Power of the poor

By Al S. Mendoza

 

AGAIN, why did Manny Pacquiao win?

The easiest to answer.

Power of the poor.

That’s what made Pacquiao win.

About 70 percent of our 100 million people are poor.

It is the bulk of that 70 percent force that swept Pacquiao to the Senate.

No other senatorial candidate could have matched Pacquiao’s vote-getting power from the marginalized—except, perhaps, Tito Sotto.

Sotto’s popularity as a noontime TV show star for the longest time is a fool-proof formula for political success.

And should he win the Senate presidency, no surprise there, either.

Sotto has always been a top vote-getter, finishing third this year after also placing strongly in the 2010 senatorial derby.

Drilon was No. 1 this year and that wasn’t unexpected.

Extremely popular all over, Drilon, his name unsullied as ever, garnered votes from virtually all strata of society.

Some 54 million had registered to vote in the May 9 election.

About 30 million-plus showed up on Election Day, and that 81-percent voter turnout was a record.

In finishing a strong 7th with 15,503,141 votes after 95.87 percent of election returns tabulated, Pacquiao outscored the 8th-to-12th finishers in Hontiveros, Pangilinan, Gatchalian, Recto and De Lima.

Drilon was followed at No. 2 by the surprising Villanueva and then came from third to sixth in Sotto, Lacson, Gordon and Zubiri.

Why Pangilinan finished a “poor” eighth compared to his fellow comeback senators Lacson (4th), Gordon (5th) and Zubiri (6th) was never a shock.

Unlike his fellow 10 winning senators, Kiko was not endorsed by Iglesia ni Cristo like De Lima.

But even as the INC had showed its election might again this year, it was unsuccessful in trying to block the victory of De Lima.

Like Leni Robredo, De Lima also defeated Francis Tolentino for the 12th and last slot.

De Lima’s 200,000-plus winning margin over Tolentino was a totally significant factor in view of the fact that Tolentino had a whopping 44-percent electoral edge over De Lima given him by the INC.

But the sorriest victim of INC’s bloc-voting power was reelectionist and perennial winner Serge Osmena, who placed 14th after the INC junked him.

If it’s any consolation, Osmena was a rung higher than the 15th-placed Martin Romualdez, who was backed by the INC.

Overall, only two (Tolentino and Romualdez) of the 12  INC-backed senatorial bets did not make it to the Senate.

It is also worth noting that another INC bet, vice presidential contender Bongbong Marcos, lost to Robredo.

Like Tolentino, Marcos lost to Robredo by the slimmest of margins, too—at 263,473 votes to be exact.

Well, the INC may also trumpet bragging rights for having helped Rody Duterte win the presidency with its endorsement of the Davao City Mayor—although it had come late in the day, when victory for Digong seemed inevitable already.

INC’s vote-force of nearly 2 million may not be considered substantial in the final reckoning as well since Duterte’s winning margin over Mar Roxas was a whopping 6,623,822 votes.

But still, INC would always view Duterte’s victory as a reason for joy as it came amid veiled but boisterous bid by the Roman Catholic Church (pastoral letters and all) for its flock to dump Duterte.

Thankfully, either the INC or the RCC is not the nation.

For, when the entire nation speaks, pretenders all fall by the wayside.

Not to mention that the nation’s nucleus are the power.

(For your comments and reactions, please email to: punch.sunday@gmail.com)

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