{"id":13071,"date":"2022-07-17T02:58:35","date_gmt":"2022-07-17T12:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/?p=13071"},"modified":"2022-07-31T05:21:39","modified_gmt":"2022-07-31T15:21:39","slug":"vicky-cayeteno-and-the-filipino-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/2022\/07\/17\/vicky-cayeteno-and-the-filipino-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"Vicky Cayetano and the Filipino Vote"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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by Emil Guillermo<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vicky Cayetano, the former first lady of Hawaii is hoping lightning strikes twice and maybe even stronger as she seeks the governorship itself. Herself.

It\u2019s not the former governor, First Filipino Ben. It\u2019s Vicky, his wife. OK, second wife. But she was married in the official governor\u2019s residence in 1997.

And she was in love she switched from being a Republican to a Democrat.

So is it time for a Filipina by marriage (of Chinese ethnicity but born in Manila) to lead Hawaii?

VC may not be the kind of high-tech big bucks VC that makes people quake. But she\u2019s more than just Ben\u2019s wife. She\u2019s run a high-powered laundry business servicing hotels and hospitals. She undoes dirt for a living.

And yet the Hawaii Civil Beat\/HNN poll shows Cayetano trailing badly in the Democratic Gubernatorial primary. Josh Green, the current lieutenant governor, is at 48%; Kai Kahele, the congressman who wants to be governor is at 16%.

Cayetano\u2019s third at 15%. Cayetano trails so badly that one must ask some basic questions fundamental to what I call our \u201cFilipinoness.\u201d

But first, I know it may not seem like it, but when it comes to democracy, Hawaii is a kind of paradise.

Everywhere else in the country there is a force–from the Republican party to the U.S. high court– trying to make it harder for people to participate and engage in their franchise. In Hawaii, it\u2019s just so hang-loose easy.

If you\u2019re turned off by the recent corruption scandals in state government, Hawaii makes it pretty simple to throw out the bums (of all genders and persuasions).

Hawaii\u2019s primary election is on Saturday, Aug. 13. That alone is a rare democracy perk to vote on a weekend and not a Tuesday. There are voters in other states that would love to vote on a day off. But Hawaii does one better.

For the second year it has mail-in voting, and the state seems to have embraced it fully. Ballots will be mailed to voters by the end of July, and though you can still show up and cast yours at a voting center on election day, the convenience of mail is a winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hawaii seems to be smart enough to figure out that the fear of vote fraud is a fake argument intended to undermine your faith in democracy. But consider the national figures for mail-in ballots over the last two decades put the vote by mail fraud rate at .00006%.

There is a better chance UH will have a good football team this year.

Vote by mail with confidence. In August, and then again in November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, the question now is for whom?

And this is where Hawaii has it all over every other state.

You can vote for a Filipino.

Or vote Filipino. It\u2019s a subtle difference. Does that matter? Of course, it does.

The Filipino Vote<\/strong>
There are more than 275,000 Filipinos, approaching 23% of the state.

We are big. Or as my dad would say, \u201cdakkel.\u201d

So, imagine a Filipino vote.

Not a Filipino boat where we all go sailing into the sunset. But a vote where we all go in the same direction and consolidate our power and fight with clench fists instead of lovely hula hands.

We\u2019ve seen the power of Filipino unity in the mother country. 1987 dubbed it \u201cpeople power\u201d and no voting machines were used. People just showed up and expressed their anger, enough to oust a dictator who found himself exiled to Hawaii.

That we have the dictator\u2019s family back in power 35 years later is either a disgrace or shows how impermanent things are in any democracy. And that makes it hard to understand such a thing as a Filipino vote, anywhere.

It\u2019s something worth contemplating in a publication such as the Chronicle where the word Filipino is explicit.

It\u2019s not necessarily a word implied in any of the top papers I wrote for in Hawaii. They didn\u2019t call it the Filipino Star Bulletin. Or the Filipino Advertiser.

Nope. That wasn\u2019t our voice.

And so as we approach the mid-term primary and the general election, it is important to ponder the idea of the Filipino vote because in Hawaii, as in no other state in the U.S.A, it actually can be a force.

There are even people to vote for since Filipino politicians are not rarity. In fact, some run so often, they make a mockery of term limits. They just keep popping up for power somewhere. Respect the ones who term out and don\u2019t overstay their public aloha.

And maybe because we haven\u2019t had so many inspiring Filipino\/a candidates as we\u2019d like to see, we are just used to voting for someone else.

Meaning non-Filipinos.

Which raises another question. Should we vote for each other just because we\u2019re Filipino?

Only you can decide that if in politics there\u2019s something deeper than blood.

You know when the liver sauce is watered down. Something\u2019s not right with the lechon.

But in this political climate there is so much at stake. Nationally and locally. Abortion rights, gun rights, inflation, education, housing, health care. You name it.

Can you simply rely on voting for a face like yours? Or in someone whom you think can actually do some good not just for you, but for all of Hawaii?

If you choose the latter it makes being Filipino an irrelevancy.

But can the community be so large and ethnicity doesn\u2019t mean a thing? Aren\u2019t there some Filipino matters that have been long ignored? Being a Filipino elected, makes a difference.

That Civil Beat\/HNN poll broke down the  Democratic Gubernatorial race  by ethnicity, and Green draws 47% of the Filipino voters to Cayetano\u2019s 18%.

Is that misogyny? Or Flipogyny?

Green\u2019s polling numbers show he\u2019s built a real broad base of appeal. 59% white, 49% Japanese, 47% Filipino, 35% Hawaiian\/Pacific Islander.

Green showed me some skills at the Chronicle\u2019s big anniversary celebration two years ago. He was glad-handing and passing out state pins like treats. As the No. 2, he\u2019s built his brand that gives him power to get to the top job. But he\u2019s done it by building an ethnic coalition unique to the state.

He’s got Filipinos.

There still may be time for Cayetano in the primary, but her numbers show she doesn\u2019t even have our support. Japanese Americans back Cayetano more than Filipinos, 24% to 18%.

We all know the political \u201cBig Lie\u201d is that Trump won in 2020. He didn\u2019t. We know that.

Maybe there\u2019s another smaller political lie that shows up in Hawaii as one considers the ethnic vote. The lie? That a Filipino Vote even exists.

It could be seen as a mark of maturity that Filipinos have gone beyond falling in love with every Filipino candidate they see. And that we\u2019re just like everybody else who wants to vote for someone who can win and work for everyone. In a democracy, you can swipe left on Filipino. (If Tinder\/Grinder were a voting app, left would not be good).

Maybe too, Cayetano may be old style. Time for next gen thought. Still, it\u2019s not like a Filipino woman governor is a political clich\u00e9.

Of course, maybe you\u2019re still questioning if an ethnic Chinese person born in Manila is Filipino enough. In the U.S. the standard is a Filipino born in America is American.

Or maybe the issue is you know the first Mrs. Cayetano. Fair enough. Or maybe you don\u2019t think Ben would make a good Second Gentleman. Vicky Cayetano may not be the perfect example. But seeing a Filipino name for governor should make us all at least pause before we lick the envelope and cast our votes.

In 2022, our \u201cFilipinoness\u201d is still an issue. You know that in your heart. But is that how a Filipino votes?

EMIL GUILLERMO<\/strong> is a journalist and commentator. He writes a column for the Inquirer\u2019s North American Bureau. He talks about this column and other matters on \u201cEmil Amok\u2019s Takeout,\u201d my micro-talk show. Live @2p Pacific. Livestream on <\/em>Facebook<\/em><\/a>; my <\/em>YouTube<\/em><\/a> channel; and <\/em>Twitter<\/em><\/a>. Catch the recordings on <\/em>www.amok.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Emil Guillermo Vicky Cayetano, the former first lady of Hawaii is hoping lightning strikes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[29,20,11],"tags":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?fit=878%2C1288&ssl=1",878,1288,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?fit=205%2C300&ssl=1",205,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?fit=640%2C939&ssl=1",640,939,true],"large":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?fit=640%2C939&ssl=1",640,939,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?fit=878%2C1288&ssl=1",878,1288,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?fit=878%2C1288&ssl=1",878,1288,true],"ultp_layout_landscape_large":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?resize=878%2C800&ssl=1",878,800,true],"ultp_layout_landscape":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?resize=870%2C570&ssl=1",870,570,true],"ultp_layout_portrait":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?resize=600%2C900&ssl=1",600,900,true],"ultp_layout_square":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1",600,600,true],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?resize=615%2C715&ssl=1",615,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?resize=489%2C500&ssl=1",489,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?fit=878%2C1288&ssl=1",878,1288,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?resize=540%2C285&ssl=1",540,285,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?resize=375%2C250&ssl=1",375,250,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"Candid Perspectives<\/a> Featured<\/a> Hawaii - Filipino<\/a>","tag_info":"Hawaii - Filipino","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Vicky-Cayetano-color.jpg?fit=878%2C1288&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13071"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13071"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13071\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13231,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13071\/revisions\/13231"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}