the circus
Manila, 16 October—The first elections I covered with Research were actually midterm ones, in 2007. At the time, my main assignment was to storify embargoed election-related survey stories, which were at the time covered by an exclusive first-print-rights arrangement between SWS and Inquirer. It was an insane time, but I honestly thought it was quite exciting. With the amount of data gathering that was required, I figured this was where Research as a unit could really serve the paper the most—by collating, preparing and providing context and data ahead of time, in hopes of contributing to voter education, all that jazz.
I was wrong, eventually, but this illusion does not shatter immediately—definitely not in 2007. Anyway, it’s been a decade since that first midterm election coverage, and I bring this up just as we close this quite unusual COC filing season ahead of the 2019 elections.
I say unusual, because in 2007 and 2013, the administration and opposition slates were kind of clear, and if memory serves me right, they filed their COCs at the same time as a show of force—not in this striptease day-after-day succession, though perhaps this has been tailor-made for today’s social media ecosystem of livetweets and blow-by-blows.
It’s as if nobody wants to be associated with the admin altogether, save perhaps for the glorified assistant who couldn’t do anything without his current boss. Two of the supposedly strong and determined admin contenders for the Senate, Old GirlFriday and The Artist Formerly Known as The Presidential Spokesperson, have both decided to downgrade their dreams and run for dubious partylist seats instead.
That leaves us with Top Cop who Doesn’t Understand Inflation, Glorified Assistant and who else? A host of former senators, some of whom are actually under trial for plunder, a dictator’s daughter, a faux feminist, reelectionists who have been complicit in this administration’s oppressive agenda, and Lito Lapid. Imagine that.
On the other hand, it doesn’t seem like there’s a solid opposition either, but at least I’ve seen at least one article that groups them all together and calls them a slate. Defeated 2016 presidential candidate Mar Roxas is back (perhaps he’s better off in the Senate?), and it’s basically a rundown of old surnames: human rights lawyer Chel Diokno (a yes for me), former Rep. Erin Tañada, and the reelectionist Bam Aquino. There’s also former Bangsamoro Transition Commission member Samira Gutoc-Tomawis (it’s also a yes for me), Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano (maybe Trillanes needs a tag team?), and former solicitor general Florin Hilbay, who is currently polarizing my Twitter feed for some reason I do not completely grasp just yet.
In 2007, it was Team Unity vs Genuine Opposition. In 2013, it was Liberal Party vs UNA. If 2019 comes down to DDS vs Dilawans, I don’t even know what I’ll do with myself.
P.S. Anyway, nothing’s set in stone: The Comelec Election Calendar says parties have until November 29 for substitution, because of course even our elections are run like basketball games.