FRIDAY last week was a day of answers.
The biggest letdown of that day was Sarah ‘Daughterte’. The biggest surprise, though was Sen. Bato de la Rosa.
The former failed to heed the call of her followers and did not file a COC for president.
The latter heeded the call of his President and did what the former failed to do.
Finally, we have six serious candidates for president. The debate continues and boisterous is an understatement in describing the cacophony in social media.
Keyboard warriors have upped their presence in our cellphones making them rich and internet providers even richer.
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Reality is, the AB and upper C crowd is too noisy and very opinionated but they make up only 30% of the voters.
The lower C and the D and E groups, the silent majority make presidents.
Unfortunately, well-funded candidates are carried away by the noise in social media that they start to believe that social media will make them win.
Back in 2014, in a chat with then Mayor Digong in Davao City, the mayor dropped the thought of running for president, believing that he would not win.
He is a probinsyano and did not have the money to mount a campaign.
He even cursed me for organizing the first Digong for president movement in Metro Manila.
My answer to his doubts was the country was in hopeless state and people were looking up to somebody who can inspire them to hope.
And his life story inspires hope. The rest is history.
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From among these six candidates, who inspire hope? Hope is the driver that motivates the 70 percent of the voters to make a decision.
When the voters in the laylayan go to the polls in May next year, they will do so with the hope that their lives will improve.
Whoever is able to convince this 70%, when words and promises are matched by performance that directly hit the heart of the masa, he is our next president.
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The heavy issues are mostly economic, the gut issue every election is freedom from poverty.
Tied to this are issues on corruption, employment scarcity, bankrupt farmers and small businesses among others.
Most of the voters are waiting for answers to these very important concerns. The next challenge is who to believe as every candidate promises heaven.
There is a very good chance that truths will get lost in the noise in social media.
This noise in social media is deliberate to hide the real issues. Candidates are spending millions to create the loudest noise.
Thanks God! The government is moving to contain the sale of text blasts machines, a potent tool in influencing the mind of people.
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The laylayan votes are heard only in every election. They are with beneficiaries or victims of government policies crafted by politicians who owe their winning to businessmen.
When asked who I will support this elections, my answer: the candidate who will serve the interests of the majority, the laylayan voters.