Election 2022: More than a Numbers Game // RPTD

Last May 9, a very DECISIVE numbers game was played. The game would determine the fate of the country in the next six years and would likely influence the next election (or should I say, numbers game). With 67.5 Million Filipino voters, comprising of 13.11 million those belonging to the Generation Z (18-25 years old), 23.94 million belonging to the millennial generation (26-41 years old), 16.77 million belonging to the Generation X (42-57 years old) and the remaining 11.92 million belonging to the “boomer, silent, senior citizens and greatest

generation” (58 years old above),

how was the game played?

The numbers game has even started long before the campaign periods and the filing of certificate of candidacies (COCs) which was last February 8, 2022 and October 1, 2021, respectively. Each move of every political personality, big or small, was monitored and was known to the masses. Long history of campaigning, revisionism and mind conditioning was rampant even before the campaign period. You may say candidates and political parties made a very bold move. Some opted to campaign under famous personalities, some opted to join forces with other political parties, some just relied on surveys, and some chose to run independent and rely on their volunteers and supporters. when this certain candidate wins for a national position. As of this writing, the actual result was the worst case of all my what-ifs. I did not sleep the night while the partial and unofficial tallies are being transmitted while watching multiple election coverages simultaneously and chatting with my friends and peers regarding the results over what could I term the elections, a popularity contest. I was overall disappointed but not surprised.

Honestly, I think that the recently held elections were not “successful” contrary on what the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) have said over a press conference. The faulty vote-counting machines, election-related violence, election violations (e.g., vote buying, campaigning by giving of sample ballots), the non-extension of voting hours and non-compliance of health protocols, and other anomalies before and during the elections show the cracks the 2022 Elections had. As what Karen Davila has said, it is not the fault of the people and the pandemic to have very long lines due to the broken VCMs and people have the right to safeguard their votes and be present in the votation process, from registration, receiving of the ballot, until to the insertion of the ballot to the VCM and voter’s receipt generation.

Election 2022: More than a Numbers Game

RPTD // Renz Bautista

“Basically, this election has written the way elections are won in this country. Hindi na kailangan maglatag ng plataporma sa mga debate, hindi kailangan mag-grant ng interview. Kailangan mo lang siguro ng tanyag na apelyido, solid ang machinery mo and social media, and long history in politics.” This is what Vicky Morales insighted over an interview with University of the Philippines political science professor Ranjit Rye. It is saddening that our country who dreams of being progressive and to be on par with the likes of well-developed countries like Japan, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, chose a leader who just happened to have the same surname of a previous president of the country without any in-depth and careful analysis with his vague and generalist platforms. Other countries, personalities and even international media has branded a very “ideal” and the “best possible” candidate, but well, it seems that we have forgotten our history lessons back in elementary.

With the Elections concluded and proclamations happening, all we have to do is accept the results and move on with life. I can really relate to what Dr. Jean Encinas-Franco, a UP political analyst said over an ABS-CBN interview, “Good luck na lang talaga sa Pilipinas.” Nonetheless, we must still continue to show empathy and patriotism by striving and fighting for what is right, moral, and just for the welfare of our fellowmen over the next six years, even if things did not go our way. [R]

The pink movement that took the whole country by storm through house-to-house campaigns, grand rallies, and walks that were organized solely by volunteers that supported Leni Robredo’s campaign was flawed. There, I said it. It was far from perfect, but I think of it as something that is necessary for people to witness. Seeing the spirit of volunteerism and the ability of the Filipino people to help out one another on a grand scale is much needed in the midst of these trying times, in which we are tired of the same old broken promises, corruption, and bad governance. If those who have the resources, who have the ability to change our lives for the better by providing us with better options refuse to help the masses, then the people on the ground themselves take up the challenge to uplift one another and endorse a candidate who has proven herself to have created policies that seek to provide better options for the Filipino people. A candidate who provides the "better" option that we so longed for, and who has provided us with concrete platforms and amazing achievements. However, after elections, we now ask ourselves the question: What went wrong?

What really went wrong? After months of campaigning with the use of "pakikipagkapwa," or "radikal na pagmamahal," everything that could have gone wrong did. Yes, some of Robredo’s supporters were toxic and resorted to "bardagulan" tactics, but that shouldn’t be a good

What went wrong?

ALAPAAP // Andrew Dela Plana

enough reason not to vote for someone who served the Filipino people with dignity and honesty for the past six years. Is it irresponsible for Filipinos to resort to Tiktok videos, unverified Youtube videos, and disinformation from Facebook? It is, but you can’t just blame the people for consuming the information brought to them in the package most convenient for them. Let me elaborate.

Filipinos are known to be visual learners, hence their liking for videos that are more "appealing" and/ or "entertaining," even if the content of the said videos is fake news. Take vloggers like Thinking Pinoy and conspiracy theory Tiktokers, for example–they present information that would seem to be "believable" because of their way of packaging the information, no matter how absurd the fake news is. They are also known for having short attention spans, as seen in several events wherein social issues and topics weren’t given enough attention. For example, when both of these factors are combined, as well as the modern Filipino culture of memes and "bardagulan," their proclivity to watch spliced outof-context videos and share disinformation and satirical posts grows. The hate for Robredo came into being, even though most of their reasons were rooted in disinformation.

It's funny how most Filipinos take in disinformation without questioning it, because even if it's obvious that the information is indeed fake, people still share it and let its engagements grow. Fake news proliferates because of engagement, and it is the absence of the suspicion of taking in information that allows it to happen. It’s funny because the credible court rulings, reliable articles from mass media outlets, and information from literal history books are being outshined by disinformation that is spread by Youtube vloggers, conspiracy theorist-historian Tiktokers, and troll farms. All of these machines have been here since the start of social media, and we’ve been gaslighted to think that EDSA wasn’t helpful to the Philippine democracy. We must remember that EDSA was never intended to bring about immediate change, but rather to serve as a springboard to the democracy that we Filipinos crave. It is necessary, not only for the Filipinos, but for the whole world to witness the true power of the people of a democratic nation.

What went wrong was that we started our campaign way too late, as the other camp started theirs even before the campaign season. Their machines and strategies were so effective and dangerously brilliant that they obscured the truth from the majority of Filipino minds. It is not the Filipino people’s fault to be the victims in this situation, but we have to be more responsible in taking in information from the social media. We must be open to criticism and fact-checking. We must make sure that we, the Filipino people, do not let our democracy be taken away from us again. We have to open our eyes and minds to the history that shows what befell our country, because, as a wise woman said, "ang namulat, ‘di na muling mapipikit." [R]

Dungeons and Dragons: Its Role in My Escapism MARIELLE NAVARRO

My early childhood was ridden with playing pretend; a way for my younger self to be entertained when there was nothing else to do. I played with my toys, pretending that they were sentient and living in a world I could control. My favorite pastime was imagining myself as characters from my favorite television shows, even to the point of creating my own to mingle with them. When I picked up my first fantasy book, I was mind-blown by the vastness of a universe that was so different from what I had always known as reality.

As I grew older, I grew out of playing with toys and the friends I once bonded with through pretending found other things to entertain themselves. There they were, having fun with the internet and the latest video games that was much more immersive than just claiming to be a character we already know. I had access to a phone of my own much later than most of my peers, and it became clear to me that I needed to find other things to enjoy in order to have something in common with them. I did just that; entertaining myself with new shows and games my friends introduced to me while also turning to writing as a means of escape as I grew older and I began to like the world a little less. Although they brought me a lot of happiness and they were things I could fixate on, none of them had as much effect as the old days when I could create so freely and pretend to be someone else without it seeming childish.

Then just a few years ago, I was introduced to the concept of Dungeons and Dragons; a tabletop role-playing game where I can create characters of my own, make them interact with other characters that other people with the same sentiment I have, while also maintaining an organized chaos that filled that yearning in my heart. I could roleplay as someone who isn’t me, but it also brings in mechanics that rely on what stats I have based on the race and class I chose plus the luck of the dice being rolled.

Commonly associated with nerd culture all the way back to its creation in 1974 where games with your friends, termed as a campaign, is limited to your group all the way to its re-popularization when the originally complex rules became simplified with their latest 5th Edition in 2014. With technology on their side, players and their game masters were also given opportunities to stream their campaigns on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube, paving way for a handful of channels to influence popularity and inspiration for more than just your stereotypical nerds to play the game itself. D&D has also inspired many movies and has even ended up being featured in a popular Netflix show: Stranger Things.

What makes D&D so special is that not only does it allow playing pretend to be something that goes beyond just a game. It feels real, and helps people connect with their friends and possibly parts of themselves that they just needed to tackle in a way that is less vulnerable than reality. As someone who aspires to be a writer, I find inspiration when I continue to build in a world my friends and I have created, being the game master of our campaign.

The game may not be for everyone due to its mechanics or its encouragement to roleplay as your character, but it sure is and will always be an important part of life and or a core memory for those who found it and continue to enjoy it. [R]

A Moment of Rest

ZOELINE HONRADO

At some point in our lives, we’ll all have jobs to do in order to contribute to society; kids would go to school and learn, adults would go to work in order to earn money. Everyone has and will always have something to do. But of course, we’re not superhuman beings who can continue to do work without any rest. On every first day of May, we celebrate International Workers’ Day or Labor Day. Labor Day was first observed in the Philippines on May 1st 1903 when a hundred thousand workers marched through Malacañang, demanding fairer working conditions from the then American-led government. Labor Day is a day in which we don’t have to worry about any overflowing bills, your boss nagging at you, or even your unfinished assignment. Because on this day, we are given the chance to rest and avoid any stress.

A stress-free world is what everyone wishes to have. Unfortunately, that’s quite impossible. This is where the true essence of Labor day comes in. I myself am thankful for the creation of this day. It’s very important and absolutely worth celebrating, especially for those workers who are overworked yet underpaid. I understand that many people badly need money, but at least once in a while, let us give ourselves time to rest and enjoy ourselves! Rest is very crucial to humans; some people tend to sacrifice their sleep, just so they could fulfill their job. Aside from rest, labor day is also a day for us to celebrate the good job everyone is doing every day! A day to give credit to those hard workers that sacrifice a lot just to do a good job; especially for OFWs who are distanced from their family and workers who would even sacrifice their time just to finish a task just to earn the needed money. Let us give back the favor to these heroes who sacrificed a lot for the good of their family and their country. Let’s give them a day to experience their once in a year carefree day, without any stress, or anything to worry about.

One sad reality about humans is that we have these things called “limits”. When we reach a certain limit, we will be in desperate need of rest. As we all continue our lives and do work, may we all remind ourselves that reaching our limits isn’t bad. But don’t you think going beyond them would be too much? Let us give ourselves a moment of rest, and acknowledge ourselves for how far we’ve gone. “Don’t try to be someone you’re not.” Know your strengths and weaknesses; through that, you’ll have a great advantage. Labor Day is not necessarily specific to workers, labor day is a day for everyone, reminding us to always provide ourselves the rest that we all deserve, and recognize the sacrifices done by every human being. [R]