CEBU CITY -- Do not fight over the candidates you are rooting for.
Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero has this advice to voters as campaign fever heats up with barely 17 days to the national and local elections.
For Escudero, who is eyeing a Senate comeback and one of the leading senatorial bets based on surveys, this year’s elections is the most intense not because of the protagonists vying for government posts.
“Ito na ang pinakamainit na eleksyon na nakita ko since I first ran in 1998,” (This is the most heated election that I experienced since I first ran in 1998) uttered Escudero during Friday’s press briefing in this city, which easily has the biggest voting population in Cebu province with around 800,000 registered voters.
He explained that the sheer involvement of the voters in every conceivable election-related issue is what makes this particular political exercise a lot more intense than in the past elections.
“Mainit hindi dahil nagpapatayan ang mga kandidato; mainit dahil nag-aaway-away ang mga tao,” (The most heated not because the candidates are killing each other; intense because people are the ones fighting),” added Escudero.
Escudero stressed that amid the intense political season, the respect for one another should prevail.
“You have to remember and don’t forget, whatever colors we are carrying—blue, white, pink, red—we should still end up with the same colors after the election -- colors that represent our flag--red, blue, white and a little bit of yellow,” said Escudero.
“Sa dulo, pare-pareho tayong mga Filipino, nakatira sa Pilipinas (In the end, we are still all Filipinos, living in the Philippines,” he added.
Escudero said supporters have to realize that while they fight each other because of varying political views, the candidates remain friends.
“At tandaan nyo rin, yung mga kandidato magkakaibigan yan ha. Ang pangit naman tingnan na ang mga suporters di na nagpapansinan sampong taon after ng elekson tapos ang mga kandidato, kung sino man ang sinuportahan nila, pag nagkikta “uy pare! uy pare! Aba’y di naman tama yon (You have to remember that these candidates are friends. It wouldn’t look good if supporters ignore each other even after 10 years have passed after the election while the candidates, whoever they supported, when they see each other “hey dude! hey dude!” That is no longer right),” said Escudero.
Escudero said supporters should learn how to move on no matter what happens after the election and should treat each other not on the basis of who they voted for.
“You should look at the person you are talking to as that person, not the color he or she brought in the last elections,” he said.
Escudero also emphasized that in any election, there is no wrong vote and the decision of the majority should be respected.
“Matuto tayo galangin ang binoto and ‘wag natin sabihin mali. Walang maling boto sa halalan. Dahil isa lang ang sinusunod sa halalan, ang gusto ng nakakarami. Kung ano man yon, kung ano man ang basehan nun, karapatan ng bawat botante magpasya and sabihin ‘yun (Let us learn to respect who a voter chose and let us not judge it as a mistake. There is no wrong vote in an election. There’s only one that should be followed in an election, the will of the majority. Whatever it is, whatever the basis, it is the right of each voter to decide and express it),” said Escudero.
Escudero’s wife, actress Heart Evangelista summed it up: “We don’t have to agree on anything to be kind to one another.”