Samarnons’ pride: they elected Noynoy their president, Binay, their vice-president

By CHITO DELA TORRE
June 12, 2010

Unlike any other single province and single big island with component provinces and cities, Samar stands out unique in the historic first automated elections in the Philippines last May 10, 2010.  Its performance was far from the all-time’s expectation that it was going for Erap Estrada, the cinematic guy whom they heavily worked for to become president in 1998.  Last May 10, it relegated Erap to a shadow behind a senator who was only then being seen by many Samarnons as a second-fiddle to moneyed aspirant Manny Villar.  More than that, it rallied behind that senator, who, as electronic election results bore, would soon become president apparent, and then be proclaimed as president-elect of the Republic of the Philippines, in a joint Senate and House of Representatives session.

Samar Island consists of three provinces, with a total of 829,846 combined votes cast into the PCOS machines – a first time in the Philippines, watched by the whole world as to its ultimate operative technology.  In less than five days from the time precinct level counting of votes closed, the Commission on Elections reported via the internet the results of elections in the provinces of Samar, Eastern Samar and Northern Samar.  Out of the total votes cast in all corners of the island of Samar, senator Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Cojuangco Aquino collected 301,238.  This only represented 36.6 per cent of the total votes cast in the island, but it was enough to convey the message that the Samarnon electorate already wanted again an Aquino in the presidency so that the true crusade against graft and corruption, that senator Ninoy Aquino, Noynoy’s father, began and that Pres. Cory Aquino, Noynoy’s mother, institutionalized, could be resuscitated and revivified.

Noynoy’s votes were much larger by 36,210 over the total of 85,985 votes mustered by Erap in Samar which went for Noynoy with 122,195 votes, 37,874 over the Erap’s 65,141 votes in Northern Samar where Nortehanons gave 103,015 to Noynoy, and 16,767 over Erap’s 59,261 in Eastern Samar which credited Noynoy with 76,028 votes.  Summing up, the whole island of Samar gave Noynoy a heavy margin of 90,851 over the total of 210,387 that were counted as votes for Erap.

Clearly, Noynoy won in all three Samar provinces.  In terms of percentage, Nortehanons registered the highest (42.87%) for Noynoy, out of a total of 271,120 actually cast and counted.  Westehanons recorded only 39.46% of a total of 346,987 votes cast, but their 122,195 votes for the Tarlaqueño far outnumbered those from the north and almost doubled the 76,028 votes engendered for him by the Estehanons who managed 38.9% in his favor out 213,739 votes cast.

As counting and canvassing continued up to the national level, not a single protest was heard against the clear victory of Noynoy in Samar island.  Samarnons were sure their presidential choice was winning and ending up as final winner.  It was not alone the effort of die-hard Liberal Party partidistas that worked for that eventual end.  There were also volunteers, but the most significant cause behind the electoral win of Noynoy was the Samarnons’ conviction that he was the right leader to liberate them from more than 10 decades of being ignored and abandoned in the race for massive social, physical and economic development.

Then, Samar and Eastern Samar gave their vote of confidence to Makati mayor Jojo Binay as their favored candidate for vice-president.  It was an impressive bestowal of 115,887 votes from the Westehanons and 73,711 from the Estehanons, or a total of 189,598 that beclouded by 33,357 votes the total of 156,241 that closest rival senator Mar Roxas obtained (96,212 from Samar and 60,029 from Eastern Samar).  In the whole island of Samar, Binay won, even if Roxas amassed 88,980 in his favor in Northern Samar.  Binay got a total lead margin of 12,127 over Roxas in the summation of total votes from the three provinces.  Certainly, with this highly significant showing, Samarnons have seen additional hope in Binay, particularly in his pro-poor campaign slogan of “gaganda ang buhay kay Binay”.

This is another big something to be proud of.

I join, therefore, the Samarnons in right now knocking on the hearts of president-elect Noynoy and vice-president-elect Binay, with the earnest and fervent prayer that they will be the first two highest elected officials to look at Samar island as among their first priorities upon assuming their posts come June 30 noontime.

I also join my fellow Samarnons in reiterating our heartfelt congratulations to President-elect Aquino and Vice-President Binay.  (Yes, reiterate, because we had long ago sent our initial congratulatory messages via text messaging and other means.)  God bless you, two, and the Philippines. Please visit Samar province in July so that you can immediately prioritize our needs and concerns.

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