WHAT I will say next are facts of life definitely beyond the belief system and cynicism of many young men and women in the Duterte-Marcos Axis.

Facts of life that are the antithesis of the life and times, for example, of Lloyd Christopher Lao, who came out of Davao City with a very thin resume, and then smoothly glided into leadership of the PS-DBM (Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management). Then Lao went on to be the central character in what is now known as the Pharmally scam, the grandmother of all scams. Did he not apply for an ombudsman job after his scandal-marred stint at the PS-DBM? You can’t underestimate the gall and chutzpah of the young men and women who occupy critical posts in the Duterte administration.

➤Ronquillo

Here is a surprising contrast. Embedded in the 2022 campaign for president of labor leader Ka Leody de Guzman are a sprinkling of equally young men and women with impressive university degrees; some with doctorates from Ivy League and prestigious West Coast universities. (Give them two weeks and they can write dissertations on either Keynes or Kierkegaard. That is how bright these young people are). There are reasons why they are there, and this is the principal reason: there is no money to be made, only outsized doses of idealism and large servings of psychic income. For some, the ultimate high is serving the country. Some are there because of their deep ties to Walden Bello, the academic who is Ka Leody’s running mate.

All of them want the realization of their dream, which is to make Ka Leody the next Pedro Castillo, a teacher-organizer who shocked the whole of the Americas by beating establishment candidate Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of Alberto Fujimori, the former president of Peru indicted for corruption and his brutal rule. Grifting father and clueless but overambitious offspring sound familiar indeed.

You can only admire that amazing sense of country and the utter lack of cynicism of the accomplished young men and women in Ka Keody’s campaign.

To be fair, there are some volunteers in the camp of Vice President Leni Robredo who are as dedicated and as academically credentialed. They are just obscured by the volunteers from the arts, entertainment and culture scene, who, in this star-struck nation, get the most public attention.

Should the May 2022 elections turn into a nightmarish result, where do you think all this brain power and idealism, or the anti-Lao, will go?

Leaving the country and hollowing out the already talent-impaired Philippines as it navigates its post-election, postpandemic life is a possibility.

Many other young men and women who are outside of the brainiacs deep in the campaign, but are nonetheless as patriotic, are just as keen in monitoring next year’s polls.

Meanwhile, they are taking preparatory steps, such as saying goodbye to the country in waves in case the election results go amiss.

These patriots may not be active in the barnstorming, but they are just as concerned about the future of the country. What are the other preparations? Those with four or five years of post-college work have taken the GMAT, or are currently reviewing to get a score of at least 750. A high GMAT score plus four or five years of professional work are highly appreciated by admission committees screening applicants to the Top 10 business schools in the US.

An MBA from those schools ranked even 11 to 20, particularly in the current environment of cut-throat competition for Wall Street talent, is a sure entry point to a finance job in the US, with starting salaries in six figures and the standard signing bonuses. When Wall Street, post-Trump, needs its H1-B visas for topnotch finance talent, Wall Street gets them, and the Philippines is one of the recruiting grounds .

Those working in the allied medical professions, such as doctors, nurses, medical technologists, physical therapists and radiologists, in particular, are not burdened by the requirement of a high GMAT score or the rigid preparation required for admission into an MBA program in the top B-schools. These schools just need professional work certifications from top tertiary hospitals in the Philippines, plus the routine English language proficiency requirements.

Many in this professional bracket are also preparing just in case.

The mounting frustration with the underwhelming health system in a Covid era, the lack of support from the government, the struggle to get meager allowances will push these young men and women to seek greener pastures overseas.

The immigration website of the government of Canada, perhaps one of the countries most welcoming of immigrants, provided they are highly sought-after professionals or armed with sought-after technical skills, is the website that is frequently visited by young Filipino professionals and technical workers.

The uncertain outcome of the May 2022 elections and the fear that the candidate with the fake story of a Golden Age and a fake university degree may win have been scaring the wits out of these professionals and skilled workers who also apparently have a Plan B.

We were the “Sick Man of Asia” during his father’s presidency, this bidder for Malacañang says, and yet Ferdinand Marcos Sr. supposedly was able to turn the economy around.

Should the results of next year’s polls go twisted, the exodus will take place.

If they do, you can just imagine what would be left but a country emptied of the best and the brightest and the most dedicated to the country.

Who will be left behind but the likes of Lloyd Christopher Lao and his kind? The types who want jobs at the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Bureau of Customs, and the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation.

Add the PS-DBM to the list of offices most coveted.