IT HAS been over a week since the May 12, 2025, mid-term elections. However, we have yet to hear or see any single winning candidate, especially in Davao City’s third and second districts, come back to the various rural communities to thank the electorate for the support he or she got from them.
Has the shift in the campaign vehicle to the social media platforms something to do with this apparent non-recognition of “debt of gratitude?” Or is it the knowledge of the winning candidates that they got voted into office because they “bought” the people’s vote in cash or in kind? Our take is, because of both.
Yes, the winners certainly have in mind that there is no urgent reason to go back to the communities because the voters are mostly goaded to support them because they were obliged to reciprocate the favors they received.
Of course, there are still those who engaged in the long-practiced so-called “copra” business in the election. That is, the voters receive the money from this or that politician and commit to vote for the candidate, but during the election vote for the bet’s opponent instead. And that is either that they are loyal to the candidate or that this politician gives a bigger “ayuda.”
If such were the case, then the winning candidates in the city feel no obligation to thank the voters. Of course, we know who they usually personally go and thank for their support immediately after the election. Yes, right after their wins become official, the winners take turns in setting a schedule to call on the executives of large businesses in the city to thank them for their support, mostly financial.
Believe you us, we’ve been there.
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Is the debacle of a number of administration-aligned candidates in both the national and local elective posts enough for the President to believe that those on board his administration are pushing down his government’s ship to sink?
We are raising this question because somehow, his demand for his Cabinet secretaries to tender their courtesy resignation was all-encompassing. And there was an immediate compliance by at least 17 of them as of noon yesterday.
And assuming that indeed the ship of state is sinking, will the resignation of the current Cabinet Secretaries be enough to salvage the situation? Our take is that it all depends first on the immediacy of the President’s acceptance and on finding worthy and capable replacements for the resigned Cabinet members.
Also, if the President decides to retain some of them, he must make sure that their retention in their post is not based on friendship, consanguinity, debt of gratitude, or willingness to be manipulated for the President’s interest.
And if the President is serious in his desire to pursue a government of unity, he should offer Cabinet positions not just to those within his circle but to anyone from the opposition and the non-aligned if they are willing to accept it for the sake of the nation.
But why is the President doing this very drastic move of having his Cabinet men tender their courtesy resignation? Is he admitting that indeed his administration is in a quandary, that he made wrong choices in choosing the men and women to help him run the government?
And what if he accepts the resignations of those who submitted theirs, and nobody among those he will offer to appoint will accept? What will happen to his government?
Again, we believe that asking for the Cabinet Secretaries’ courtesy resignation is another major blunder of the President that he could have committed only by listening to his close advisors, who may have their own vested political interests.
His other serious mistake is allowing the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte and having him flown to The Hague, Netherlands, supposedly in compliance with an arrest order issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). No, not the arrest itself. Rather, it was the timing of executing the arrest of FPRRD.
Our take, in fact, is that the loss of many of his backed candidates is not due to the messy performance of his Cabinet men but to the arrest of the former President a few days before the May 12 elections. It was that move that solidified the support of most Filipinos for the former Chief Executive, which they manifested by voting for the candidates identified with him.
Again, we have this strong belief that some persons within the President’s circle are dragging him down as they are misleading the journey of his ship of state.
