Ask yourself now, honestly, do we have a majority of honest, selfless and competent politicians in the government seats today? Alas, the truth can’t be denied. We cannot deny the realities we hear, feel and see every day. Our former presidents are impeached. Our senators are accused of plunder. Our congress can hardly earn trust from the public. Corruption is definitely not less in our country.
It’s a sad truth that we must face. Most of us elect politicians who are not fit to lead our nation. Of course there are Filipinos who are making the wisest votes. But those votes don’t usually form a majority to win during elections. Of course we also have sincere and responsible public officials. But they are obviously outnumbered by their opposites.
When we talk about unworthy politicians, we aren’t only talking about the corrupt politicians but also the incompetent or feeble ones. So why do a lot of us keep on electing them? Here are 10 reasons why.
1. They vote for money. Unworthy politicians get elected because many Filipinos vote in exchange for money, not for the progress and prosperity of our country. Because of their severe need for money and lack of informed judgment, they choose to prosper for a day with the money they can get from vote selling (buying), without realizing that they’re also giving up the future of our nation.
2. They vote for popularity. They choose the famous personalities, whether they’re popular actors, actresses, athletes or children of former famous politicians. Of course popular personalities can possibly become deserving leaders, but voting based only on popularity is a lame move, isn’t it?
3. They vote for affiliation. They vote for the politicians whom they are most affiliated with. For example, most Filipinos in a certain province vote for a presidential candidate who came from their place because they are expecting that he or she will be the one who can help them the most, without thinking they’re obliged to choose someone who can help the entire nation, not only their province.
4. They vote for their debt. They vote for the sake of paying their debt of gratitude. They elect the political candidates who have sponsored their scholarship, weeding, sports activities, and other events. If these politicians are running for congressional or senatorial seats, do you think they’re making a wise vote, considering that their job is to make laws, not to sponsor things?
5. They vote for probability. They believe and follow the surveys. They don’t fight for their true vote until the end. They give up on the most deserving candidate because he or she has a small chance of winning. They vote for the one who has the biggest chance of winning. If majority of the Filipinos have this mindset, what do you think will happen to the Philippines?
6. They vote for uncertainty. They don’t have any concrete idea who’s deserving and who’s not. They don’t exert efforts to make a research and know all the candidates better. So they just make a wild guess.
7. They vote for the best promises. And because they are uncertain as to who’s the one to vote, they’re basing their votes on the talk of the politicians without knowing how they walk their talk. They believe in the lies of dishonest politicians who are good at convincing people with flowery words.
8. They vote for their faith. They vote for the one who’s endorsed by their leader, idol or influencer. Some of them are also making a religious bloc voting. Although the endorsed politicians can be deserving, voting without knowing the deeds of such politicians can still lead to unjustified vote. What do you think?
9. They vote nothing. They don’t make a vote at all. Not exercising one’s right to make a wise vote can increase the chance of an unworthy politician to win. Whether eligible Filipino voters vote or not, they still form part of the election process. Whether we vote or not, the election continues. Whether you vote or not, you still elect.
10. Their votes are stolen. They’ve actually made the right votes but the cheaters or election fraudster didn’t count them.
The reasons I shared above are problems that we should identify and solve. Although they may sound a bit offensive to some of the Filipinos, these things are happening for real and we cannot deny them. We should face and overcome them. We should not cover them up, rather we should come up with solutions.
Poverty and lack of formal education can contribute to these problems, but they are not the absolute reasons why we keep on electing unworthy politicians. Poor and uneducated people can still make a vote with dignity. It’s actually the lack of love for our entire country that is the root of all these.
So what do you think are the solutions to stop this trend? What can you do to encourage our countrymen to vote and elect the right leaders of our country? Feel free to make a comment below.
About Victorino Q. Abrugar
Vic promotes tourism-related businesses, brands and places. He's the marketing strategist of FAQ.PH. He believes that the key to success is to always do what to do next. Want to promote your business? Contact him at mail@optixor.com.
i’m 69 years matagal na akong bumuboto kapag elektion.napapansin ko lahat ng kandidatong nanalo, yumaman.para sa akin ang elektion ay pamimili ng susunod na yayaman.o susunod na magnanakaw.tama na, di na ako boboto para di pa ako makonsyensya at binoto ko sila.
Massive voters education in every barangay must be imposed especially in the remote barangays where they’re the most vulnerable to vote buying.
Aminin natin, abno tayo.
Seriously. Poverty drives us to vote for those who can pay up during election time. Our poverty also drives us to live in a make believe word. Unlike other countries, i don’t think we have yet to experience a real crisis mode, too resilient and flexible. We have no discipline, dumadami na ang negatives. Seriously, abno nga yata tayo. Will somebody find out if we came from one of the 12 lost tribes.
it might be in the culture of Filipinos to listen to gossip rather than think or it might be the lack of education. I remember clearly during the election time when Po was running for president. I discussed with some construction workers who told me “we vote for Po, he promised us jobs”. I told them “I can give you jobs for your whole live….but I can’t give you a salary. Where do you think Po is getting all the money from?”
Let’s face it, everybody seems making extra ordinary negative comments and complaints about our political system and allegedly corrupt politicians, yet failed to realize that by the time we accepted the money from those aspiring politicians for our votes, we actually the one who are the most corrupt in the first place in effect the first most corrupt who were being manipulated by the corrupts, sounds ironic.
i think the ultimate reason for selling their vote is the mistaken notion that with their solitary vote, they will not be able to change anything in the political process; hence they might as well get something for it.
stupidity or naivety