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Buried in the plethora of election-related news items this past week was the telephone summit between President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to the statement released by the Presidential Communications Office, the two leaders discussed wide-ranging issues during the one-hour meeting but mainly focused on the key challenges facing both countries and the world, namely, the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and the coronavirus pandemic which continues to pose a threat to every nation.

Almost all the economic figures we’ve seen in the past few weeks point to a strong Philippine recovery this year. The numbers are a telltale sign that the gross domestic product (GDP) performed creditably well in the January-to-March period, and would do much better in the succeeding months if we fully reopen the economy.

What is at stake in the May 2022 elections? Why is it so important to vote according to our conscience and, more importantly, with the interest of the nation in mind? Who among the candidates will provide our country with the leadership necessary to navigate a world recovering from the pandemic and facing various geopolitical challenges? These are crucial questions for Filipino voters and there are just a little over a month to make a decision.