'May Naganap Pang Brainstorming!' Couples Share How They Chose Who To Vote For During The PH Elections

The night before the Philippine national elections, my husband and I were talking about who to vote for as president. I know he has a different candidate in mind, but I tried to convince him to vote for mine. It was a nice attempt, though.

After a heated discussion, we compromised. He said, it is his right to vote the person he thinks is the most qualified for the position, regardless if the candidate will win or not. I said, "okay, I respect your decision." And went to sleep.

At the end of the day, we cannot unfriend or block each other! Both of our bets didn't win. 

So, we asked parents in the Smart Parenting Village their experiences and if they voted the same as their partners. Here are some of the top responses.

'It's all about respect'

Jc Cancio de Guzman said, he and his wife voted for the same candidate for the top positions, but they have different senatorial bets. "We had a healthy discussion [on] why or why [not] we should vote for the candidate. At the end of the day, regardless if we have a same candidate or not, we respect each other choices."

Same goes for Arvie Dhanielle, who said, "The thing is, we never cared kung sino ang iboboto nang bawat isa. At the end of the day, whoever he voted for, I know he has his reasons why."

Anna Asotigue - Javier said they didn't vote for the same candidate, "and it's completely okay."

For Krisha Salazar Fernandez, her husband tried to convince her to change her mind. "Sabi ko respeto niya ako at rerespeto ko din choice nya. Tigilan niya ako kasi baka may nakikita siya na hindi ko nakikita sa gusto niya. At ganun din siya sa gusto kong i-vote. After nun, wala ng usapan."

Joemhelyn Señeris said, she didn't know who her husband voted for. "Hindi ko alam! Hindi ko inaalam, and sobrang bihira namin pag-usapan ang politics sa bahay. To the point na, and listahan namin ng candidates is ginawa lang namin bago kami umalis kasi may kanya-kanya kaming listahan ng iboboto. And to be honest, parang mas healthy kasi di kami nagtatalo regarding politics."

READ ALSO: 'Di Magkaintindihan? Why You And Your Husband Fail in Communicating

'Same values kami'

Wilma Ty-Cañadilla was proud to share, "Yes. Pareho all the way. Same values po kami, salamat sa Diyos."

Des Recudo Henson meanwhile said, "Absolutely Yes! Dahil iniisip namin ano ang makakabuti sa magiging future ng anak namin. Anong kalalakihan niyang gobyerno meron tayo."

Realyn Lopez-Miranda said, "May naganap pang brainstorming bakit si ganito, bakit si ganyan, pero sa president, matic na. Panalo kami pareho."

READ ALSO: The 6 Values We Need to Teach Our Daughters

'Wife knows best'

Minette Igarta Tayag shared, "Nung una magkaiba kmi ng manok. Pero di naman kami yung tipo na pagdedebatehan yung kung sino mgaling sa mga kandidato na yan."

But something made her husband change his mind the last minute. "Then nung pinaka-last night before the elections, bigla na lang sabi niya na di na daw yung manok niya ang iboboto niya."

When she asked, "Alam kong mas alam mo yung tama noh!" Natatakot ata siyang tamaan sa akin. Wahaha!"

Sel Ylanan Pagkalinawan said it was compromise, "Nung malayo pa election, magkaiba kami. We didn't argue. Nung palapit na election, I asked him to vote the candidate that we didn't support at first for certain reasons, and he agreed kaya we voted the same presidential candidate in the end."

Dyet Zoe Salcedo said it best, "No. He voted BBM and I voted for Ping. But both Sara for VP. His President won, but at the end of the day, ako pa din po ang masusunod."

What does this mean for your relationship?

According to a 2019 study on relationships amid the Trump presidency, it found that differences in voting negatively affected individual's communal orientation, and the degree to which they maintained their relationships. This, in turn, fueled conflict and stress, which was associated with an increase in relational load and decrease in relational resilience.

Meanwhile, John Gottman, a renowned couples therapist said, the antidotes to contempt within any relationship are fondness and admiration, both of which can be maintained and strengthened by expressing appreciation and respect.

As individuals, you may not agree on certain things at all times, but one thing's for sure - if you communicate with each other and respect each other's stand and rights, it's a win for your family. If you can compromise for something as big as electing leaders into office, then for sure, you can make even greater decisions in the future.

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