When I joined my son to vote last May 12, I felt it was another effort to exercise my citizen duty. Especially since I had to be assisted as my legs are no longer able to allow me to move around by myself. And during the past years, we had to wait for at least a couple of hours in a crowded venue.

But this year, our polling place was moved to an airconditioned mall lobby of Robinson’s, a far cry from the elementary school on C. Benitez, where our booth was situated for the past four decades. The election staff at the new venue were quite efficient and a volunteer from the Parish for Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting assisted me. The whole exercise was over in half an hour.

When we watched TV that evening, I thought I would be watching another replay of the past. Like some, I had felt like giving up many a time and had remarked that we may be on the brink of becoming a “failed state.” The midterm election which would be a forerunner of things to come in 2028 would show what surveys had shown us – that things would continue to be the same. But lo and behold! I was not quite prepared with the outcome which was a big surprise.

With 81.65 percent, voter turnout from the 71 million registered voters, it was the first midterm election in the country that had the highest voter turnout. Sixty-three percent came from millennials and Gen Z voters. In the senatorial race, Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan who in the surveys were at the bottom or outside the magic “12,” were now leading as Nos. 2 and 5. Akbayan Chel Diokno and two other party-list candidates were leading, with ML’s Leila de Lima among the winners. Heidi Mendoza failed to make it but despite her not having adequate machinery and resources, she garnered 8.7 million votes. Former Vice President Leni Robredo, Vico Sotto, and Joy Belmonte were overwhelmingly elected mayor of Naga City, Pasig, and Quezon City.

Many attribute the shift to the youth vote among Gen Z and millennials and the influence of the “pink” movement. Some also saw it as a reflection of the “Risa” factor who has been an acknowledged leader of Akbayan. As many know, Senator Risa Hontiveros has won public attention for her effective advocacies on vital concerns – mental health, women’s and civic rights, as well as exposing irregularities in governance. She also shares similar political views as Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan, both liberal-democrat, with their primary advocacies on education and food security.

Although the dynasties still prevailed, and the party-list category, intended for the marginalized sectors, continued to be co-opted by the more affluent sectors, the 2025 election results had shown that there had been some slight positive improvement in that some prominent dynasties had lost, and that Akbayan and groups belonging to the less privileged sectors managed to obtain seats. Several prominent movie stars and celebrities like Willie Revillame, Bong Revilla, Philip Salvador did not make it. Even Abby Binay who was a popular mayor of Makati failed.

As reported, this year’s midterm election appeared more peaceful than those in the past. There was evidence of vote-buying and violence in some parts of the country but not as rampant as it was in the past.

Thus, there is much to hope for in 2028. But there is still much work to be done in sustaining the momentum. It can easily die down unless those who made it happen — the youth, the liberals and social democrats — would continue the struggle for change. The midterm performance, the results of VP Sara’s impeachment trial, developments on former President Rodrigo Duterte’s detention at the ICC — all these would determine the course of the struggle for power in 2028.

There will be an upsurge of disinformation and fake news.

In the next few months, the youth will have to be very visible in the campaign for good government. How they will harness existing resources such as digital technology and AI in advocating for the change they hope to happen will determine the political direction for 2028. They must therefore have to remain focused on the goal — that of educating our future voters on the attributes of the society they want to help shape. ([email protected])