According to my own legal counsel, Comelec is empowered by law to postpone an election if the following conditions make it impossible to hold the election as scheduled: violence, terrorism, lack of paraphernalia, anarchy.

But why wish for violence, terrorism, anarchy and the like? As for lack of paraphernalia, in a happy-go-lucky country such as ours, where we’ve gone through something like 64 elections, it’s a small problem compared to that posed by threats of street protests and civil disobedience in case some candidate who fancies himself/herself to be a winner already – the winner -- doesn’t make the cut. Unpresidential behavior, the words of a spoiled brat who grew up telling his/her parents: “I’m not playing with Johnny anymore, he did not let me win the prize.”

After an absence of 10 days, I thought I’d play catch-up with some of the first people I met upon reentry.

Their views, more than those of pundits, give me 48 hours of hope.

When the airport taxi driver could not immediately tell me who’s his candidate, I said, “Bakit wala kang kibo? Siguro you’re for Gibo.” He laughed and said, “Kayo rin ba?”

My masahista: “Sana pareho tayo ng candidate, Gibo ako.” I said, “Sure, why not?” She squealed, “Ay, ma’am, panalo na tayo! He has the aura and I’m excited to vote!”

A Gibo volunteer: “Damn those surveys! The only survey you need will come from your circle of friends, neighbors, decent people.”