MANILA , Philippines — Malacanang urged the public to reflect on their election bets Saturday, noting our choice will mirror the nation.
“During these last two days before the elections, let us ask ourselves if our candidate is truly the best we Filipinos can offer. On Monday, our choice will tell the world who we are as a people,” Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III said in a radio interview Saturday.
He pointed out the public should align their votes with their vision for the country.
“It is imperative that we align our votes with our vision for the country. Do we want a leader who represents the best in us—a nation of decent, hardworking individuals — or do we want one whose popularity is fuelled by fear, hate, ignorance, and disrespect for the law? Whomever we choose, it is certain that nothing will ever be the same again. But whether for good or bad is something we must individually decide.
Who will build on the foundation we carefully laid down these past six years? Who can we trust to uphold the rule of law? Who do we want to represent us and speak for us in international community and its platforms? Everything we have worked so hard to achieve is at stake.”
The Palace official further stressed the end of the elections will only start the fight of the Filipinos.
“But the fight is far from over—in fact, it has only just begun. Long after the election clamor has died down, the quiet work of governance will continue, and it is up to us to choose who will lead us during this next chapter of our history,” he said.
Quezon recalled the current administration already achieved gains which might be lost.
“Once, we successfully overthrew a dictator that had promised us peace, order, and a New Society—but instead gave us oppression, violence, and reason to fear our own government. Today, we see these same promises being dangled before us by those who would seek to cast aside our hopes and instead take advantage of our fears.
“By working together, we have already achieved so much these past six years. Of course, much more remains to be done—but when has a quick fix ever worked? When has dictatorship ever worked? Now that the world’s eyes are on us, do we want them to see us vote for the kind of one-man rule we ousted only a generation ago?
“There was a time when we feared our government, when we didn’t dare speak against those in power. There was a time when we feared our neighbors, of what they—or the people they know—might do to us should we happen to have a difference of opinion. Those days are long gone, and we must unite as a people to ensure that they never return.” (from PND)