Atty. Howie Calleja
People at times are unpredictable, and so are our elections. With the past results of the 2022 national polls a lot became skeptical while many lost hope; and for some totally refused to vote and give it another try. But with the results of this Midterm Elections showing Sen. Bam Aquino at second spot and Sen. Kiko Pangilinan at 5th place both safely within the magic circle of 12 senators; and AKBAYAN topping Party list results (securing at least one seat) together with the progressive ACT Teachers, Kabataan and Gabriela which most likely will retain their seats in congress, all I can say is that HOPE springs eternal.
Many would likewise surmise that administration would not had a half victory having only six of the 12 winning senators from the Marcos alliance, and of those one, Camille Villar, is only half in his camp, as she also accepted endorsement from Sara Duterte is another surprise with all the political machinery behind them; however, I see this as a welcomed surprise because a fresh wave of hope and smiles on the face erased the damp sadness of the 2022 election results with BAM and KIKO back in the Senate. To add to this, the victories of some key provincial and city officials with Leni Robredo, Vico Sotto and Joy Belmonte securing land slide super majority victories vis-Ã -vis the moral ascendancy of good governance is still a breath of fresh air.
When the dust has finally settled, the incoming Senate would be immediately thrust into a politically charged impeachment trial involving Vice President Sara Duterte. Following her impeachment at the House of Representatives, Duterte is set to face the Senate, likely on July 30 this year. Her impeachment trial will happen during the 20th Congress, which will be composed of the incumbent senators, who will be joined by the leading 12 candidates from the midterm polls. A two-thirds vote in the Senate is required to convict the Vice President, remove her from public office, and ban her from seeking any public post. This means she needs nine senators to vote for her acquittal to keep her in office. So, with these current results, your guess is as good as mine.
Our elections are still not perfect — Pay-Off, Personality and Patronage; Guns, Goons and Gold still continue to persist vis-Ã -vis the rising challenges of fake news and trolls but with the gains we have shown, there is hope! Not all monied and popular candidates won — pre-election favorites like Ben Tulfo, Willie Revillame, Bong Revilla, Manny Pacquiao, Abby Binay, Benhur Abalos and Francis Tolentino were seemingly rejected. And, we see a new light in the political horizon with a moral victory for Heidi Mendoza although out of the winning circle, with no political machinery and purely organic volunteers to run her campaign still managed to garner a strong 8 million plus votes.
We have landed on the beach head for the 2028 elections a paved road has just been achieved so, as we crossed and won the battle this 2025; we shall lick our wounds, learn from our mistakes and will capitalize on our gains for in the impeachment battle and the 2028 polls the fight has just begun.
