Post Election Analysis

The Queen is Dead? Long Live the King!

By Arturo P. Garcia

The Filipino people never failed to amaze me.

The Filipino has spoken through their hearts. Their emotions showed when they thronged to the polling precints by the thousands. Line-up for hours just to vote and trash the minions of GMA and gave them a resounding defeat.

This is the surge of the anti-GMA sentiments that was translated into votes.

The tide of the anti-GMA sentiments can be likened in the 1986 boycott called by the opposition the led by Mrs. Aquino after Marcos brazenly stole the 1986 elections.

It was the same magnitude of votes that the people gave to Erap Estrada when he defeated FVR’s anointed De Venecia in the 1998 elections. It was the same avalanche of vote that the voters gave to Noynoy Aquino so he cannot be cheated by the COMELEC or anyone.

But this did not happen overnight. This is not a miracle as other would again describe it. It was not the good graces of the COMELEC who again bask in their self-praise and new found credibility after the infamous 2004 elections and the Hello Garci affair.

The Queen is Dead?

It was the handiwork of the queen herself who in her overzealous desire to create her own Arroyo dynasty and perpetuate herself in power built a “strong republic” that almost destroyed the entire rotting system.

But let us not kid ourselves and before we congratulate everybody for the so called- triumph of democracy let us again cite the hard facts:

* True the die hard minions of GMA like Generals Ermita and Esperon, Raul Gonzalez, Jocjoc Bolante, Atienza of Manila, Devanadera of Quezon and others were trounced in the elections but GMA herself and some of her minions like Lilia Pineda is now the Governor-elect of Pampanga, Singson is back in Ilocos Sur and a litany of others.

* And then, more than 100 political dynasties have just consolidated their power and news faces have just entered the political arena . Villar still can be the senate president and GMA can be the speaker of the house. They can still tinker with the constitution and change the political system as the US imperialist wishes.

* True the Philippines has just concluded its first automated elections but still wide spread disenfranchisements, breakdowns of the AES is still prevalent. There is still many changes needed in the electoral system.

* What more, the party list system is in shambles due to the gross incompetence of the COMELEC and the anti-communist crusade launched the AFP and adminsration.

* And the fact that we will still have yet to wait for another 15 days before we can be assured the new dispensation is in place. GMA schemes are still in place and we will still be up for more surprises.

Long Live the New King

But the fact that we have a new king that will perpetuate the dynasty of the Aquinos, proves to us that the son also rises. If this will be Cory reign part 2 or not, it remains to be seen.

But what is true is that we cannot overestimate the power of the people.

Ateneo’s Benito Lim is wrong when he says “the Filipino people are forgetful They do not want to remember, unlike their Asian brothers.”

In the end, the masses and the masses alone are the makers of history. Ang masa, ang masa lamang ang tunay na bayani, hindi si Noynoy, hindi si GMA, kundi ang masa.

The recent elections has proven this