OPINION: The 2028 general election will take place sooner than expected | Sept. 12, 2026

0:00The 2028 general election will take place sooner than expected. First word. This will surprise some people and could make a few frantic or desperate. In reality, the May 2028 general election, which many of us imagine is still far, far away, is much closer than we imagine. It is only 605 days away. Because of my writing and other projects, I regularly consult Google Online to calculate the time that it would take me to complete research, analysis and writing in my writing and publishing projects. Without this rudimentary calculus, it would be impossible for me to do work effectively and deliver work on schedule. Mainly out of curiosity and on the off chance that I could be involved as an observer analyst in the politics of 2028, I asked Google about the time duration between Friday, September 11, 2026, and Monday, May 8, 2028, the date of our next national elections. The answer to my query came in a flash even before I could type out my question in detail. Google said the time duration between my two dates is 605 days. This breaks down or converts to, one year, seven months,

1:0227 days, excluding the end date, or 19 months, 27 days, excluding the end date, or 86 weeks and three days. I presume that most would be candidates and political parties planning to contest seats in the election know these numbers by heart and keep them firmly in mind. But I believe most will get frantic when the implications of these numbers sink into their heads. Candidacy in a Philippine election is costly and serious stuff, and it gets more costly and tougher when candidates target higher positions and bigger prizes in the ballot. The politics of 2028. Incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is term-limited under the Constitution and is not eligible for re-election. Vice President Sarah Duterte is similarly term-limited, but she is allowed by the Constitution to run for re-election as vice president if she desires. The election in 2028 will seal with finality the end of the alliance of the Marcos Duterte political families with the team up of Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Sarah Duterte for the 2022 presidential election. Their uni-team ticket swept the ballot in record fashion. But a fundamental incompatibility of vision and personality prevented the two leaders from

2:06working effectively with each other and forging a way to work together. The 2028 presidential election is an opportunity to repair the damage done to Filipino solidarity and unity by the false promise of uni-team. If our politics is to get better and if we Filipinos are to recover our essential unity as a people, it is crucial that we recognize and remove from our public life the worm that has divided us and let us astray. This is the challenge that ought to occupy our councils and discussions in the politics of 2028. By reasoning together and striving to offer what each of us can truly contribute, maybe then we will realize and understand what they say is the purpose of democratic politics, which is to solve problems and resolve disputes. Let us hope that on June 30, 2028, with the vote counting done, our Filipino republic installs and gains a new political leadership which, fingers crossed, will work together and forge our Filipino future. Yen Observer at gmail.com