The people have spoken

THE people have spoken and the mandate is clear.

Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., son and namesake of the great leader who once ushered the country to unprecedented heights, is on his way to becoming the 17th president of the republic as the trend of the canvassing is clearly establishing what should be an insurmountable lead at the end of the final tally.

As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, Marcos was way ahead of the pack with his 30,790,621 votes or 56.40% of the total votes cast as compared to Leni Robredo’s 14,694,836 votes, which is translated to 26.92% of the total votes.

The tally was reflective of the last pre-electoral survey result posted by Pulse Asia, conducted on April 16-21, which has Marcos leading 56% preferential votes against Robredo’s measly 23%.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao came in a far third with 3,582,506 million, overtaking Isko Moreno who dropped to fourth with 1,869,550.

All the reputable poll survey firms correctly predicted as early as January that Marcos will run away with the presidency barring any major catastrophe.

The numbers and the signs were there alright, but the Marcos camp said they were not being complacent “and would wait until the final verdict was out.”

“We advise our supporters to be vigilant but magnanimous at the same time. The election is not over until the final ballot is counted,” lawyer Vic Rodriguez, Marcos’ chief of staff and spokesman, said.

As expected, Marcos dominated in all his perceived bailiwicks – Cordillera Autonomous Region, Regions 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8– and stamped his class in other cluster areas where his running-mate Davao Mayor Sara Duterte was perceived to be strong, Regions 9, 10, 11, and 12.

In the National Capital Region, Marcos gained 3,219, 253 votes against Robredo’s 1,780,172 votes.

Clearly, there was a Solid North, and well, yes, a Solid South.

But what sealed the win for the UniTeam was their “bite” on the so-called Yellow country, most notably the cluster of Balance Luzon, composed of Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Bicol Region, and Region 6.

Based on the early survey summation per region in the said cluster, Robredo was ahead of Marcos in the Bicol Region, but Marcos topped the two other clusters, Calabarzon and Mimaropa.

Early results showed that all the results of reputable survey firms – SWS, Pulse Asia, DZRH, DZXL — to name a few, since November was reflected in the way the votes were distributed—with Marcos getting a lion’s share of more than 60% of the votes in all economic strata.

Bicol, Panay Island, and Manila, the hometowns of the other candidates, delivered massive votes for Marcos — an affirmation that regional bias was thrown out of the window in favor of the candidate who carried a more viable platform and clearer vision for the country.

Early reports from partial unofficial tallies all over the nation had Marcos leading the presidential race by wide margins, pretty much congruent with the survey results of all the reputable polling firms in the latter part of April.

The votes signified the unified voice of a people clamoring for change and rallying behind Marcos’ battle cry of “unity.”

This time there were no deceptions. Even the cheapest act of misleading the voters to vote for #10, instead of the Comelec assigned #7, did not help to promote the iniquitous cause of the Yellow camp.

The much-vaunted Pinklawan political machinery, with all the cheap dramas and filthy propagandas, crumbled and wilted under the pressure of a voting public who came out in droves to crack the whip on the oligarchs and communists, who earlier threatened to destabilize the nation if they lose.

Families gathered in front of their television sets as soon as the canvassing began, while those in the rural areas stayed connected to what was happening via their battery-operated radios.

Millions of text messages were exchanged, mostly in reference to the just concluded electoral practice, while social media was abuzz with the topic #Bilang Pilipino 2022 trending on the internet.

As early as 10 p.m., it was pretty clear that the outcome would be an overwhelming victory for Marcos.

As the lead began to increase into the night, euphoria sets in for the millions of Marcos supporters nationwide.

In Caloocan, hundreds of UniTeam supporters, most of them first-time voters, gathered in front of the San Roque Church along Mabini Street singing and dancing to the tune of Plethora’s version of “Bagong Lipunan,” which has now become the youths’ anthem.

In one of the corners of the church sat 62-year-old Adelina Angeles clutching her El Shaddai handkerchief while watching her grandchildren frolicked with the crowd.

At the BBM Headquarters in Mandaluyong, close to a hundred volunteers were monitoring the proceedings at the Comelec with guarded optimism.

There were mixed emotions. An IT specialist cautioned his colleagues to forgo their celebration until the final ballot is counted and the Comelec finally announces that Marcos wins the elections.

The person has every right to do so – six years ago he was part of the team that was assigned to monitor the lead of then-vice presidential candidate Marcos Jr.

They were leading the race up to the wee hours of the morning until the Yellow political operators started to weave their magic and desecrated the sanctity of the ballots.

It was a win that never was. And the volunteers knew then as they know now that it wasn’t only Marcos who was robbed of the real outcome but the entire Filipino nation.

This time, however, it was different.

There were no boozes, no rums, or whiskeys. Only coffee and lots of it, as they vowed to “never sleep until the final vote is counted.”

Just before midnight, hundreds of euphoric Marcos supporters made a vigil in front of the headquarters flashing V signs and waving the Philippine flag to motorists passing along EDSA.

The dusk crawled rather lazily into twilight with a promise of a new day dawning. This time, however, no one is sleeping until it is finally over. By RYAN PONCE PACPACO