he many campaigns in the crowded presidential and vice-presidential races held their final rallies and have now gone silent. It is now up to the Filipino voters to decide who will govern the country for the next six years.

The presidential aspirants appeared to have the best of intentions in running for the highest office in the land. They were prepared to face questions during debates and clearly articulated their political platforms. All except one. Former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. refused to attend even a single debate. His running mate, Davao Mayor Sara Duterte was a no-show as well for her debates.

While the Commission on Elections oversaw, and even sponsored one of the debates, there was no real consequence for candidates who refused to attend. Both Marcos and Duterte currently poll far ahead of their rivals and may see no need to attend any event where they might be asked uncomfortable questions.

Lately, there have also been rumblings from various groups that have begun to question the accuracy of polls that have shown Marcos with a sizable lead from the start of the campaign. Robredo supporters point to the very large crowds that the Robredo-Pangilinan rallies have begun to generate. However, poll numbers show only minuscule improvements in Robredo's numbers vis-à-vis Marcoses'.

A recent Inquirer article points out that according to "statistics experts like Romulo Virola, former secretary-general of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), and Dr. Peter Cayton of the University of the Philippines" Pulse Asia tends to underrepresent A and B socioeconomic classes while overrepresenting C and D in their polls.

The next day or two will tell us if Pulse Asia got it right or not. However, this is assuming that outside forces—both foreign and domestic will not interfere or manipulate the results of the upcoming election. This is because the Philippines now has to contend with entities that possess the ability to reach in and manipulate electronic data using an army of hackers and trolls.

Hopefully, the country will have a fair and honest election. That way a new president can begin to rebuild the country's frayed democratic institutions and make us all proud to be Filipinos once again.

Published 4/9/2022