Destroying Others Because of Election

By Alex P. Vidal 

“Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”  — Abraham Lincoln

LET’S be careful when lambasting others and destroying their reputations only because of election rivalries.

It’s normal to have arguments and disagreements on certain issues. It’s normal to poke fun at comical errors and imperfections, as long as it doesn’t harm or assassinate characters.

It’s not normal to permanently terminate relationships by burning the bridges and tearing down the walls only because both protagonists dispute a certain elective public office.

Elections come and go. A shattered reputation can still be refurbished but can never be restored again just like a shattered glass.

Thus, if we concoct lies and pass them on as gospel truth, our intention is really to inflict irreparable damage, not to build and improve.

Do we really need to destroy others only because we want to win in a competition?

No Filipino politician has recovered from shame and stigma after engaging a fellow politician in mudslinging and flame-throwing during the campaign trail—win or lose.

The nasty and rancid issues they hurled toward each other will not only reverberate in the community where they campaigned during the polls.

They will be engraved in the memories of the electorate.

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And even if many years have passed by, the dirty accusations and vitriols will not be erased easily; they will even be reprogrammed, rehashed and replayed like a broken record when another political hustings shape up.

The canard and aspersions will not only add insult to past injuries, but they will also produce additional distress to the vanquished and traumatize their loved ones.

The late former Iloilo City mayor Rodolfo “Roding” Ganzon never forgave his old rival, the late former assemblyman Fermin “Nene” Caram, for calling him “putyong” (uncircumcised).

Even after his “retirement” from politics, former Iloilo City lone district representative Rafael Lopez-Vito continued to be sore at his one-time political foe Ganzon, who accused him of being “member of the (House) committee on silence” allegedly for “doing nothing” during his tenure in congress.

Nowadays when a candidate will say it even in jest, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) under chairman George Erwin Garcia will give him a “show cause order” or even file disqualification proceedings against him.

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‘YOU’RE A PIG.’ Don’t feel bad if an adversary or critic will call you a pig. Ronald Reagan, like George Bush and Bill Clinton, was also called a pig but he retorted, “I am very proud to be called a pig. It stands for Pride, Integrity and Guts.”

BRA SIZE. According to a U.S. market research firm, the most popular American bra size is currently 36C, up from 1991 when it was 34B.

POWERFUL GRASS. God wants us to live like the grass. In spite of being stepped on, crushed, burned, or cut, it always persists and grows back…even greener and stronger.

FIRST SCENE. The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime-time television were Fred and Wilma Finstone.

MEET THE 10 NEW SUPERFOODS. The superstars—blueberries, almonds, tomatoes, flaxseeds, broccoli, red wine, salmon, olive oil, edamme, brown rice. The understudy—strawberries, peanuts, white button mushrooms, beer, sunflower seeds, cauliflower, trout, safflower oil, black beans, barley, (Source: Sally Kuzemchack, R.D., Fitness: Mind, Body + Spirit) 

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS will continue for all candidates in the May 12, 2025 election a week or two after the final results have been known. The pain of defeat is the most fatal of all. Acceptance will come later.

For candidates in the May 12, 2025 election who lagged behind the surveys: Never, never, never give up! Bilog ang bola.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)