Change we desperately need

“May the electorate seize this opportunity.”

The drums of political war games have started beating to muster their forces from a crisis-battered populace still struggling to survive an unprecedented storm of challenges. This storm has shaken every sector of society and has exposed the systemic and leadership flaws of this administration. The theater of political battles will be unlike any in our history as we prepare to exercise our right as Filipino citizens to elect a new set of leaders in the post-pandemic political cycle.

For many voters, the experiential and perceptive appreciation of the effect of this government to one’s current socio-economic state and prospective aspirations will be the prime motivator to pivot from the current populist pretenses to the more sober values of statesmanship, integrity, professionalism, strategic thinking, and propriety.

As digital technologies saved the pandemic-stricken world from complete devastation, it has also become the primary weapon of disinformation. This has apparently succeeded in mesmerizing many minds with creatively simplistic and deceivingly polarizing narratives that, in my opinion, has come to an unconscionable level of proficient lying.

It is this environment of disinformation and populism that respected democracy advocates are calling on all Filipinos to be vigilant and reject during the latest Stratbase ADR Institute virtual town hall discussion on “Democracy Goes On: Upholding a Safe, Free, and Credible 2022 Elections in the New Normal”.

Stratbase president Prof. Dindo Manhit said that the issue of trust and corruption are of much importance. These are issues that I hope candidates focus on.

Citing their two separate commissioned surveys with PULSE Asia on what Filipino voters are looking for in terms of characteristics of candidates, the respondents consistently said that candidates should have concern for the poor or pro-poor (48%), not corrupt (47%), is trustworthy and honest (37%).

Another Stratbase ADRi commissioned survey on trust of the COMELEC’s automated election system found that 74% to 84% had BIG trust in terms of election results which in effect established the legitimacy of the elected leaders and how voters value automated elections.

“We’ve always argued in our institute that those who attack automated elections want to go back to the old ‘dagdag-bawas’ era,” Prof. Manhit said.

Prof. Manhit warned that the key challenge in the 2022 National Elections is the “pandemic of disinformation” that has been perpetrated since 2016.

He emphasized that false or wrong information paralyzes people’s critical ability to choose leaders and called on us to collectively expose and denounce trolls and disinformation machineries in a multi-stakeholder effort to promote timely and “right” information.

Dr. Ador Torneo, Director of the La Salle Institute of Governance, said the COVID-19 situation will be a major factor in the success of the elections. This means that the progress of vaccines, the effectivity of the policies of the IATF, and the adequacy of the COMELEC preparations and our response as stakeholders will be key.

Ms. Mardi Mapa-Suplido, chairperson of InciteGOV, lamented that the substance of political debate in social media has deteriorated due to ad hominem statements, profanity and name-calling.

“Populists who claim to speak on behalf of ordinary people but are out to destroy the status quo are actually dangerous because they threaten democratic norms that many value,” Mapa-Suplido said.

University of the Philippines Professor Danilo Arao, convenor of Kontra Daya, for his part protested the attack on press freedom and killings happening in Duterte’s time.

“The bottom line is that impunity has been there, the killings have been happening, and if you look at the statistics, whether you are pro-administration or anti-administration, the fact is it is still happening,” Arao said.

Atty. Mildred Ople, Program Officer for Youth Leadership for Democracy, called on the youth to wield their voting power. The high turnout of first-time registrants supports this potential. She appealed to young voters to choose the most deserving leaders and expose abusive politicians – to participate in designing the kind of government we deserve.

Parish Pastoral Council on Responsible Voting trustee, Mr. Henry Aguda gave a comprehensive rundown of the workings and built-in safety systems of the vote counting machines and advised of the protocols anticipating various glitches that may happen on election day.

Stratbase ADRi Executive Director and Democracy Watch Lead Convenor Paco Pangalangan stated that all stakeholders must be vigilant and play an active role in holding our public servants accountable and engaging candidates on how concerns of different sectors should be addressed.

For his part, Commission on Elections spokesperson, Director James Jimenez, reporting voter registration numbers way above expected levels despite the pandemic, confirmed that Filipino voters are seriously looking forward to the May 2022 elections.

Hopefully, with this heightened focus, the Philippine electorate will seize this opportunity to elect transformative, trustworthy, and highly competent leaders who have the persona to uplift our nation to prosperity and with moral uprightness – change we desperately need.