With all the problems confronting the country, it is a wonder why so many still want to be the leader.
And so it came to pass.
The Commission on Elections pulled off what it failed to do in the past elections—start reporting the transmissions of election results about an hour after the closing of the polls.
Poll officials credited better preparation and improvement of facilities for the unexpected speed of transmission of poll results.
This got the tongues and the texting fingers of thousands to go on overdrive as they immediately yelled “cheating” and posted their “expert” observations on the conduct of the elections, when the results reported did not come to their liking.
All sorts of conspiracy theories on the results of Monday’s elections will surely be circulated in the coming months, if not years to come. As early as Tuesday, one conspiracy theory, quoting a “friend whose son is a PMA [Philippine Military Academy] graduate” saying that “my son said …” already made the rounds of various social media platforms. More will surely follow.
It is not every election that the winner in the presidential race gets a clear mandate as in the May polls.
That event has triggered the usual accusations of cheating, with the stories embellished as they are resent.
So many “whys” are being floated from why it it that the statistical difference between the leading bets in the course of the counting was almost the same despite the arrival of votes from the bailiwicks of candidates to why is it that the vote counting machines in certain areas that are considered “critical” broke down?
And the Comelec?
No amount of explanation from its officials will assuage the frustration, anger, and even despair of the supporters of losing candidates. But you can not blame them. They gave their all for their candidates and thus, will not take defeat easily.
In the passion of the campaign, many of these supporters even resorted to heckling people who were not wearing clothes of their favorite color or worse, were clad in hues that they detest.
Now that emotions are spent, it will do well for the supporters of all candidates, winners and losers, to take stock and think of ways of helping the country, whoever the leader is.
As it is, outside forces have adversely affected the Philippines and the next administration will need all the help it can muster from the citizens to get the country get out of the rut caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that originated from the empire of Emperor Xi as well as the war in Ukraine being waged by Tsar Vladimir.
With all the problems confronting the country, it is a wonder why so many still want to be the leader.
Nonnie Pelayo spent 44 years as an active journalist and is the former news editor of Business Mirror.
