THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS in the Philippines have just concluded with the official announcement of the winners of the national senatorial race.
How did the Fil-Am vote’s list of Top 12 senators compare with the overall winners in the Philippines?
Despite protests among Fil-Am activists, community leaders and ordinary dual citizens and Filipino nationals living in the United States against President Rodrigo Duterte’s alleged extrajudicial killings in his war on drugs, the Duterte administration’s cozy relationship with China and the threat to the checks and balances constitutional requirement if Duterte allies win control of the Senate — only a few senatorial candidates made it to the Overseas Absentee Voters (OAV) top 12 list in the United States.
The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast “Balitang America” (BA) reported the following results of the Fil-Am Vote for Senator:
Rolando “Bato” De la Rosa, Dutere’s top cop architect of his controversial war on drugs captured the No. 1 spot with 21,578 votes across 10 Philippine Consulate Regions.
Pia Cayetano returns to the Senate and got the number two spot with 21,332 votes among Fil-Ams.
Dr. Willie Ong, a social media star and health advocate, placed third with 20,750 votes.
Other candidates who won the vote of Filipinos in America are:
4. Cynthia Villar
5. Grace Poe
6. Bong Go
7. Imee Marcos
8. Sony Angara
9. Francis Tolentino
10. Koko Pimentel
11. Bam Aquino
12. Mar Roxas
Of these senatorial candidates who made it to the Top 12 of the Fil-Am vote, only two came from the opposition party branded as “Otso Diretso” — Aquino and Roxas.
Duterte supporters claim this shows Fil-Ams have thrown their support behind the president, despite the protests against and criticisms of Dutere’s governance and policies.
Duterte critics, on the other hand, contend that the low voter turnout — 17.29 percent of the 228,470 registered voters could be the factor why the general sentiments of Fil-Ams might not have been reflected in the OAV results in the United States.
As “Balitang America “ reported, some would even speculate the delays and glitches in the OAV process might have caused voter disenfranchisement.
BA further reported that “Consulates all over the United States are appealing to Fil-Am voters to remain optimistic and proactive in their voting duties by always making sure they are still registered to vote and have the proper address on record.”
“ABS-CBN News and BA enjoin the concerned groups and Consulates in the call for more Filipino Americans to participate in future elections and exercise their rights to help shape the future of the Philippines.”
Here are the 12 winning senators:
Cynthia Villar – 25,283,727
Grace Poe – 22,029,788
Bong Go – 20,657,702
Pia Cayetano – 19,789,019
Bato dela Rosa – 19,004,225
Sonny Angara – 18,161,862
Lito Lapid – 16,965,464
Imee Marcos – 15,882,628
Francis Tolentino – 15,510,026
Koko Pimentel – 14,668,665
Bong Revilla – 14,624,445
Nancy Binay – 14,504,936
According to Comelec, only four oppositions members will remain in the 24-member Senate as a result of this midterm elections.
The Washington Post reported that “Duterte’s three children also won races for mayor, vice mayor and a congressional seat representing their southern home region of Davao city. Voters also decided congressional, gubernatorial, mayoral, and city and township races. Nearly 75 percent of more than 63 million registered Filipinos cast their votes in a strong turnout.”
The Post further said “Analysts say many Filipinos seem more open to authoritarianism due to failures of past liberal leaders. Such a mindset has helped the family of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos make a political comeback, the latest example being his daughter, Imee Marcos, one of the winning Senate candidates who was endorsed by Duterte.”
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
