In a display of political gamesmanship that reeks of desperation and disdain for democracy, the suspension of Congressman Eric Yap’s proclamation stands as a dark stain on Benguet’s electoral process.
What should have been a straightforward affirmation of the people’s mandate has devolved into a calculated and shameful power play; a desperate last gasp from a vanquished camp that refuses to accept the clear verdict of the ballot.
The barrage of post-election disqualification petitions strategically filed by the losing side and their proxies is not rooted in noble principles or legitimate grievances. They are a textbook case of weaponizing bureaucracy and exploiting loopholes to override the people’s choice. It is a vile form of electoral subversion that sows chaos and confusion.
These petitions are being filed to delay, obstruct, and paralyze. Like a rigged chess game played by sore losers, the aim is to block Eric Yap’s proclamation long enough to prevent him from taking office by June 30, 2025.
Should this sinister tactic succeed, Benguet’s lone congressional seat will fall silent.
Let that sink in. An entire province, rich in culture, resources, and heritage, deliberately stripped of its representation because a few bitter political operatives cannot stomach defeat. It is the height of arrogance and a profound betrayal of democratic norms. The seat is not a trophy to be stolen in the shadows of a courtroom. It is the people’s chair earned through ballots.
The consequences are immediate and devastating.
Without a congressional representative, Benguet will be left without a voice in budget deliberations, legislative consultations, and national policymaking.
Infrastructure projects will stall. Social services will falter. Local concerns will be drowned in the noise of a Congress that has no seat for them.
But perhaps that is the true intention behind this charade: to weaken, to disenfranchise, to punish the people of Benguet for voting the “wrong” way.
The dirtiest trick of all is cloaking this obstructionism in the language of the law. Legal challenges, when filed in good faith, are a pillar of any functioning democracy. But what we see now is not principled litigation but political vandalism. It is a deliberate manipulation of timing and technicality to subvert what should have been a simple and transparent confirmation of a fresh mandate from the people.
Enough is enough.
Benguet deserves better than to be a pawn in someone’s post-election tantrum. The people deserve their representative, their voice, their seat in Congress. And Congressman Eric Yap, having won the mandate fair and square, deserves to be sworn in without further delay.
More importantly, Benguet deserves to heal.
This election has been divisive, bruising, and bitter. Political opponents have thrown mud, and supporters have crossed lines that may take years to forget. But the province must now turn the page. The wounds inflicted by ambition and partisanship must give way to unity and progress.
Healing begins when we respect the vote. Healing begins when we honor the will of the people.
Healing begins when we say, unequivocally, that democracy belongs not in the courtroom, but in the hands of the voters.
Let Eric Yap serve. Let Benguet speak again.
