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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.

In a recent media interview, I was asked a very common question: What makes you so successful as a businessman? It is one of the questions I am often asked about: you have achieved so much as an entrepreneur, which of your accomplishments are you most proud of. This recurrent question is understandable, after all, I have always seen myself as an entrepreneur despite my 21 years of experience in government. But if someone would ask me what I am most proud of among my accomplishments, not just as a businessman but as a person, I have a ready answer: my children. Cynthia and I have been blessed with a wonderful life and the biggest reason is our children. The title I am most proud of is not Senate President or Speaker of the House but the proud papa of Paolo, Mark and Camille.

At around six in the morning of May 12, 2025, I sat on a wooden chair inside a classroom at the Las Piñas City National Science High School and fulfilled my duty as a citizen. It was a long ballot but I already have my list of candidates I will vote for. It was an efficient voting process thanks to our dear public school teachers and other volunteers who were there to serve their country with courage and patriotism. There have been the usual reports of some glitches in the voting machines, confusion on the voting lists, and sporadic violence but as I write this article I continue to pray for a peaceful, honest and meaningful midterm elections.