Voting by numbers for the US Congressional delegate

Numbers and numerology are big on island, what with the large population of Filipinos and Chinese, the Pachinko shops, and the gaming tables—under the lights and in the shadows. With Rota coming on line to become a destination for those who itch on the etched patterns of numbers and their sequences, and Saipan already famous for its poker arcades, and the moveable tables in select Garapan houses, we are a commonwealth driven and fueled by numbers.

As the CNMI go to the polls tomorrow to choose the delegate to the U.S. Congress, the slate of nine candidates make it possible that the elected representative could very well have less than 20 percent of the vote. Except for Misters Won and Davies, whose middle names are not as significant as the sudden elongated ones of the other candidates, the votes for the remaining seven will most likely hinge on familial sentiments or clannish orientation.

With a wide berth to choose from, how might one go about choosing? The candidates drew lots and the sequence by which the names will show up on the ballot is as follows:

1. John Oliver de los Santos Gonzales (Ind.)

2. Chong Man Won (Ind.)

3. David Mendiola Cing (Dem.)

4. Juan Tudela Lizama (Ind.)

5. Pete Agulto Tenorio (Rep.)

6. Luis Placios Crisostimo (Ind.)

7. John Henry Davies, Jr. (Ind.)

8. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (Ind.)

9. Felipe Quitugua Atalig (Ind.)

The campaign billboards have since prominently displayed the numbers drawn, and I suspect that candidates deliberately parade their numbers for its numerological implication.

Looking after No. 1 was the mantra of the business schools in the ’80s. John Gonzales does that well. Assertive and aggressive, his individualism is the Yang in the Chinese yin-yang symbol. Sure-footed and self-confident, the style would be familiar in Wall Street and M Street in Washington, but John might have discovered that his self-confidence and perceived self-promotion might have turned-off more people than were drawn to his pied-piper campaign.

Former Saipan Police officer Chong Man Won drew the second spot, No. 2, which is the Yin in the yin-yang symbol, the balancing and unifying force, receptive, easy and flexible. An electronic techie and neophyte politico, he is fresh and driven, considers himself the underdog, and to the betting person, would be a long shot. In a sense, Won on the ballot has already won for the non-indigene in the CNMI political scene.

The perfect number in Egyptian numerology is No. 3. It is steady and solid, the source of pyramidal strength which even Uncle Sam borrowed in our paper currency, our legal tender. It is live with power but also sensitive to public decorum. It is no wonder then that David suspended his campaign when allegations were made of impropriety about his brother, and thus, his family. Number three operates out of objectivity and neutrality. The triad exudes synergy; tripartite involves cooperation; the trinity manifests mystery. Three is the number of completion.

Number 4, is mental energy in Indian numerology. Ex-Justice Lizama fits the bill to a T. Used to mental calisthenics and the aerobics of the mind, the Judge have had many occasions to slice the Solomonic hair from the bench. There are four cardinal points; four seasons; four winds; four directions (as in North, South, East, West); four elements (Fire, Water, Air, Earth) in the western culture. There are four sides to a square; four arms to a cross. There are four watches of the night and day, quarters of the moon. There are four quarters to the earth. This is the number for wholeness. Cantonese, however, consider this number unlucky, for the word comes close to the same word that means death and suffering. Juan T. will not want to lunch at the Canton House tomorrow!

The No. 5 is the symbol of human microcosm, the number of the human being. The pentagon with arms and legs out stretched makes the human form. The pentagon is endless, sharing the symbolism of perfection and power of the circle. Five is a circular number as it produces itself in its last digit when raised to its own power. The pentacle, like the circle symbolizes wholeness, the quincunx being the number of its center and the meeting point of heaven, earth, and the four cardinal points plus the center point. The dynamic, restless and relentless Pete A. holds this number pole. It represents action, willfulness, and determination. For a Republican whose followers wear “blue” in street rallies, these partymates of GWB could not be all that bad!

Responsibility is the cornerstone of No. 6, the easy and smooth all-the-way type, as opposed to the contradiction-focused, conflict-and-compromise variety. Six represents equilibrium. Six is the symbol of luck; love; health; beauty; chance. It is a winning number at the throw of the dice in the West. There are six rays of the solar wheel and there are six interlaced triangles. There are six pointed stars or Seal of Solomon—and Star of David. Crisostimo landed this number, and as a maverick Democrat, he has a claim on my short list.

John Davies has No. 7, the luck of the Irish number. It is the number for thoughtfulness and consciousness. Paying attention to life is Davis’ pedagogical task, but he is handicapped by the fact that CNMI electorates do not vote on policy stand and clarity of issues. Number 7 sounds also like the word for glutton in Chinese, so John will stay away from the Chinese buffet at Fiesta on Tuesday! Needless to say, John’s inclusion on the slate is already a winning occasion for the CNMI. Egyptian numerology has this line: “a seventh of me is added to me and I return fully satisfied.” We wish on John satisfaction of the depth of the heptagon, the mystic seven, on this foray into the political arena.

Power and sacrifice, fortune, and posterity is symbolized by No. 8? Telephone folks will tell you that No. 8 is a premium number among Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese. It is the paramount preferred number in Tibet-Sino-Mongolian numerology. It is the number par excellence, in the Chinese system of belief, eight represents the whole.It is all possibilities in manifestation. The PAKUA is the design depicting the eight trigrams and pairs of opposites, usually in a circle, the circumference of which symbolizes time and space. It is a feature of the Korean flag. There are eight delights of human existence that signifies completion. Erstwhile Democrat Kilili holds No. 8.

The number 9 also denotes completion but of the infinite and celestial type—rather out of this world. It is also a slang/vulgar word in Cantonese, and Mr. Atalig will not get the few Chinese votes on island. The Ennead in Egyptian myth complements nine as pure intelligence in Jewish thought, with the nine gods and muses in Greaco-Roman theological pantheon.

Devoid of any other rational means for choosing, I might just go by the numbers.