The 2022 elections were highly divisive, and now it’s been a year since it all happened.
As May 9 rolls around again, memories from election campaigns from 2022 are reshared, showing how Filipinos were so split up—it was either pink or red.
Platforms like Facebook were sprawling with fake news, misinformation, and disinformation about the candidates. But in the sea of fallacies, there was hope—hope that the Philippines would have a leader that brings out the best in Filipinos.
But as the partial and unofficial results came in, the dictator’s son’s lead continued to widen over all the other candidates.
All this fight against fake news, misinformation, and disinformation seemed like it was all for naught. All those cries for good governance from a public servant that would really be for the masses were left unheard.
A Marcos might be sitting as president, but the hope—which filled the hearts and minds of over 14 million Filipinos—still lives on. It was never silenced nor snuffed, and it was certainly never squished by defeat. As Robredo said in her address after the May 9 elections, “We’re just getting started.”
What has happened since June 2022
Sure, Marcos Jr. isn’t like his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who in his first 100 days in office already stirred up quite the controversy, but has he provided Filipinos with the good governance that we were so thirsty for in the months leading up to the May 2022 elections?
The current president has had a jet-setting year, traveling to 12 other countries since he assumed office—one of these trips occurred during the aftermath of Typhoon Karding.
And while he promised to lower the price of rice to P20 per kilo, the Philippines still faces inflation with the cost of goods like sugar and onions rising in 2023. Yet, an agriculture secretary has not been appointed. The country’s debt has also hit a new record-high at P13.86 trillion.
All these happenings have some Filipinos saying the 31 million that voted for Marcos “deserve” this state that we’re currently in, but there are some things to keep in mind.
Hope is still alive.
The officials sitting in the highest positions might not be the ones we wanted, but we still have a voice. Who else will fight for our marginalized siblings and call for justice but us, especially if they’re left unheard?
It’s not too late to educate fellow Filipinos. As history professor Xiao Chua said about battling disinformation and historical blunder in a press conference during the 37th EDSA People Power Revolution, “Kausapin natin. ‘Wag tayo susuko.” As much as we want to simply block our acquaintances and friends that don’t share the same political beliefs, we can’t get them to see our side of things this way.
The battle against disinformation and historical distortion continues. During the 2022 elections campaign, pro-Marcos fake news and misleading posts dominated the internet, pushing him to the front of the race.
While there’ll be five more years of the Marcos administration, let everything happening amidst it be a lesson in choosing better officials to elect—someone who will care about peasant farmers, indigenous people, the LGBTQ+ community, and all the other marginalized communities. It’s not too late to have that thirst for good governance quenched. Filipinos can still demand better from their leaders.
banner by: @uuhhlexie
