History indicates that PH elections are centered on dynasties and celebrities

As elections grow closer some voters are concerned as to how the new candidates plan to jumpstart the economy following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s still the same kind of people who are running,” said a first-time voter in a Facebook Messenger chat. “No matter how good their track records are, if their platforms don’t align with what the country currently needs, then it might not solve our problems.”

Political analysts note that gambles on autocratic populists haven’t paid off and that this is something Filipinos need to learn.

“We are at a time of great uncertainty,” Ador R. Torneo, a professor, and director of De La Salle University’s Institute of Governance said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “Many stakeholders are waiting for concrete plans for economic recovery but only a handful of presidential candidates have shared their plan.”

“Candidates should be talking about their political and economic platforms four months into the elections,” said Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco, a research fellow at the Ateneo de Manila University Policy Center.

“That would have been ideal for us voters,” he said in a Messenger chat. “It would give us more time to evaluate the plans and possibly even ask questions.”

A report by the London-based Capital Economics, states that this year’s election could be a replication of the 1986 snap elections.

“Name recognition goes a long way in Philippine politics, which explains why three of the last four presidents have been actors and the children of former presidents,” it added.

The think-tank referred to ex-president Joseph E. Estrada, a former action star, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and the late Benigno S.C. Aquino III. It notes that the Arroyo and Estrada were both accused/convicted due to corruption while all three were put into office mainly through familial connections or public image.

“Name recognition doesn’t correlate with competence,” Capital Economics said. “A lack of policy-making experience in leaders (plus high levels of corruption) has contributed to the economy’s poor performance over recent decades.”

“Foreign investors and other countries with ties to the Philippines or have an interest there have often looked closely at political developments in the country as an indicator of stability in other areas like the economy,” said Maria Ela L. Atienza, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines.

Source: Business World