Will Philippine Democracy Fare Better or Worse after the May Elections?
/At this point, with three months to go before the polls, popularity surveys indicate that former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the son of the dictator who was ousted by the People Power Revolt in February 1986, is leading the presidential race with a little more than 50 percentage points. His running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte whose regime has been marked by a bloody war on drugs, for which he faces an impending investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity, also leads the field of five vice-presidential bets.
That two politicians coming from families with dubious commitments to the rule of law and due process could dominate the May contest lends credence to fears of a double-barreled threat to Philippine democracy.
The presidential contest
Presidential candidates: Leody de Guzman, Senator Panfilo Lacson, Senator Bongbong Marcos, Mayor Isko Moreno, Senator Manny Pacquiao and Viec President Leni Robredo
Surveys, however, are only a snapshot of prevailing popular sentiment at a certain period. The Marcos Jr.-Duterte tandem's plus-50 percent lead in surveys could still change in the coming months.
First of all, several groups have asked the Commission on Elections to disqualify Marcos Jr. on allegations that he made material misrepresentations in his certificate of candidacy (COC) in relation to non-payment of income taxes when he was still the governor of Ilocos Norte province in the early 1980s. An outspoken commissioner of the poll body who retired on February 2 has already made public her decision to disqualify Marcos Jr. for non-payment of taxes, which she said constitutes a crime involving moral turpitude, one of the legal grounds for disqualification for running in any elective position in the country. The controversy could yet reach the Supreme Court in the months ahead.
Apart from Marcos Jr.'s disqualification cases that could affect May’s outcome, the ongoing debates among the candidates organized by media outfits and the poll body itself could also alter the political landscape in the run-up to the actual voting.
The debates organized by two TV stations have given the electorate the chance to evaluate the qualifications and competence of the key candidates. Marcos Jr. declined to participate in the debate organized by the GMA television network, claiming that the moderator, Jessica Soho, was biased as she was a known anti-Marcos journalist.
Marcos Jr. is also widely believed to have deployed trolls in various social media platforms to spread what critics describe as "historical revisionism," or changing the facts and portraying the Marcos Sr.'s rule as the "golden age" of the Philippines, purportedly because the country was second only to Japan in terms of economic development during the martial law period. This, of course, goes against the reality that martial law led to human rights abuses, including the arrest and indefinite detention of thousands of critics and enforced disappearances of activists, not to mention the collapse of the economy due to onerous foreign loans and corruption involving crony capitalism.
Marcos Jr., who is running under an obscure political party called Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, has vowed to exercise what he calls a "unifying" leadership that seeks to bring Filipinos together behind a program of governance that seeks to spur economic growth and an end to corruption, echoing what other presidential candidates have said. But the promise of a unifying government appears to contradict his recent pronouncement to fully support the continuation of the controversial National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). This ad hoc body seeks to put an end to the armed insurgency in the countryside via all-out war first and foremost, and token economic development initiatives at the local level, instead of supporting the resumption of peace negotiations with the communist-led New People's Army (NPA), which has waged armed struggle for more than half a century now.
Opposition candidate Vice President Leni Robredo ranks second in recent surveys with about 20 percent. She edged Marcos Jr. in the 2016 vice-presidential election, a victory affirmed by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal last year.
Robredo was initially given a Cabinet-level position under the Duterte administration, but was unceremoniously removed not long afterwards. She nevertheless worked in various capacities among disadvantaged sectors in society with the limited budget of her office and weathered relentless attacks and disinformation from pro-Duterte supporters and online trolls.
Recently, more than 100 former Cabinet members, senior officials, chiefs of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, top diplomats, and career civil servants who served under the previous administration have expressed support for her presidential bid, ample proof that she enjoys the trust and confidence of the people she has worked with. In a statement, they said: “We commit ourselves fully to Vice President Leni Robredo’s bid for the presidency to lead the Philippines on an upward path of recovery and greatness. We thus enjoin the Filipino people to give our country the leader that we all deserve.”
Former officials of the Aquino administration stressed the need for a “competent” and “experienced” president, who will also be “committed to the principles of integrity, democracy, and genuine public service.”
“A leadership with a vision of greatness, prosperity, independence and self-respect for our country and our people; A leadership that is inclusive and consultative and that will respond to criticism with an openness to dialogue,” they said.
The former officials said they believe Robredo is the “best candidate” who “embodies these aspirations,” citing her “solid” track record in public service. They said she “possesses all the qualities of an ideal Chief Executive and Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces.”
If elected president, Robredo said she would concentrate on health issues and “cleansing the government” by choosing worthy Cabinet members in her first 100 days. "Our first action would be choosing our appointed officials because that is a symbol that we are serious in our commitment to cleanse the government."
In third place is Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso of Aksyon Demokratiko, who has vowed to replicate what he has achieved in less than three years in the capital city in terms of housing, health, and education for his constituents. Critics, however, claim that he is too much of traditional politician by the way he promises the proverbial moon and the stars to those who care to listen to his campaign spiels.
Boxing legend Sen. Manny Pacquiao, representing the Cebu-based PROMDI political party, occupies fourth place in recent surveys. He has promised to put an end to the problem of squatters by giving them their own homes for free. How? By bringing the corrupt to jail and spending trillions of pesos saved from their grubby hands towards better social services to Filipinos. Robredo herself has said that she would vote for Pacquiao for president if she weren’t running for the highest elective post, proof that she believes in his sincerity.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson of Partido Reporma in fifth place wants to combat corruption that he says has allowed mass poverty to persist. After a televised TV debate where he claimed to have been consistent in his anti-corruption crusade, he denied that he is all talk and no action. A netizen asked: "Has he sent a single corrupt official to jail in the nearly six years he has been a senator?"
Labor leader Leody de Guzman, who is Laban ng Masa's presidential candidate, is in sixth place. If elected, he says he would put Rodrigo Duterte in jail for gross human rights violations since 2016.
The Vice Presidential Contest
Vice Presidential candidates: Rep. Walden Bello, Mayor Sara Duterte, Dr. William Ong, Senator Francis Pangilinan and Senator Tito Sotto.
Sara Duterte-Carpio had been endorsed as presidential candidate since last year by various groups until she finally decided to run instead as Marcos Jr.'s vice presidential bet. She is no stranger to controversy. She has been quoted as saying that integrity should not be an issue in the election as all politicians lie all the time. She has also proposed the mandatory implementation of a two-year military service for all citizens upon reaching the age of 18 to instill discipline and patriotism among the youth. But critics say this is totally unnecessary as the country is not at war with any other country. Moreover, if another goal is to mobilize them for disaster response, there's already a pending bill in Congress that seeks to establish a separate Department of Disaster Resilience.
Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, Robredo's vice-presidential candidate, served as Agriculture Secretary during the Noynoy Aquino administration and wants agriculture to be given the importance it deserves in the next administration's economic development program. He is the president of the Liberal Party.
Moreno's vice presidential candidate, Dr. Willie Ong, is a familiar fixture in social media where he dispenses advice on health and wellness matters. If elected, he wants to take the lead in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and in improving health infrastructure and services in the country.
Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto brings his experience as a lawmaker and his long years in show business to reach out to various sectors and help Sen. Lacson in fighting corruption. If government is the problem, they say, government—a clean one—is also the solution.
Academician Walden Bello is running for vice president on an economic program that calls for, among other things, taxing the wealthy, an end to automatic debt servicing in the annual national budget and condonation of onerous international loans contracted by previous administrations.
"Presidential candidate Leody de Guzman and I do not offer a superficial diagnosis of the causes of our national malaise…The only way to prevent a desperate people from being seduced into going back to an authoritarian past is by offering them a program that would make them participants in the creation of the future they deserve: a truly democratic Philippines. So, what is this program? In two words, Democratic Socialism."
The Senatorial Race
The senatorial race is a crowded one, with no less than 64 candidates vying for 12 seats.
The senatorial candidates are a mixed bag. Among them are reelectionists; returning senators; and former national and local officials.
Among the reelectionists are Leila de Lima, Risa Hontiveros, Richard Gordon, Sherwin Gatchalian, Joel Villanueva, and Juan Miguel Zubiri
Returning senators are Alan Peter Cayetano, Chiz Escudero, JV Ejercito, Jinggoy Estrada, Gringo Honasan, Loren Legarda, and Antonio Trillanes IV.
“The forthcoming election for the two top executive positions could be dominated by two politicians coming from families with dubious commitment to the rule of law and due process.”
Former national and local government officials include Vice President Jejomar Binay, Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat; Party-List Rep. Neri Colmenares, and Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar.
From academe, there's De la Salle University College of Law Dean Chel Diokno, son of the late democracy icon Jose W. Diokno. He wants to reform the judicial system to see to it that justice and the rule of law are upheld by the next administration.
The Senate is part of the system of checks and balances in a democratic system of government. Apart from crafting laws, it also conducts investigations in aid of legislation, particularly graft and corruption cases. It is supposed to be independent from the executive branch, but in practice senators are likely to follow the position of their respective parties on particular issues. And if the majority of senators are pro-administration, as seen from the current composition of the Upper Chamber, then we can well expect the next Senate in the 19th Congress to hang by the coattails of the next president.
The Senate is a stepping stone to the presidency. From the looks of it, the current crop of senatorial candidates and incumbent senators does not offer us much hope that its "golden years" are in the horizon.
Covid and the Election Campaign
The May 2022 general elections for national and local positions is different from previous ones because it will take place amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Because of health and safety protocols aimed at protecting the public from contracting and spreading the deadly disease, candidates are constrained from conducting face-to-face campaigns and being seen and heard explaining their political platforms to the electorate.
They have to rely therefore on traditional media—print and broadcast, or radio and television—to spread their messages. This can be quite expensive, as TV ads can cost millions. The moneyed candidates also use social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to articulate their stand on pressing issues.
Where Do We Go from Here?
Like every election in the Philippines within recent memory, May 9 promises to be a political spectacle. Expect fire and brimstone from some candidates eager to prevail over their adversaries at all costs as well as song-and-dance routines in TikTok from others. It's all par for the course, but hardly conducive for voter education and enlightenment.
Voters in a mock election exercise (Source: philstar.com)
While the Covid-19 pandemic poses a huge hindrance to going all-out in the campaign, they can make up for the slack by fully utilizing tri-media as well as social media to their advantage. That assumes, of course, that they have the financial resources to do so. It is true that election spending perks up the economy. The downside is, candidates with money to burn will usually try to recover their expenses and fatten their bank accounts at taxpayers' expense when they assume political office.
If we see a bleak and dark future for Philippine democracy, it's not your set, folks. It's the fault of politicians and political dynasties that constantly promise to strengthen our democracy yet are doing everything to bend the rules to their advantage, ransack the national treasury like there's no tomorrow, and keep the nation's future hostage to their self-serving schemes.
Ernesto M. Hilario studied Political Science at the University of the Philippines and has worked for various government agencies, NGOs and mainstream media since 1978. He writes a regular column for the Manila Standard broadsheet and also works as a freelance writer-editor.
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