Ang Magiting - The Official Web Site of Rotary Club Makati North

US Electoral Process 101

Director Hector M. Lojo
November 5, 2008

Last week’s guest speaker was timely and indeed interesting as it was the Election Day in the US. Three tables were filled up with young and not-so-young Rotarians from Makati North eagerly waiting for the prediction from a US diplomat on how the US election will unfold.

But before the guest speaker was introduced by Dir Bob Hecks, PP Gus Lagman gave an update on the computerization project in Pampanga, which is equally important, and made us proud to be a RCMNERs. This project as communicated before was funded through the matching grant amounting to US$ 21,000.00 of which US$ 100 will be the contribution coming from our own club. Despite we have only that share, let it be known that RCMN had the highest contribution among the Rotary clubs in the Philippines to Rotary Foundation amounting to US$ 140,000. In other words, we give more than we receive. Thanks to IPDG Ato Magadia for sharing that important information and kudos to Gus for working hard behind the scene on this project.

Our guest speaker, Ms. Sarah Catherine Peck, a US Consul came a bit early. PP Porong and myself being early birds had the opportunity to have an initial sharing of what is happening in the US. We could see from her face how enthusiastic she was and from time to time looks at her mobile phone to get an update of what is going on in the election back home. We knew she had already a road map on what to share but unfortunately the electoral system was so efficient that even before she stood up, CNN coverage showed Senator McCain giving his conciliatory speech,

We knew that Sarah had to rearrange her road map as the tempo and atmosphere in the room had changed already after McCain’s conciliatory speech. Everybody was so amazed on the courage and the sportsmanship the veteran senator had expressed on his speech, and I could sense that the majority in the audience were asking themselves when is this gonna happen in the Philippines.

Sarah shared her personal views and was very much proud to be an American. She is so proud that there is

• non-violent transfer of power
• highest voters turnout since 1960 – estimated between 135-140 million
• long ques of voters who believes on the power of suffrage
• first African-American president – an important milestone in US politics. Who will imagine that this will happen 45 years after Martin Luther King had this on his dream.

The audience was so lucky enough that aside from her gracious sharing of her views about the election, we all had the opportunity to add to our knowledge the electoral process in the US. I am sure that Sarah was also amazed how knowledgeable the Filipinos are on the basics of American electoral system. Added to this is the unprecedented interest our countrymen has on US political system.

Gracious and thankful, Sarah was so proud about the strength of America’s democracy and its institutions of which everybody agreed and dreamed that sooner or later this will also happen in our country.

My personal impression is this topic is not 101 anymore to many of us but already a 102 course!