t has been a couple of weeks since the May 14 elections. TV ads have long since died away and the campaign posters—the ones that are still up—are slowly but surely turning into rubbish.

Since the outcome of an election in a democratic country is the voice of the people, let us try to understand what the Filipino people have said.

First, with the number of opposition candidates making it into the "magic 12" senatorial slots, the people have said that they are not happy with the way President Arroyo has been running the country. Former President Joseph Estrada, who played the role of the "godfather" of the opposition seems to have somewhat redeemed himself, politically. However, with evidence mounting against him in his plunder trial, his gains could be short-lived.

Second, with the trouncing of most movie actors and popular personalities like boxer Manny Paquiao in the polls, it looks like Filipinos are telling us that love affair with actors, entertainers and sports figures, is over. After electing Joseph Estrada as president, the masses saw first-hand the havoc an unqualified politician could bring to the country. On the other hand there are those who prefer to believe that the electorate is slowly-but-surely grown more sophisticated...it could be a little of both.

Thirdly, the people are saying that political dynasties are alive and well in the Philippines. In many rural areas and far-flung barrios, influential families—sometimes through fear and intimidation—continue to hold sway and control the outcome of the elections.

Fourth, the agonizingly slow results and widespread reports of vote manipulation tell us that the entire electoral process needs to be overhauled. Elections need to be efficient with the results fast and tamper-proof. All that may be asking too much, but it is something we as a country should strive for.

Fifth and last, with the violence and killings that occurred before and during the election, Filipinos are telling the world that their concept of a fair and peaceful election is still very "rough around the edges." election violence in fact is becoming a major embarrassment to many Filipinos living abroad. It is the most convincing evidence that as a people we still have a long way to go.