148. MY PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS (1981-2016)

 

MY PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS (1981-2016)

Dr. Troy Alexander G. Miano, LPT

8 February 2022

The start of the 2022 presidential elections national campaign commenced today and I reminisced the past presidential elections in my lifetime when a number of which I participated in the campaign. There had been 16 direct presidential elections in Philippine history: 1935, 1941, 1946, 1949, 1953, 1957, 1961, 1965, 1969, 1981, 1986, 1992, 1998, 2004, 2010 and 2016. I experienced seven presidential elections and I was only seven years old when the June 16, 1981 presidential elections transpired with incumbent President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos (1917-1989) seeking reelection against former Defense Secretary and Bulacan Governor Alejo Santos y Santos (1911-1984) and twelve others, namely: Bartolome Cabangbang, Delfin Manapaz, Ursula Dajao, Benito Valdez, Lope Rimando, Lucio Hinigpit, Pacifico Morelos, Jose Igtobay, Simeon del Rosario, Salvador Enage and Florencio Tipano. A referendum was also done on the same day whether or not a barangay election should be held right after the presidential elections. Honestly, I never remembered anything about this election which was infamous for being orchestrated by the administration.

My first and direct participation in a presidential campaign was during the presidential snap election 36 years ago which anniversary was yesterday, February 7. The 1986 Philippine presidential and vice-presidential elections, popularly known as the 1986 Snap Election and it is among the landmark events that led up to the People Power Revolution (February 22-25, 1986), the downfall of the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos and the accession of Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (1933-2009) as president. I joined this historic campaign and may I quote an excerpt from the article I scribbled on February 22, 2008; “Then there was a snap presidential election. This was my first encounter with a firsthand political campaign. I chanted and virtually sang the popular opposition slogans: ‘Tama na, sobra na, palitan na!’ (‘Enough is enough, - change them!’) and ‘Ituloy ang laban ni Ninoy!’ (‘Continue Ninoy’s fight!’). My Mom went home to Cabatuan, Isabela and campaigned hard for the Cory-Doy (Laurel) ticket together with Mr. Gregorio G. Isidro.” Another excerpt from an article I wrote on October 10, 2017 narrates: “Then came the Presidential Snap Elections, Dad went home to Calbayog City to campaign for the Cory-Doy tandem while mom went home to Cabatuan, Isabela to join a small group for the same intention. Dad dug a foot into his grave when he campaigned for Cory since Calbayog was Marcos country. Aside from being the home region of First Lady Imelda Marcos, the country’s Top 3 man, Jose A. Roño hailed from Calbayog. Roño, Minister of Local Government (1972-1986), was in fact a relative of my dad from the Daguman lineage on his mother side”.

My third election was the 1992 Philippine presidential and vice-presidential elections which were held on May 11, 1992. This was the first general election held under the 1987 Constitution. An estimated 80,000 candidates ran for 17,000 posts from the presidency down to municipal councilors. The candidates for president were: Former Tarlac Governor Eduardo "Danding" M. Cojuangco Jr. (1935-2020), Former Bureau of Immigration and Deportation Commissioner Miriam Palma Defensor-Santiago (1945-2016), Vice President Salvador Roman "Doy' Hidalgo Laurel (1928-2004), Former First Lady Imelda Remedios Visitación Trinidad Romuáldez-Marcos, House Speaker Ramon "Monching" Villarosa Mitra Jr. (1928-2000), Former National Defense Secretary Fidel Valdez Ramos and Senator Jovito "Jovy" Reyes Salonga (1920-2016). I remembered campaigning for Mitra since my mother belonged to the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) Party but in the end, I voted for Santiago who I admired for being a strong woman. This was my first time to vote. I remembered on March 1992 before graduating from high school, I had an accident at the EDSA-Ortigas intersection during a squabble with a schoolmate in the La Salle Greenhills (Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong City). A Mitsubishi L300 closed van hit me while I maneuver myself away from the companion driver of my nemesis who was holding an iron rod. I was rushed to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan and while I had my stiches at the left side of my head, I asked my attending physician who will he vote for president. The surprised doctor smiled. Ramos won the general elections narrowly defeated Santiago. Ramos got the lowest plurality in the Philippine electoral history. It was during the time of Ramos when I was selected as a delegate in the 1st National Youth Parliament (1996-1998).

The 1998 presidential elections were held on May 11, 1998 and this is the first time I decided to run for public office as Municipal Councilor of my mother’s hometown in Cabatuan, Isabela. The following were the presidential candidates: Speaker Jose “Joe” Claveria de Venecia. Jr., Defense Secretary Renato "Rene" Salud de Villa, Senator Miriam Palma Defensor-Santiago, Santiago Dumlao, Vice President Joseph Ejercito Estrada (Jose Marcelo Ejercito), Manila Mayor Alfredo “Fred” Siojo Lim (1929-2020), MTRCB Chairman Manuel "Manoling" Lim Morato (1933-2021), Cebu Governor Emilio Mario Renner Osmeña, Jr. (1938-2021), Senator Juan Furagganan Ponce Enrile and Senator Raul Sagarbarria Roco (1945-2005). This was also the first time that a party-list was included in the ballot which was implemented by virtue of Republic Act No. 7941. I was tapped to campaign for the party-list LAKAD, the youth arm of the Lakas-CMD and at the same time campaigned for Speaker De Venecia together with my mom. My dad, on the other hand, campaigned in Samar for Estrada who won the elections. I also won in my own right as a first termer Sangguniang Bayan Member.

President Estrada was ousted from office on January 19, 2001 as a result of a political turmoil brought about by an impeachment case against him and he was succeeded by Vice President Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo who eventually ran for a full-term as president of the republic in the May 10, 2004 elections. The other candidates were: Senator Panfilo “Ping” Morena Lacson, Fernando Poe, Jr. (Ronald Allan Kelley Poe 1939-2004), Senator Raul Roco and Eddie Cruz Villanueva. President Arroyo is the mother of my schoolmate at the Ateneo - Diosdado Ignacio Jose Maria "Dato" Macapagal Arroyo who was later elected Representatives of Camarines Sur's 1st District (2007-2010) and twice of the 2nd District (2010-2016). I remember at one instance when Dato invited his grandfather, former President (1961-1965) Diosdado Pangan Macapagal (1910-1997), during a “Book Day” activity at the Ateneo Grade School. Being very young then, I did not realize that the old man was a VIP. My mom and I campaigned hard for Arroyo in her two senatorial bids in 1992 and 1995, vice presidential race in 1998 and in the 2004 election for president.

Nine presidentiables participated in the May 10, 2010 elections. The candidates were: Senator Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Cojuangco Aquino III (1960-2021), Councilor John Carlos "JC" Gordon de los Reyes, former President Joseph Estrada, Senator Richard “Dick” Juico Gordon, Senator Maria Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Abad Santos Madrigal-Valade, Nicanor Jesús "Nick/Nicky" Pineda Perlas III, Secretary Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo Cojuangco Teodoro, Jr., Eduardo "Eddie" Villanueva and Senator Manuel "Manny" Bamba Villar, Jr. Aquino was my president and this is the second time my chosen president emerged the winner. I also won my third term as Sangguniang Bayan Member of Cabatuan. The 2010 elections was the first national computerized election in the history of the Philippines.

The 2016 Philippine presidential elections held on May 9, 2016 was the first time I was unable to openly campaign for my presidential bet since I was already appointed a permanent employee of the Provincial Government of Isabela in 2015 which refrains permanent employees to bluntly campaign in any official public elections. I was even refrained a number of times when I regularly watched the videos of the campaign trail of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Rody/Digong” Roa Duterte in my office. The other candidates were: Vice President Jejomar "Jojo" Cabauatan Binay, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Senator Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe-Llamanzares and DILG Secretary Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II. Both my bet Duterte and Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (vice-president) emerged winners and assumed office on the noon of June 30 of the same year. This is the third straight in a row that my chosen president won in the voting.

This year is another presidential election. As usual, I can no longer openly campaign for my preferred candidates because of civil service regulations. The ten presidentiables are: Undersecretary Ernesto Abella, Leodegario "Ka Leody" Quitain de Guzman, former Secretary Norberto Borja Gonzales, Senator Ping Lacson, Faisal Mangondato, former Senator Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Romualdez Marcos, Jr., Jose Montemayor, Jr., Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso, Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Dapidran Pacquiao and Vice President Leni Robredo. Will my preferred president in this year’s national elections win, making my fourth straight? Well, whoever wins on May 9, I pray that he or she will always govern by conscience and would make us Filipinos proud again. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!