Now that the 2022 elections have been won, it’s time for the losers to take stock of their strategies, tactics and performance to see how they can do better next time.
Those who believe they were cheated will now have to spend a lot of their time proving their claims and suspicions. This will be tough, especially if evidence is scarce, but it is within our best interests to wish them the best of luck in their crusade because if they do uncover signs of cheating, it would certainly benefit not their cause to have the unfavorable results overturned, but also future elections by teaching us what to watch out for.
The cheating we refer to in this case is the sophisticated electronic cheating because this is something we need to learn to defend against if it has somehow been committed. This is important because despite the claims of the manufacturers and suppliers, there are no foolproof systems and learning how the ones we used could be compromised will help us either choose better suppliers or put up better defenses and countermeasures the next time we try again.
If you come to think of it, the voting machines we used in the 2022 polls are ancient and the tech that may have been “invulnerable” in 2016 surely cannot have the same level of defenses and security after six years in storage. While it is comforting to know that the VCMs that the Commission on Elections used are already scheduled for replacement by the next elections, at the same time it is also frustrating to know that Comelec used the machines and technology that were practically at the end of their lifespan for one of the most consequential elections the country has ever had. It is probably our fault we tolerated the Comelec for using their budget for old machines and embarrassingly DIY drop boxes for VCM receipts that we may never see again in case we need them.
Anyway, good luck to those sleuthing around for proof of cheating. If they don’t find any, it is good for the winner. If they do find some, it is still good for our country because we deserve to know if our elections weren’t fair and credible. But the bottom line is, the conclusions of their investigations will be good for future elections in the country.
For those who were outspent when it comes to the more traditional forms of cheating, the one that involves vote buying, they can either start a crusade against the supposedly illegal practice of vote buying or start saving up (or stealing) funds to be able to outbuy voters in the next elections.
For those that didn’t campaign enough, either due to overconfidence or lack of resources, their loss should also be a lesson on how to lose an election. If they don’t want it to happen again, they should either work or cheat harder next time.
There are also the idealists who quite possibly got a savage dose of reality, Philippine politics style, from the results of the elections. These people will have to learn that cupcakes and rainbows, singing songs and waving hands, even among hundreds of thousands of like-minded individuals, are not yet enough to win elections in this country. They need to find “better” ways to connect with the brainwashable masses who ultimately get to determine the fate of our country.
If they cannot stomach buying votes, spreading disinformation and we are not able to somehow fix the system that has normalized these illegal practices, then they have to find the ways and means (legal, illegal or gray area) to somehow achieve the same results if they still want to fight for their beliefs and principles in the next elections. They have to come up with a better winning formula without sacrificing their ideals and principles within the next 3-6 years if they won’t waste that shot.
Among the losers, there are also the Filipinos, who despite being jaded, allowed themselves to be swept up by the wave of hope during these past few months but were unfortunately disappointed. These are the ones who accepted defeat and the current reality more quickly and may no longer be in the mood to fight or vote for their future anymore. Hopefully they find another source of hope soon and are still willing to take a stand and vote when that opportunity presents itself again. Our democracy still needs such candidates and voters.
There are many lessons to be learned from the 2022 elections, mostly from the point of view of those who lost. Hopefully the competition learns those lessons so they can stay competitive and our democracy doesn’t die off due to lack of competition.*
