Candidates for the May 9 election include Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, current Vice President Leni Robredo, and retired boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, who is now a senator. At rallies in Winnipeg over the past two weeks, hundreds of people came out to support their preferred candidate. More rallies are planned for other presidential candidates, including one for Marcos this coming weekend. Dante Aviso organized a rally in support of Robredo in Winnipeg last weekend. Aviso, a Canadian-Philippine dual national, says it is important to be able to vote in elections. He says relatives and friends in the Philippines are suffering because of the dire economic situation. “The Philippines has been hit by all these disasters – the pandemic, the high unemployment rate, the level of lawlessness and crime,” he said. He is unhappy with the current state of political affairs under President Rodrigo Duterte and says the Philippines can no longer tolerate corruption. Robredo, he says, is “the only hope and the only true leader who can help and elevate the people of the Philippines.” Duterte, known for his deadly drug crackdown, his vulgar rhetoric and his unorthodox political style, can not run for another term under the country’s constitution.

Looking for specific designs

According to the Consulate General of the Philippines in Toronto, there are just over 139,000 people in Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan who are registered to vote. Ballot papers for the May 9 presidential and vice-presidential elections were sent to Filipinos living abroad in the second week of April, according to the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa. They must be received by the Consulate General in Toronto by May 9 in order to be considered eligible votes. Orlando and Flor Marcelino immigrated to Canada in 1982. They closely follow politics in Canada and the Philippines, which they say is part of social responsibility. (Joanne Roberts / CBC)
Orlando Marcelino, the former Consulate General of the Philippines in Winnipeg, is not eligible to vote in the election. He came to Winnipeg in 1982 and is now a Canadian citizen. But he knows firsthand how conditions in the Philippines affect immigrants and overseas Filipino workers here in Manitoba. Family members in Canada often send money to relatives in the Philippines. Marcelino said that because a large part of the Philippine population lives in misery, they need help. But it does come at a cost – families have less income to support themselves in Canada. “What is happening to you now? You have no savings for your retirement. This is the connection,” Marcelino said. Marcelino said the election brings hope to the Philippine community. Although people differ on who they support, it seems the community wants the same thing – an honest leader who will work to improve the country’s conditions for its poor, he says. His wife, Flor – who was a member of the NDP of the Manitoba Legislature from 2007 to 2019 – says this particular election is different. The country has gone through many natural disasters beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and needs more of its leadership to bring the country to better times, he says. “People really hope that there is someone who could offer hope, reassurance, and concrete plans to alleviate people’s condition.”

“People are awake now,” says the international student

International student Leonilo Santiago III says he hopes the new president will correct corruption in Filpino’s policy. “The common denominator I feel [we’re] I am looking [in a new leader] is the power. “Because we are in difficult times,” said Santiago, who is studying at Red River College in Winnipeg. He had hoped to vote, but did not register in time, as his plans to study in Winnipeg had not been finalized by the time he registered to vote abroad in September. Although he can not vote, he closely monitors the election and talks to his friends and family in the Philippines about it. “I think it’s wonderful that the Filipinos [living in Canada] continue to exercise their right to vote. “It is our civic duty,” he said. Leonilo Santiago III says people in the Philippine community have gained more empathy for others as they face the pandemic. This added to the sense of political duty for Filipinos abroad to register to vote in the upcoming presidential election, he says. (Submitted by Leonilo Santiago III)
Santiago has seen a change in the attitude of Filipinos towards politics. These elections have a different feel – more people are paying attention, he says. “I feel that in this case, people are talking about the election not only because they have friends and family there, but also because they care about the Filipinos in general.” Santiago believes that the struggles that everyone faced during the pandemic made people more empathetic and aware of the well-being of others. “We are listening [about people suffering] all the time. “People are awake now.” CLOCKS Manitoban rally for Philippine presidential candidates:

Manitoba Philippine Community Gathers to Support Candidates in Upcoming Elections

Although the Philippines is more than 12,000 kilometers away, many members of the Manitoba Philippine community are still very much involved in the upcoming Philippine presidential election. 2:04