There is less than a week to go before the elections, and depending on who you ask, the results will either be a landslide or one of the closest fights we have ever seen.
The most recent survey results, which are taken from a sample size of around 2,000 people that are supposed to scientifically represent the will of an entire nation with a population of 100 million and all its diverse social classes, say it won’t even be close.
On the other hand, the history-making-consistently-mammoth crowds that campaign rallies have drawn over the past couple of months cannot be discounted, especially by those who have been in one. It is the size and energy of these crowds that are giving the country’s established pollsters the heebie-jeebies because if the crowds are right and they are wrong, these companies could lose their credibility and maybe a lot of future business.
At this point, nothing is certain and for those who are still on the fence and are waiting for a sure winner before casting their bandwagon vote, the best thing to do right now would be to do either of the following:
Do their own fact-checked research on the qualifications and track records of the top 2 candidates and choose the best one for the country’s future, based on facts, not just catchy slogans. Treat each candidate as if they were applying to be the CEO of your business conglomerate or sari-sari store that is in danger of going bankrupt within the next few months. Read up not only on their plans for the future, but also on their ability to deliver on those plans. We have a few days left, but if you put your back into it, the necessary research can be done in a couple of hours. The toughest part will be finding credible sources and avoiding FB, Tiktok, and YouTube.
Or, if you are lazy or incapable of proper research during this golden age of information, just toss a damned coin. Or better yet, don’t waste your time casting a sacred vote based on ignorance and feelings at this critical juncture in our nation’s history.
Confidence has two faces these days.
Some are pinning their hopes on the results of scientifically conducted opinion polls with a sample size of around 2,000 people.
Others are hopeful that the combined drone shots of hundreds of thousands of actual living and breathing people that are so plentiful that some police offices cannot even count them properly are a more accurate gauge of what could be the result of come Election Day.
A minority is still hoping that the strong 2nd placer would inexplicably withdraw from the race.
Whatever happens, and no matter what science or voodoo magic you believe in, the past 3 months have been one of the most interesting in my life as a Filipino citizen and I have never been more excited to cast my vote and have it properly counted come May 9.
The only way we can determine the real will of the people is on Election Day, when 100% of those who will troop to precincts will cast their votes that will hopefully be counted fairly and accurately, giving us a result that leaves no room for crowd estimates or margin of errors.
It is up to the Comelec to perform its sacred mandate properly and with unassailable credibility as elections are the lynchpin of any working democracy. If it continues the legacy of ball dropping that this present administration is unfortunately known for, things can get very ugly very quickly for this nation and that is something that we do not want or need right now. Hopefully the current set of Comelec commissioners are still competent patriots, when all is said and done.
We have less than a week to take comfort in either surveys or rally crowd estimates. After that, the ultimate survey and rally headcount will take place and by this time next week, the nation will hopefully have chosen our next set of leaders.
Those of us whose hearts and minds were captured by a certain candidate are hoping that enough Filipinos will vote the same way. I, for one, am thankful for the past five months of 2022 because it gave me reason to hope in democracy and in my country. Our candidates have done all they can. Their volunteers and/or operators have given it their all. In just a few days’ time, we get to determine our fate.
I hope it is a better one this time than the purgatory we democracied ourselves into the last time we tried this exercise.*
