“BBM won in 80 percent of the archipelago, 75 of 81 provinces, 15 of 17 regions, 16 of the 21 largest provinces, in the 10 largest cities, and all the 15 NCR cities.”
On May 9, 2022, the Philippines held its largest election ever. More than 54 million, 80 percent of the 67.5 million registered voters, cast their vote, in the longest election day ever.
Of the 54.25 million voters who turned up at the more than 106,000 precincts nationwide, about 31.5 million voted for former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. That’s a 58-percent mandate.
Only 15 million voted for BBM’s closest rival, outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo. That’s a 28-percent rejection.
The 30-percentage-point margin is equivalent to 26.25 million votes.
The May 9 elections broke seven electoral records:
1. It is the largest Philippine election ever, with more than 54 million voters showing up.
2. It is the fastest vote count in history. The winner was known in just two hours.
3. The greatest number of votes ever garnered by a winning presidential candidate –31.5 million;
4. The biggest majority victory ever by a presidential winner, 58 percent;
5. The biggest margin of victory ever by the presidential winner, in percentage, 30 percent
6. The biggest margin of victory by the winner, in number of votes, 26.25 million;
7. The most overwhelming victory in terms of ethnic and geographic reach.
Marcos Jr won in 80 percent of the archipelago, from the solid north to the solid south, in 75 of 81 provinces, in 15 of 17 political and administrative regions, in 16 of the 21 largest provinces in voting population, and in all the 15 cities of Metro Manila. BBM won in all ten largest cities of the Philippines.
Of Robredo’s seven official candidates for senator, only one, Risa Hontiveros, made it.
Seven reasons why the people elected Bongbong Marcos Jr.:
1. Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s record as president for 20 years.
Marcos gave the country a vision and a sense of nationhood, saved the country from a communist takeover, from being torn asunder by Muslim separatists, and from economic ruin by coping with two major oil shocks, twice, in 1973-74 when oil price rose six-fold, and in 1979-80 when oil prices tripled.
2. Bongbong Marcos’ likeable personality.
Despite massive mudslinging he never went to the gutter level and seldom maligned his political rivals.
3. BBM is seen as the continuation of Duterte presidency.
Duterte battled the drug menace, institutionalized Build, Build, Build with nearly P5 trillion spending that created 6.5 million jobs, had an independent foreign policy that sought rapport with China and Russia, while keeping defense relations with the United States.
Duterte is among the most popular presidents of all time.
4. BBM could unify the country. He won in 80 percent of the archipelago.
5. Robredo was a flawed product. She is one of the most distrusted Philippine vice presidents. She has a negative net trust rating.
6. People are tired of the Yellow rule. Despite adopting pink to show her independence from the yellow Liberal Party, Robredo was seen by voters as a yellow candidate.
7. BBM can bring inclusive progress, prosperity and peace.
Marcos Jr has seven major challenges:
• Jobs. 3 million a year.
• Food shortages
• Runaway inflation
• Debts. P12.6 trillion.
• Ukraine war effects
• COVID
• Investments
President Marcos Jr. needs to create 8,000 jobs a day to be able to produce three million jobs a year. Three million is the number of jobs an administration must create every year to prove that the president’s economic plan is working and that the economy is strong.
At least 24.7 percent of the adult labor force were unemployed in December 2021, according to the national Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. This translates into 11 million Filipinos without jobs.
The Philippines is short of nearly every kind of food—rice, corn, fish, vegetables. Food is 50 percent of the consumer basket.
The food dependencies (imports as percentage of total food requirements): Rice, at 14 percent; corn, 12 percent; pork, 14 percent; dressed chicken, 6 percent; beef, 39 percent; onions, 38 percent; garlic, 91 percent; coffee, 71 percent; and peanut – 75 percent.
In April, inflation rose to 4.9 percent, the highest in the last four years. thanks to rapid and sharp rises in the prices of energy products and food products, and of nearly everything in between, including the cost of dying and burial.
Inflation impoverishes you, because it reduces your purchasing power. Reduced purchasing power makes you hungry, and makes you poorer.
The national government’s outstanding debt burden swelled to a record high P12.68 trillion as of end-March 2022, or up by 17.7 percent from P10.77 trillion a year ago.
The Philippine debt-to-GDP ratio was a comfortable 39.6 percent of GDP in 2019. The ratio has risen to 60.4 percent.
To bring down debt to GDP back to 39.6 percent means reducing the ratio by 20.8 percentage points. Assuming a GDP of P20 trillion, 20.8 percent means a reduction of P4.16 trillion. Our national budget is only P5 trillion a year. Does it mean we reduce government spending by P4 trillion or by 80 percent.
Obviously no. Because that could mean massive cost cutting, massive austerity, massive layoffs, and massive economic downturn.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been doing more damage to the Philippines than two years of the COVID pandemic.
The World Bank has estimated 1.1 million Filipinos will be impoverished by the Ukraine war.
The Ukraine war has increased the price of Dubai crude by 75 percent, from $64.41 per barrel in March 2021 to $113 per barrel by March 15, 2022.
Since Russia and Ukraine are major wheat and corn producers, the war has also meant shortages and supply disruptions of these commodities. This can only mean higher, and higher, and higher food prices and of the prices of nearly everything.
Investments are a big question mark.
We have had the best credit ratings and credit ratings upgrades.
We have invested the most in our infrastructure and economic development.
The one infrastructure we are failing in, is in education.
Globally, we have the most stupid teenagers in terms of skills in math, science and reading.
Our young people cannot compute, they don’t know the science of things, and they don’t comprehend what they are reading.
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