‘Relax Lang!’

By Alex P. Vidal 

“Don’t flatter yourselves that friendship authorizes you to say disagreeable things to your intimates. On the contrary, the nearer you come into relation with a person, the more necessary do tact and courtesy become.” —Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

IT’S normal to be nervous and anxious for all those involved in the campaign as the May 12, 2025 Philippine election approaches.

In less than two weeks, the final reckoning beckons. New leaders will be installed, but some of those who won’t make it are well advised to normalize their anger and sadness; they must refrain from quickly pathologizing emotions that are scary.

Feeling angry, sad, grieving would be a normal reaction to a surprising outcome and an outcome that, in their view, is going backward and not forward.

Thus, candidates can’t afford to make a major blunder as horrific as the one recently committed by tactically erratic reelectionist senatorial candidate Imee Marcos, who had to be “baby-sitted” in a last-ditch appeal by no less than the Marcos matriarch, former First Lady Imeldific.

This applies also to local candidates, who may now be also losing patience as the situations turn tension-filled and are now incalculable in many aspects.

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Both the national and local candidates must now watch out for their demeanor and carefully choose their words especially then lambasting their rivals without any apparent provocation, or they will lose major party leaders and key supporters in a hemorrhage or heavy defections.

Even if they are being provoked, the best option is still to maintain a calm mind and continue to soldier on like a professional team player.

Bawal ang pikon, or ang pikon talo—or as what some Tagalog neighborhood buddies tell each other, “relaks lang ‘tsong!”

Although easier said than done, they must learn to control their emotions; the homestretch is still the most critical stage in any race.

Emotions are running high undoubtedly, especially for those who are lagging behind in the surveys; but whatever pint up outburst and angry snipes may only exacerbate any candidate’s downfall and won’t contribute to any damage control.

Participants in any competition shouldn’t be afraid of losing. They must know that it’s a normal reaction to an outcome they didn’t want or expect.

It doesn’t need to go away, but hopefully it doesn’t immobilize them. The grief is frozen; they themselves shouldn’t be. Relax lang!

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I recently revisited the Roosevelt House, the former double townhouse of former U.S President Franklin, Eleanor and Sara Delano Roosevelt on Upper East 65th in Manhattan, NYC.

Now owned by Hunter College, the house now offers visitors a chance to get closer to a family as unique as the city they inhabited, and to explore the private spaces where some of the most iconic public policy of the 20th century was shaped.

Roosevelt House is an integral part of Hunter College since 1943, re-opened in 2010 as a public policy institute honoring the distinguished legacy of the Roosevelt couple.

Its mission is three-fold: to educate students in public policy and human rights, to support faculty research, and to foster creative dialogue.

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The institute actually provides opportunities for students to analyze public policy and experience meaningful civic engagement; for faculty to research, teach, and write about important issues of the day; and for scholarly and public audiences to participate in high-profile lectures, seminars and conferences.

We could learn about President Franklin Roosevelt’s rise to the White House after his struggle with polio, Eleanor’s activism for civil rights and human rights, and Sara’s philanthropy.

It’s in the rooms inside where Eleanor gained the leadership skills to become America’s ambassador to the world and where Franklin created the New Deal to bring America out of the Great Depression.

We could also hear the voices of the Roosevelts and their friends and view Roosevelt memorabilia, photographs, and period documents.

The Roosevelt House still maintains the Neo-Georgian landmark designed by architect Charles A. Platt and learn how Hunter College carries on the Roosevelts’ legacies in the 21st century through research, teaching and public programs.

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DEATH DURING INTERCOURSE. French President Francois Faure expired in 1899 during sex, which so terrified his lady of the evening that her vagina constricted intractably, necessitating the surgical removal of the dead president’s weapon.

UNIQUE CAVE DESIGN. The earliest known illustration of a man using a condom during sexual intercourse is painted on the wall of a cave in France. It is dated between 12,000 and 15,000 years old.

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