[Referendum Passed. Philippine Presidential System Shifts from Single Term to Two Terms.]
[Philippines Confirms Two-Term Presidency Through Referendum.]
[Historic Referendum Ends Single-Term System, Confirms Introduction of Two-Term System]
[Votes in Favor of Constitutional Amendment Prevail. New Presidential Term Structure Confirmed]
[To Take Effect from Next Presidential Election.]
The two-term system passed the referendum.
I had thought it would be incredibly arduous and take a long time, but it passed more easily than expected.
And through Bitwin, I was able to learn why.
“La Camara wants a two-term presidency. If La Camara hadn’t liked it, they would have opposed it by any means necessary. The fact that they aren’t interfering is already an enormous help.”
He was right.
Just the fact that La Camara wasn’t obstructing us was an enormous help.
If La Camara had interfered at every turn, things would never have gone this smoothly.
No wonder everything had been proceeding so neatly.
That didn’t mean we had been negligent in our efforts to change it to a two-term system.
We worked hard too.
We kept making the two-term system an issue through broadcasts and YouTube.
And it was also true that, in the process, we naturally gave off the nuance that a two-term system was good.
We put quite a bit of effort into removing people’s resistance to the idea.
People calling themselves experts rushed in, devised strategies, and carried them out.
But after all that effort to create a two-term system, what if Celeste ended up becoming president?
That would be like cooking the porridge only to feed it to the dog.
She was greedy.
She wanted to hold power for a long time.
That was why she did not become a politician.
Politicians had limits on being elected.
It had changed with this vote, but until now, the presidency had been a single-term office,
and positions like congressman or governor allowed only up to three consecutive three-year terms.
Of course, there was the trick of taking one term off and then running again, but even that did not satisfy Celeste.
And, decisively, she hated the fact that her authority would be limited by law.
There was a limit to power that anyone could wield.
Celeste did not like that.
That was why she had exercised tremendous authority from behind the scenes.
They gathered in closed rooms and exchanged laws and regulations among themselves.
By colluding with those who held appointment power, they placed La Camara members in key positions and steered policies in directions favorable to Celeste.
To others, it looked as if she possessed tremendous power, but Celeste thought differently.
She was thirsty.
She wanted stronger power.
She wanted power that could seize and control everything.
That was why she supported the two-term system.
She was confident she could become president.
She wanted to become president of the Philippines, take everything into her hands, and control it all.
There were things she could not do as the head of La Camara.
The head of La Camara could not step forward publicly.
She always had to give orders from behind the scenes and receive reports from behind the scenes.
There were many cases where fools in the middle failed to do their jobs properly, and she would only receive a report long afterward that things had gone wrong.
No matter how many orders she gave, there were times when everything became a mess in the actual execution.
Like how even if you drew up the most magnificent blueprints, if the people doing the construction were a mess, the building would never go up properly.
Although the blueprints had been a little difficult to understand, they should have been able to manage that much.
If not for that, Celeste would have become even richer.
But if she became president, she could confirm the blueprints herself and supervise the construction too.
She could even alter the design midway.
On top of that, it would be a two-term system, so she could stay in office for a long time.
Celeste had no desire to miss this opportunity.
The problem was us.
We had gone through all this madness to make Patrick president, but now we were about to be robbed blind with our eyes wide open.
La Camara was aiming to seize the presidency.
We had to think of a way.
We had turned the presidency into a two-term system, and now Celeste was trying to reap the fruit.
To be honest, La Camara’s power and influence were far greater than ours.
If we clashed head-on and began a contest of strength, La Camara would have the advantage in many areas.
That was the honest reality of the present.
Reality was more brutal than expected.
Fortunately, we had Bitwin, a member of La Camara who had attended the High Table.
Through Bitwin, we could obtain information on La Camara.
“It will be difficult to destroy La Camara.”
“I suppose so.”
“To be honest, it would not be an exaggeration to say that La Camara holds the Philippines in its grip. Mindanao didn’t matter because La Camara wasn’t paying attention to it, but if you push all the way into Manila, real checks and attacks will begin.”
“Is there no good way?”
“I’ve thought about it too, but nothing good comes to mind. Bringing down La Camara is no ordinary matter.”
“Wouldn’t it work if we just killed them all?”
It was a rather cruel thing to say, but no matter how much I thought about it, that seemed to be the only way.
The only method I could think of to eliminate La Camara was that.
No matter what method we used to fight, I could not think of a way to win.
Militarily, we were at a disadvantage.
If they attacked Mindanao, we could devise a defensive strategy, but conversely, if they defended and we attacked, our chances of winning would drop significantly.
Everyone knew that defending was more advantageous than attacking.
An economic attack would be difficult as well.
I had a lot of money, but they had a lot of money too.
The difference was that mine was held as an individual and theirs was held in the names of companies, but in the end, it was similar in that it could be used when necessary.
On top of that, they also had social infrastructure.
Exposing them through the media would not be easy either.
They already held the media firmly in their grip.
They would not report anything unfavorable to them.
It did not look easy to damage them in any way.
Their cartel was solid and firm.
But that did not mean we could not touch them at all.
A good idea occurred to me.
We might not be able to bring them down all at once, but I thought we could harass them to some extent.
“Celeste’s main business is insurance, right?”
“That’s correct. Del Rosario Group’s insurance business is the core of the group.”
“Then let’s start by poking that a little.”
******
“What? They’re taking out insurance for us?”
Word spread that insurance would be taken out for everyone in the rebel base, Unity Town.
“No way. Who would just take out insurance for people like that?”
“Exactly. The premiums must be pretty expensive too.”
“That makes no sense.”
But people could not believe it.
“They said if we fill out the documents and bring them in, they’ll get us insured.”
“Lord Alex is taking out insurance for the stability of the residents’ lives. Who dares doubt him?”
People had momentarily suspected that it might be a scam, but after hearing that Lord Alex was doing it for them, they withdrew their doubts.
In Unity Town, among the rebels, Alex was a legend.
The stories of Alex passed from mouth to mouth grew more and more exaggerated, until they became myth.
‘When Lord Alex dipped his hand into the lake, the lake began to shine. The light was like moonlight, so it was called Lumina Lake.’
‘When Alex waved his hand, weapons appeared in midair.’
‘Food kept coming out from somewhere. When they followed the food, Alex was at the end of it.’
‘With a single word from Alex, the Chinese president trembled in fear.’
In truth, the residents knew those things were not real.
They could not fully believe them, but they did not want to deny them either.
They hoped the person who had given them a place to live was an even greater person.
Being under the protection of a great person made them feel more at ease.
They hoped to be happy within his embrace.
The fact that Alex was taking out insurance for them spread in an instant, and thousands of insurance enrollment forms came in.
.
.
.
Francis Leo, the president of Del Rosario Insurance Company, could not hide his smile as he looked at the performance figures that had risen sharply over the past few days.
Who on earth bought this much insurance?
There had been no special marketing or events, yet this was the first time subscribers had skyrocketed like this.
If only things could always be like this, he would have nothing more to wish for.
The fact that the insurance enrollment regions were Mindanao and Bohol bothered him a little, but so what?
Was there some kind of problem?
Whether it was Mindanao or even hell, as long as they paid their premiums properly, they were all customers.
Hell would probably come with a surcharge, making it even more profitable.
Francis immediately made a report.
Francis fell into the happy dilemma of wondering what he should buy with this month’s incentive bonus.
.
.
.
“So you’re saying that even if we’re only slightly injured, we should go to the hospital and file an insurance claim?”
“Yes.”
“What if they don’t pay?”
“Then they don’t pay. Instead, record the entire scene. If they refuse payment, ask them to provide written proof of the reason.”
“That much is easy.”
That was the price of having insurance taken out for them.
To make the insurance company process claims for even the tiniest injuries.
And if they could not pay out the insurance money, then they were to provide written proof explaining why they could not.
That was the only condition Alex placed on the people when he took out insurance for them.
.
.
.
Del Rosario Insurance Company’s Zamboanga branch.
Even before the doors opened, a long line had formed since morning.
“I cut my finger while using a knife.”
“I hit my toe hard on the corner of the bed.”
“I think I sprained my wrist while moving furniture.”
“I missed a step on the stairs and twisted my ankle.”
“I slipped on a rainy day and hurt my elbow.”
“I cut my finger on paper while organizing documents.”
“When I stood up from my chair, my knee hit the corner of the desk.”
“A tree branch scratched my face.”
“I pricked my finger on a hook while fishing.”
The moment the insurance company opened its doors, people flooded in.
The waiting numbers surpassed one hundred.
They did not seem seriously injured, but they filed insurance claims for all kinds of reasons.
They had even brought hospital diagnoses and receipts perfectly in order.
There was no way to refuse payment.
In the end, they had no choice but to pay the insurance money to the people.
The amounts were not large.
Since they were small sums, they did not place a great burden on Del Rosario Insurance Company.
The real problem was the endlessly produced paperwork hell.
No, it was a paperwork bomb.
All day long, they had to deal with the claimants pouring in, and suspicious cases had to be investigated separately.
But they had no manpower to investigate them.
They were already struggling just to handle the claimants flooding in.
They dealt with claimants without even being able to go to the bathroom, but the long line showed no sign of shortening.
After business hours ended, and no more claimants came in, only then did they begin the paperwork.
Whether they paid the insurance money or refused it, documents had to be prepared.
As the number of claimants increased, the amount of paperwork they had to write increased exponentially as well.
And even if they refused payment, the claimants asked to be informed of that fact in writing.
They had no idea how many times they had changed the printer toner this month alone.
It was exhausting.
Every employee complained of suffering.
They tried to handle it by working overtime, but they were woefully short of both personnel and equipment.
They were barely keeping the work going by grinding people down, but no one could guarantee how long such a method could continue.
Collapse was only a matter of time.
It was precarious and unstable.
.
.
.
The chairman’s office at Del Rosario Group headquarters.
Francis, the president of Del Rosario Insurance Company, came to the chairman’s office with the settlement report.
After checking the settlement report, Celeste was startled.
The number of subscribers had increased by more than ten thousand in an instant.
Because they had paid their premiums, profits had also risen greatly.
A smile appeared on Celeste’s lips.
Celeste asked Francis,
“Insurance subscribers have increased tremendously recently.”
“Yes. It seems our efforts so far are finally bearing fruit.”
“Efforts? Was there some kind of event or marketing strategy?”
Celeste asked coldly.
“We’ve been working for a very long time to increase trust in Del Rosario, and I believe that is finally bearing fruit now.”
Francis tried to gloss over the question, but Celeste was not so easy.
“So you don’t know exactly?”
Celeste looked at Francis with cold eyes.
For an instant, Francis froze like an animal trapped beneath a vast shadow.
“...We’re... we’re looking into it. We believe it’s because there are many group subscribers, but we are conducting a more detailed analysis.”
“Group subscribers, you say. Were there any other problems when they enrolled?”
“No. None at all. However, there is one unusual point.”
“An unusual point?”
“The number of insurance claims is extremely high.”
“How much?”
“Since most of them have enrolled in insurance for the first time, they file claims even for trivial things to check whether insurance payouts really are made.”
“So how much did it increase?”
“It increased sixteenfold.”
“Sixteenfold?”
Celeste was flustered by the number she had heard for the first time.
Insurance claims had increased sixteenfold?
What in the world...
But Francis spoke as if it was nothing serious.
“There are many claims, but most of them are for small amounts, so it isn’t a major problem. Compared to the premiums they paid, it is a negligible level.”
“There are many claims, but in terms of amount, it isn’t much? So it isn’t a problem?”
“That’s correct.”
Celeste tapped the desk with her fingernail.
It was a habit she had when she was deep in thought.
She checked the documents Francis had brought once more.
Because she kept having an ominous feeling that she had missed something.
And after looking at the documents, she thought she understood what that ominous feeling was.
Most of the subscribers had enrolled from Mindanao.
“Haa. So this is how you want to play games?”
Only then did she understand the source of her unease.
The sudden increase in subscribers and the sixteenfold rise in insurance claims had not happened for no reason.
The rebels were playing a trick.
It seemed they wanted to enroll in insurance and collect payouts to inflict financial damage...
But was that really so easy?
Rather, the rebels’ sloppy operation was laughable.
Insurance products were not designed that carelessly.
All the so-called smart people had gathered together and thought, again and again, about how to make coverage look large while giving as few benefits as possible, and that was the product they had created.
There was no insurance product from which one could ever take more than the premiums paid.
Foolish bastards.
No wonder they were rebels, with brains like that.
“It seems these bastards tried to play a little game with insurance payouts... Interesting. Hohohoho.”
Having resolved the issue, she felt refreshed.
In her mind, there was no concern for the employees’ hardships or issues like system paralysis.
She was only curious about how much had been earned and how much had been paid out.
Only the numbers mattered.
Even at that moment, the employees were trapped in paperwork hell, unable to leave work as they kept laboring.
And one by one, employees who could no longer endure it were beginning to resign.