VOLUNTEERISM WON OVER MEDIA AND CELEBRITY HYPES

PEOPLE’S VOLUNTEERISM
WON OVER
MEDIA AND CELEBRITY HYPES

Three months ago, on March 24, 2022, I predicted that Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr (a.k.a. BBM) will win the May 2022 Presidential Election. I gave seven reasons why. The Number 2 reason I gave was “BBM’s supporters are driven by volunteerism and hope.” Then on my April 20, 2022 Facebook post, I predicted that he would win by a landslide margin of 17 million votes, which I reposted on Blogspot as “Iginuhit ng Tadhana” (Drawn by Destiny).

Looking back from the time in July 2021 when BBM was contemplating on running for the highest position in the Philippine government, to the time when different Loyalist groups started the call to assemble both online and on the streets, to the time when he filed his candidacy on October 6 and then forming the UniTeam alliance on November 29 with Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio (who would be his vice-presidential running mate), to the rigorous campaign period that lasted four months and culminating in a glorious absolute majority victory on May 9, one thing stands out – the people’s volunteerism.

Reminiscing the volunteerism shown by BBM supporters throughout the country and the solidarity that binds them, it’s like looking at millions and millions of sea turtles hatching simultaneously in all the shores of the Philippine archipelago and together instinctively going to the sea to participate in an awakening adventure. It’s near-miraculous, truly destiny being painted.

Indeed, aside from being the international symbol for peace, the “V” sign that BBM and his supporters are flashing also symbolizes “volunteerism,” the poignant characteristic inherent in every Pilipino. The nearest native word akin to the term is Bayanihan. That is, unpaid and unherald, but willing to participate in the endeavors and the quest. Together with another hand sign, the forward closed fist, which is a patented Duterte political badge and symbolizes solidarity, the combination (Bongbong Marcos Jr and Sara Duterte) led to another “V” symbolism – Victory!

The last May 9 Election showed us that the so-called media and celebrity hypes are no longer a big factor to Pilipino voters. It is the volunteerism of the people, bikers, bloggers, caricaturists, engineers, farmers, fishermen, hackers, jeepney drivers, journalists, OFWs, street vendors, students, workers in all fields, the common “tao,” that really brought the landslide win for the BBM-Sara UniTeam.

The people felt indignant after the 2016 Presidential Election when the person they voted for the vice-presidency was robbed of the office. When the Aquino-appointed justices of the Supreme Court sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal dismissed the electoral protest filed by BBM against Robredo, the people took it very personally. Their patience reached a boiling point and they took it upon themselves to light the torch that would soon become a blazing patriotic flame that would redden the entire nation.

It all started in Ilocos Sur on November 7, 2011, when around eight thousand bikers started the “Unity Ride” that spanned more than 27 kilometers. Two weeks later, a much, much, bigger Unity Ride set forth from Ilocos Norte filling the Manila-North Road going southward. Estimated to have more than 70,000 participants wearing red shirts, and spanning around 125 kilometers, it is probably the largest and longest bike ride, worthy of the Guinness Book of World Records. Looking at drone camera coverages, the streets literally turned red. For the first time, the Yellows started to worry and took the matter seriously.

The Yellows’ answer to this was black propaganda. They started recycling old issues about the Marcoses in an attempt to discredit BBM. Anti-Marcos people started filing one disqualification cases after another in the COMELEC to thwart the young Marcos’ presidential bid.

The oligarch media networks re-ran the lines “dictatorship,” “Martial Law,” “ill-gotten wealth,” and added “unpaid taxes” to the mix. All of these, however, are issues already answered by former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos and BBM himself in previous interviews. Their social media counterparts, such as Facebook and Twitter, blocked and suspended the accounts of the so-called Loyalists who were trying to defend the Marcoses, to prevent and thwart the upsurge of supports. But even at the onslaught of biased media black propaganda and repressions, the Loyalists will not be perturbed or dissuaded, their volunteerism persists.

It’s so overwhelming to see children, parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents were out on the streets shouting BBM, showing and bannering Marcos legacy pictures, and singing “Ako’y Pilipino” (I’m a Pilipino) and “Bagong Lipunan” (New Society). While on the opposing side you see celebrities wearing pink but showing placards of hate messages. The people clearly saw the difference.

On December 8, 2021, Bongbong Marcos Jr and Sara Duterte astounded the Philippine political realm when they held a rally in Quezon City, long thought to be a yellow bailiwick in which the sitting mayor, Joy Belmonte, is a known pro-Aquino and anti-Marcos. The crowd estimate, which they refused to accept, was around 125,000 strong, from Quezon Memorial Circle dominating the Commonwealth Avenue going to Welcome Rotonda. The mainstream media tried to downplay the event, but pictures and videos taken by volunteers immediately flooded the Internet in real time allowing the public to see firsthand the unfolding events.

The survey groups tried but couldn’t lie. Most of the survey groups are known to be pro-Yellows. So, when the survey results came out largely favoring BBM, the yellows’ worries turned into panic – the Yellows turned Pinkish. Pulse Asia tried to delay the survey results, and concentrated on the youth which they thought would favor Robredo. But they were wrong. Most millennials, Generation Zs and would-be first-time voters turned out supporting BBM. This, may I add, is one reason why some supposed student activist groups couldn’t muster enough numbers in their rallies against BBM. These "activist" if they are really riding on a nationalistic ideology should know that "No protest can succeed against the people's will." SWS discontinued its surveys as early as February and didn’t even release their last survey, because it would show BBM ahead in voters’ preference percentage more than doubled that of Robredo.

The Robredo supporters even tried a hokus-pokus, posting fake survey results with preposterous figures showing Robredo ahead with 80 to 90 percent voters’ preference. As it turned out, most of them are mathematically bogus. Well, they fooled only the gullibles.

What about BBM refusing to be interviewed or go on a public debate? The most widely talked-about was the Jessica Soho interview. The Yellows-turned-Pinks thought they could ruin BBM’s momentum capitalizing on this issue. Again, they were wrong! Well, BBM doesn’t need TV exposure if it’s going to be biased. It’s better to go direct to the people. It’s not BBM’s loss. He’s already miles and miles ahead in all surveys; garnering an “Absolute Majority” less than 4 months before election makes him perceptibly unbeatable. In fact, GMA7 lost 28.7 million pesos in revenues when 10 of its advertisers withdrew from Jessica Soho’s program after they learned BBM declined the interview. In today’s Internet and cellphone era, the people are already well-informed and no longer rely on the tri-media. TV, radio and newspapers are no longer as “deistically powerful” as it was four decades ago.

What did the Soho interview proved anyway? (1) BBM’s popularity among the Pilipino masses now exceeds GMA-7’s media influence and clout. Even the advertisers know this. (2) None of the other four major candidates are deserving to be president in the eyes of the viewing public. One word to describe each of them: Lacson – Past, Moreno – Dreaming, Pacquiao – Ambition, Robredo – Nonsense. (3) The four presidential aspirants showed their inherent weaknesses. And they did this in a televised interview. It’s not even a debate. What blunders they have spoken they can no longer retract once a real public debate comes. (4) Most of the issues taken in the interviews are repetitions and, yes, it is a tactical success that BBM declined his interview. It would have no bearing whatsoever with regards to what the Pilipino masses perceive of him. In fact, the move would later even endear him to the people – declining a powerful and influential network’s invitation is to them courage with intelligence.

Then the Philippine Arena UniTeam proclamation rally in Ciudad de Victoria, in Bocaue, Bulacan, on February 8, 2022. The premonition of triumph is all there in the “City of Victory.” The largest Philippine indoor stadium was filled to the brim, and the grounds of the two-hectare sports center were also covered with people wearing red and green. Actress Toni Gonzaga wasn’t wrong when she decisively shouted “May panalo na!” (There’s already a winner!).

BBM promised to bring unity to the country as this is the supposed solution to the nation’s ills: “If we study the history of the Philippines, everything that has happened to us, all the hardships and calamities our beloved country has endured, we have survived only by being united.”

This was followed by one rally after another, every one of which exceeding the hundred-thousand crowd estimate. The yellow-pinks couldn’t believe what they are seeing. The world took notice, the immediate question was why are these masses of people favoring a person portrayed for decades as a “son of a dictator;” the foreign press started researching anew the Marcos legacy; they started to realize that much of the things said about the Marcoses were mere fabrications; and out of nostalgia they called it “the BBM Phenomenon!”

All over the world, the same sentiment of volunteerism was shown. Pilipinos living or working in the seven continents joined together to show their support for Marcos Jr. As early as mid-March, the road back to Malacañang was paved!

By this time, the yellow-turned-pink troll farms were running languidly coughing-for-breath. They tried every dirty tactics they could invent. ABS-CBN and Rappler muddled the news with inclusions of fabrications and recycled dirty propaganda. They were later labeled by Reuters graphics as two news organizations that the people “don’t trust” the most. The Leni-Kiko trolls started massive disinformation campaign and fake news posting online, while their endorsing celebrities did the same in their campaign sorties. Their tacticians used pink paper flowers, banners, balloons, umbrellas and whatever it is they could turn pink to make it look like their sorties have more numbers. The people looked and listened but were never fooled.

The Catholic church joined in the political mudslinging, again, by continuously recycling vicious unfounded accusations against the Marcoses. Bishops and priests, going against biblical teachings, spewed evil words against BBM even inside the church to the dismay of the hearing public.

After the election, and BBM winning with almost 32 million votes (58.77%), one bishop even distorted a scriptural event about Christ’s crucifixion saying “Nagmukhang talo si Jesus nang ipako siya sa krus. Tukod langit sa kahihiyan. Nagimbal ang mga alagad. Nahiya. Nanlumo. Nagtago. Hindi nagkatotoo ang akala nilang mananalo sila. Parang tayo di ba?” (Jesus looks defeated when he was nailed to the cross. Shame reaching heaven. The apostles were shocked. Shamed. Disheartened. Went hiding. The thought of them winning did not happen. Just like us isn’t it?)

The Catholic bishop was referring to Matthew 27:20, comparing and insinuating that the people that voted for BBM were like the people that crucified the Lord Jesus Christ. Clearly, this bishop either didn’t read the Bible or he didn’t understand the Holy Scriptures. Because in the Bible (Matthew 27:20): “The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask Pilate to set Barrabas free and have Jesus put to death.”

It is very clear that it was not the people in their own volition that cause the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, but the priests who instigated and coerced them. Just like what the Catholic priests did during the Spanish time, when they caused the deaths of many of our revolutionary heroes, including Dr. Jose Rizal, our National Hero.

The Leni-Kiko tandem employed celebrities and newscasters from the three major TV networks to try to somehow catapult them over BBM, but to no avail. The mistake in this is that the celebrities, like their political employers, used black propaganda and dirty campaigning to get the people’s attention. But as I’ve said many times, “Ang taong-bayan ay mulat at gising na sa pagkakatulog, at hindi na muling palilinlang!” (The people are already enlightened and awaken from slumber, and will no longer let themselves be fooled).

The bulk of these celebrities’ campaign lines bordered on yellow journalism and black propaganda, repeating one maligning accusation after another. The people are tired of these. Their fans tried to tell them they are doing the wrong thing and supporting the wrong people. So does the much older celebrities, who really experienced the “before” and “after” of the 1986 EDSA Revolt. But these young celebrities who were not even born then relied on distorted information fed to them for more than three decades, and all the advises fell on deaf ears. Because of this, more than half of their fan base left them.

Now, these celebrities as well as news personalities who openly voiced their anti-Marcos propaganda, like Angel Locsin, Iza Calzado, Michael V, Karen Davila, Ted Failon, etc., are trying to win back their fans by saying it’s time to move on? It’s good if it’s sincere, but the problem is in most of them it is not! Kasi magsasabi ka ng isang bagay – “para sa bansa” – tapos sa huli magpapasaring ka kay BBM at sa mga supporters niya, at pupurihin mo pa ang mga maling ginawa ng mga kakampinks (Because they would say one thing – “for the country” – then at the end they would insinuate something on BBM and his supporters, and praising the wrong things done by the yellow-pink supporters). Some of them, Agot Isidro, Janno Gibbs, Kakie Pangilinan, Melai Cantiveros, Mo Twister, Tuesday Vargas, and the likes, are still very antagonistic and bitter until now, and you can read and see them in their Internet social media posts. Some of them pledged to leave the Philippines if BBM wins. So, what’s their excuse that they are still here, still blabbering like turkey ass?

They would even dare to claim Robredo is good-hearted to be the first to concede. That’s bullshit! Even at the face of the people’s absolute majority vote against her, she never conceded until the last moment when she was about to leave for the U.S., and she continued to be bitter and blabber about it until now.

Most of the media networks, on the other hand, have removed the tag “dictator’s son” they usually associate with BBM. Some even foster the BBM-Sara UniTeam campaign motto – “Sama-sama, Babangong Muli!” (Together, Will Rise Again!) – in their editorial “moving on” prospectives. Well and good, just show sincerity!

BE SINCERE! THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN; HEED THEIR CALL! IF YOU REALLY MEANT TO JOIN WITH THE PEOPLE’S SOLIDARITY, THROW YOUR BIAS AWAY! DISCARD THE EVIL FED INTO YOUR MINDS AND TRY TO DISCOVER FOR YOURSELVES THE TRUTH!

GIVE PEACE AND UNITY A CHANCE!