Reasons Why Miriam Defensor-Santiago Was Least Voted For Philippine Presidency

Written By DANLEY on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 | 10:40:00 PM

The Philippine National Election is almost in near finish. 53+ million voters had already casted their votes to elect the new government officials that will serve them for the next three or six years (In case of the president, the vice president, and the 12 senators). So far in the unofficial tallies as of this moment, it is the Mayor of Davao City, Rodrigo Duterte that leads the presidency while the Representative of the Third District of Camarines Sur, Leni Robredo leads the vice presidency with a small margin against Senator Bongbong Marcos.

Photo credits to Miriam Defensor-Santiago's official website

As a voter myself, I also casted my votes on the precint where I am voting, somewhere here in Makati. I voted, of course, Rodrigo Duterte and Bongbong Marcos as my vice president. After I vote, I just spent the day waiting for the election results and the results shown on TV were.

1. Rodrigo Duterte
2. Mar Roxas
3. Grace Poe
4. Jojo Binay
5. Miriam Defensor-Santiago
6. Roy Señeres

I am satisfied of the result that was shown on the television but it also made me notice that Miriam Defensor-Santiago is on the second to the last rank. As I researched her background, on all the presidential candidates, she is the most qualified. Rodrigo Duterte comes second to her. The election result that was shown had made me conclude these reasons on why Miriam was least voted for Philippine Presidency.

1. She has the least exposure.
   Yes, indeed she has the least exposure on the campaigns. In my observations from the start of the campaign, I didn't even managed to see a "Miriam for President" TV campaign. Same on the radios. I didn't even managed to hear such campaign. What she did was just show herself on the debates and explain her platform on different issues in our country and also, she appeared as guest speakers of some conferences and some school-related activities. Another thing is that she used the social media and its youth users to campaign for her, thus made her the least (None at all rather) spender on the presidential campaign.
2. She has cancer, she'll die in office.
   This reason was made out by those persons who didn't voted her. She was not voted because she is sick? On all the reasons I listed here, this is the most unreasonable. As I can see on the personality of Miriam, I know she can overcome anything in order to serve the country and cancer is just a little problem for her. Yes, we care for her that's why we didn't voted for her but she cares a lot for the Filipino people that she decided to run for presidency even if her body is infested by cancer.
3. She picked Bongbong Marcos as her tandem for vice president.
   I think everyone (Especially the Martial Law victims) was shocked when she announced that she will go a collaboration with Bongbong Marcos on the campaign going to the Malacañang. I know she had the valid reasons for picking him as her tandem and no one would even attempt to question it to her. Bongbong Marcos was even her student way back, but as we all know, Marcoses (The family itself) had created a very negative hype to the Filipinos because of the Martial Law, the assasination of Ninoy Aquino, as well as the ill-gotten wealth of their family. Knowing that she will have a tandem with a Marcos, it became a large factor that made her the least to be voted in the elections.
4. The Filipino Perfectionist Stereotype
   (This part is my own opinion already) We all know that Miriam is a very intelligent person, No one even managed to go mudslinging with Miriam because of her intelligence. This intelligence she possess is one of the reasons why she is the most qualified to run the Philippines as its president, but this intelligence is also the reason as well why she is the least voted in the elections. Filipinos had stereotyped her as a perfectionist, and will not listen to the Filipino people if they had ideas that are helpful but not perfect. Most of the Filipinos are poor and somehow, want themselves to have a comfortable life under a good-governing president. These Filipinos feel that Miriam deserves to be president but because of stereotyping, they feel that if she wins, she'll just ignore their ideas for a comfortable life because it was not perfect or good after all, and it will not give a win-win result. Miriam is known to decisions that favors both parties a win-win result but with an attitude of Filipinos "that wants to gain the upperhand at all times", I think that made Filipinos stererotype the highly intelligent Miriam.

She had already ran for presidency for three times on different ocassions, She was defeated by Fidel V. Ramos in 1992, by Joseph Estrada in 1998, and this 2016 by Rodrigo Duterte. Because of the results of the past presidential elections she participated in, she was dubbed in social media "The Best Philippine President We Never Had".

So far, I don't have a credible source if she will retire in politics after this. Somehow, she had long served the Philippines already for so long.