The number 14 was all over social media on Valentine’s Day for a whole different reason as Filipinos used the number to show support for former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, whose ballot number in his comeback bid to the Senate happens to be 14.
The deluge of the number 14 also coincided with the release of the latest Pulse Asia survey results on Monday that showed Cayetano joining the ranks of the topnotchers in the preferences for senator.
Using Valentine’s Day as springboard, supporters and followers paired the number 14 with words of love, prayers, and other forms of encouragement in keeping with Cayetano’s call for people to use social media in his eco-friendly campaign.
Some posts centered on the topic of love for God and neighbor, a sense of community, the environment, and family.
“The sense of community or family really comes from loving God above everything and everyone, then loving your neighbor as yourself,” one post said.
Most of the posts included the phrase “One 4 Kuya Alan! One 4 Every Juan,” playing on the number 14. Other posts dubbed the number 14 as “ang pinakamapagmahal na numero sa balota (the most loving number in the ballot).”
Videos were also posted discussing various topics on love, such as love for one’s significant other or love for one’s work. The videos similarly played around the idea of the number 14.
“Happy Valentine’s Day! Punuin natin ng pagmamahal ang araw na ito mga kababayan! Tunghayan ang unang episode ng 1-4 Love! Tiyak kikiligin kayo! or #14Love #14Alan #May14ever,” one of the captions said.
(Happy Valentine’s Day! Let’s spread the love to all! We invite everyone to watch the first episode of 1-4 Love! You will surely feel the love! 14Love #14Alan #May14ever )
Others quoted Cayetano himself: “Napakahirap man ng ating pinagdaanan nitong nakaraang taon, nawa ay maging daan ito upang lalong tumibay ang ating pananampalataya sa Diyos at pagmamahal sa kapwa.”
(No matter the difficulties we went through this past year, may it be a way for us to strengthen our faith in God and love of neighbor.)
Athletes also got in the action, with posts such as this: “Galing ng mga atletang Pilipino ay kanyang pinaniwalaan, mula noon hanggang ngayon hindi niya kami pinabayaan. Kaya naman sama-sama tayo sa darating na halalan, #14 sa balota, Senador Alan Peter Cayetano, atin s’yang suportahan! #14Love #OneFourLove #LovingApat”
Many others simply had fun with their number 14 posts:
- “Happy Valentines Day! Nawa’y 1 Day mahanap niyo na ang inyong 4ever! #14 #mrbayanihan #alanpetercayetano #forSenator”
- “Para sa ating mga kabataan, ang number 14 ay Pag-ibig. #14Love #OneFourLove #LovingApat”
- ”Maraming maraming salamat sa pagmamahal, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano. #14 man ang numero mo sa balota, #1 ka naman sa puso namin”
Cayetano, who was Senator from 2007 to 2017 and served as Senate Majority Floor Leader and chair of the Senate Committee on Rules, started the campaign period last week by asking the public not to print posters, flyers, and other traditional materials that harm the environment.
He noted that in the 2019 elections, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) collected a total of 168.84 tons – equivalent to 28 garbage trucks – of election-related materials from March 1 until May 14 in Metro Manila.
To address this, he asked the public to show their support by planting trees and mangroves and, for those in the cities, doing urban farming like making backyard gardens or even green walls.
He also encouraged supporters to engage in other sustainable practices, saying the future generations are depending on us to leave a better world for them.
