real people power

This year's election has left more than 100 people dead since the campaign started -- 114, according to Inquirer.net, and 116, according to International Herald Tribune. Five of these people were killed today alone.

These figures are lower than those for the 2004 elections. And though still not violence-free, elections 2007 has already been called peaceful and clean. Hopefully, this is not a premature proclamation.

Despite the violence, this has been more of a democratic exercise than ever. Inquirer.net's election coverage includes a blog site that accepts posts from readers, while on ANC, photo and video contributions from citizen journalists have been encouraged in TV spots that sell the idea of going beyond voter education to "voter empowerment."

And in the end, that's what this is all about: putting the power back into the people's hands. It is about the voter -- the Filipino -- his voice, his hope. It is about how empowered he feels and how much he values his vote, despite -- or maybe, more properly, because of -- the killings, the cheating, and the politician's promises.

Let us hope the people elected today never forget this.