’s hear them speak. Team Unity is letting them do so. We encourage GO to do likewise.
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My e-mail:dominimt2000@yahoo.com