Written By: Esia Venice Ricafrente
TEAMWORK. Volunteers for Leni-Kiko from Trece Martires City are seen lively on their way to do house-to-house campaigning. Photo captured by Cyprus Geremia.
To set foot in the month of May signifies the 2022 National Elections drawing closer before our newest government officials will take their seats and shall likewise be at their utmost service for the love of the country and its people. Ingrained in every Filipino is the high hopes for transformation in various areas of the country, conjoined with the burst of the excitement for this potential possibility.
Yet, it cannot be still eradicated how this may be a nerve-wracking scenario for some, as it simply implies that time is of the essence to persuade more of our fellow countrymen to specifically join one particular case, similarly comparable to the presidential aspirant who also happens to be the current Vice-President of the 16th Republic of the Philippines, Leni Robredo. Only a few months ago, her campaign approach was heavily criticized for being only appealing mostly to the higher class as opposed to the said frontrunner of the position she is also vying for. As the Philippines remain a third-world country — the latter is also thought to be more likely to appeal to those belonging to the lower classes, who then make up the majority of today’s voter population. Together with its archipelagic nature, the presence of certain places and remote areas in the country has been carrying the burden of limited to no access to electricity, signal, internet connection, and technology. Despite technological advancements in the twenty-first century, folks from the lower classes find it difficult to stay up as there are far more vital things to spend money on; just like businesses, they aren’t the target market for such innovations making it almost impossible for them to utilize social media platforms to conduct their research, fact-check the rampant misinformation, read credible articles, and even watch presidential debates. From another viewpoint, it may also be a waste of time for some Filipinos to devote time scrolling through social media especially when their labor correlates to their daily source of income in comparison to those belonging to the upper classes that usually get hold of how they manage their hours in a day. These considerations have led to the masses' reliance on what most likely appeals to their ears, with the opposition acquiring a competitive edge as a result of this.
The rise of several publication materials regarding the said matter has driven their focus on utilizing house-to-house campaigning as a medium of encouraging the masses to vote for them. Kakampinks, as we all know, are Robredo’s supporters who are going all-out by maximizing all possible means from the mobilization of campaign sorties and grand rallies to moving from one house to the other. It has also come to the people's attention how unprecedented celebrities have used their platforms and joined the movement in encouraging individuals from different regions to vote for the Robredo slate. Among those is one of the sought Sports endorsers and volleyball superstar; Alyssa Valdez, Filipino actress, singer, and dancer; Nadine Lustre, and even actress, comedian, singer, and television host; K Brosas. Nowadays, standing up for a political figure without expecting a cent in exchange speaks volumes of the candidate’s character.
Indisputably, the non-complacency from the Vice President’s team has then resulted in the irrefutable efforts exhibited by her supporters to encourage each one of them to convert at least 10 people, per supporter, as a response to their final push in expanding their growing momentum which was manifested in the recent surveys. Just around April 28 this year; witnessing the true essence of unity alongside high spirits of volunteerism urged me, Cyprus, Rafaela, and Tricia to hop on to the pink tide and immerse ourselves with different communities around the country with hopes of being able to convince the people in securing the welfare of the Filipinos. Despite prioritizing a healthy discourse, unsolicited remarks were unavoidable. Likewise, setting foot in one of the places with a solid political stance of the opposing parties and distributing flyers, shirts, ballers, and caps of Robredo was already a bold move to make, let alone conversing with them to #SwitchToLeni. The warm smiles of different individuals we encountered during the entire course of our utmost efforts were priceless as their words left a mark in our hearts that we could never forget. 67-year-old Aling Bene proves how her vote this May 9 shall never be a selfish desire as the future of her 6-grandchildren will be her top-most reason for standing firmly by the platforms advocated by the Robredo slate. Coming from her personal experience, she vows to never allow history to repeat itself.
House-to-house campaigning indeed calls for a lot of sacrifices; time, sweat, money, and energy but for what it’s worth, those are nothing when the country’s future is at stake. Although it is physically tiring, nothing beats the mental and emotional fulfillment to stand by with moral integrity — volunteers like us have then involved themselves in such campaign activities that signify their desire for the masses to be not only politically aware but might as well engage in fruitful discussions that shall not bring harm to anyone, that shall not be grassroots of divisiveness as keeping an open communication on one's end with respect to their personal space remains a priority.
This election season had ramped up campaigning from one house to another which surely opened up a plethora of possibilities; from engaging with those different stances, we can lend our ears from where they are coming from and likewise foster engagement to consider supporting Robredo. We covet good governance that’s why it is our responsibility to ensure and secure not just the next 6 years of our lives but as well of those future generations of Filipinos. Campaign activities may not be the same as they used to be, but our morals are certain. The passion to be better people with better knowledge does not end. Concurrently, let's pour our hearts out for our beloved Philippines and take into account how our future president shall not and never impede the growth of the country and its people.