“May pag-asa pa talaga!” (There is really still hope), Sharon Cuneta’s heartfelt expostulation (over the surprising performance of her husband Kiko Pangilinan in the recent polls) has been echoed by many since imaginary bells tolled at midnight Tuesday.

After almost 80 percent of the votes had been counted, the “partial and unofficial results” were taken as a solid forecast for at least the top 6 in the Senate race, and Pangilinan remained consistently at number five.

This was surprising because Kiko did not figure prominently in the surveys leading to the elections; nor did Bam Aquino, his fellow contender, whose number-two showing was even more shocking to many.

I have to say that this amazement over these hoped-for but unexpected results is spurring what I had thought to be in the throes of dying: Filipino hope.

You are not a full Filipino if you do not know Filipino hope, which is as long and convoluted as our love-hate relationship with our “Inang Bayan.” But after the revolution of 1986, the spark that had blazed turned into embers anew, when it seemed that what many had fought for had returned, worse than before. It felt like the nation had become the playground of the dynastic and the depraved.

We, of a certain generation, had believed after we left university in the late ‘80s to the early ‘90s that the future lay in our hands — which of course it did. Gen X was “next in line,” and entering the real world we had great idealism in our hearts. We cheered for those we thought would be future statesmen who would do us proud, the young men and women of the Senate and Congress, especially these five promising young men who once danced the same tune and came to blows much later over various issues.

It is for this reason that Senate President Chiz Escudero dismissed criticism over political families populating Congress — possibly three Tulfos, two Villars, two Cayetanos, half-brothers Ejercito and Estrada. There are, of course, the warring Marcos siblings in our government, the mother-daughter tandem in Las Piñas, the mother-son in the Visayas, the Dutertes in Davao, and the same family members running for office in Muslim Mindanao.

Still, Escudero said, there is no law preventing anyone from running. Anyone who qualifies may run for office, regardless of their affiliation or blood relation, and voters — yes, that all-powerful voter (supposedly) — can decide on their own.

But, can they? According to gleeful Millennials and Gen Zs who are being credited for turning the tide in the latest voting results, voters of the past were “too gullible,” and if not for the “silent majority” the latest set of elected officials would again be littered with fluff.

I resent this sweeping generalization. Not all voters of the past were “too gullible” — it is simply wrong to assume that previous generations were idiotic enough to choose leaders who dazzled them with song, dance and promises.

The wins and losses of many undeserving personalities in the past could well be blamed on issues like “Hello, Garci” and defective ACMs (automated counting machines). Even now, as of this writing, the so-called “Magic 12” could change as the Commission on Elections continues its official tally.

The “hope” that Sharon Cuneta touted can only be kept alive as daily miracles surprise us with evidence that Filipinos are still rooting for their nation, not just for themselves.