Refocus
The campaign jingles have stopped blaring from loudspeakers. The posters have been removed. Winning candidates have been proclaimed. Pundits have given their postmortem of the midterm elections. The elections are over. Now, back to work.
One of the advantages of these electoral exercises is that they provide us an opportunity to recalibrate and refocus our efforts. It allows us to step back, assess what we have done so far and see the future in a different light. For one, the newly elected government officials — senators, congressmen, governors, mayors — will provide a new injection of life into the political process. In particular, there are many young public servants who will certainly provide a new generational perspective on political and social problems.
On the part of the administration, the midterm elections provide an opportunity to “renew” the mandate of the people. It is similar to midyear reviews that organizations conduct in order to evaluate their progress and set new goals for the remainder of the year. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. has expressed his own postmortem of the midterm elections. In an interview, the President said that “it's time, I think, to put all the politics aside.” He added that people are telling politicians that they are sick of politicking and that “it's time to… only talk about not political issues but developmental issues, healthcare issues, education issues, agricultural issues, supply issues, all of these things.”
The fact that the election results saw the victories of candidates from different political parties and persuasions to me suggest that voters are telling government that they should work together despite those differences. The President has also pressed the reset button by ordering his Cabinet officials to submit courtesy resignations. This move will give the President a free hand not only in reorganizing the executive department but also in resetting his administration’s priorities.
Vice President Sara Duterte has also emphasized the need to refocus our efforts when she said that the elections are “not the end” but a “renewed beginning.” She urged Filipinos, “regardless of background or past affiliation” to work together so “we can shape a future that is fair, inclusive, and just. The Vice President, whose support and endorsement for Camille’s candidacy we are very much thankful for, proclaimed that “our commitment to the people remains unwavering.” And I think the results of the elections showed the people’s unwavering support for the VP’s message.
On the part of the people, it is now time to unite and support efforts to achieve solidarity and progress. We may have supported opposing candidates during the campaign but I would like to think that we all have good intentions; that we genuinely believe in the vision of unity and prosperity. I think we can all get behind that dream.
On a personal level, the electoral campaign have been a particularly busy one for me. I have offered my humble learnings from previous campaigns to the candidacies of my wife, Cynthia, and my daughter, Camille. But now that the elections are over I can shift back my focus to my business, in particular, my legacy project, Villar City. I am refocusing my efforts to building Villar City as the next central business district, a thriving nexus in the south where economic, lifestyle, cultural and leisure activities will converge. This legacy project is envisioned to build a megalopolis connecting 15 towns and cities across Metro Manila and Cavite consisting of modern and future-proof amenities like a tech valley, university town, premier lifestyle hub, and leisure and recreational facilities. Quite incidentally, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has announced a rebuild of EDSA which would worsen the traffic in the capital. This development underscores the need for a new CBD, a new “city” that will provide residents with a more livable, modern, and sustainable place to build a future with their family.
In a way, the midterms provided us an opportunity for a rebirth and a recalibration of our efforts to achieve prosperity. I hope we do not waste this opportunity by sliding back to political bickering and pointless squabbles. The best way forward is to take advantage of this opportunity to refocus. Our job is not to tear each other apart. Our job to bring people together. Much like a midterm performance review, let us take this opportunity to remind ourselves of that noble objective.
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