It is no secret that Mirriam won the 1992 presidential election but lost in the counting due to certain irregularities that allegedly attended the voting process. As it was the first general election held under the 1987 Constitution, democracy was still in its infancy, and people were still trying to figure out how to make it work. The fact that there were no safeguards set in place to prevent cheating in the polls is therefore understandable.
But what stood out in that electoral process was the fact that the former senator ran almost independently, without the backing of big business people and interest groups who routinely support candidates in exchange for political favors. She had no resources and did not spend on political ads and other public relations gimmicks. Likewise, she merely relied on the overwhelming support of the people who went out of their way to make sure she’d eventually win.
Ordinarily, a candidate for president spends at least 50 billion pesos to mount a nationwide campaign. That is even a conservative estimate considering the other variables that unexpectedly emerge come election time.
In political ads alone, leading candidates spend a little more than a billion to sell themselves. In fact, in the previous polls, both BBM and Leni topped ad spending from January 2021 to March 2022 as each recorded over P1.4 billion worth of ads. According to Nielsen, the amount doesn’t include the cost of producing those ads and fees to celebrities or talents who appeared in them. It also doesn’t cover the expenses of candidates on social media and in their hustings around the country during the 90-day campaign.
So, if candidates staggeringly spend that much, how do they pool together the resources they need? The simple answer is money politics, where interest groups illicitly contribute campaign funds to gain political favor and influence. As a result thereof, governmental programs and policies become subservient to serving their interests, oftentimes at the expense of the people.
In our country, no president has ever gained power without the support of these interest groups. To a certain extent, they practically dictate how government should be run and basically influence political outcomes and critical decision-making processes. Through patronage, they enrich themselves sans any form of accountability. They easily get off scot-free despite overwhelming pieces of evidence against them simply because they enjoy protection from the powers that be, which obviously are heavily indebted to them.
To be honest, Mirriam could have been an exception. But sadly, she was not. This is why I am excited about the prospect of Vico running for president someday. Here is one guy who simply ticks all the boxes. He ran independently without the backing of any businessman or interest group, and because of that is able to pursue governance away from any influence as he is not politically indebted to anyone.
Should he decide someday to enter the ring, the people can easily rally behind him. He wouldn’t have to beg, borrow, or steal like what his predecessors did and therefore would not have to be beholden to anyone. This is one man who, based on what he’s so far done, is capable of changing our entire political landscape.
A lot of people seriously thought Leni was the one. But she was not charismatic enough to capture everyone’s imagination. Unlike Mirriam or Vico, she was not generally likable, so that for her to win, she would have to be peddled almost forcibly through public relations machinations, which are also costly and therefore reliant on the support of groups who expect to benefit should she make it.
But Vico comes from a different breed. He is popular, extremely likable, and has exhibited sheer capability to lead. Like Mirriam, he could potentially run without any massive funding or influence from moneyed individuals and therefore can act independently without returning political favors as payment for political indebtedness. This is why we should protect him at all costs.