18/10/2024
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ
With the surge of political applicants filing their certificates of candidacy for the 2025 elections, it has never been clearer that credentials and cohesive platforms are treated as non-existent. This paradox further exacerbates the issue of the countryโs faltering governance.
This October 1 to 8, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) welcomed candidates for 18,280 elective positions for the May 2025 elections, locally and nationally. For this yearโs certificate of candidacy (COC) filing, diversity in politics was evident. From celebrities, social media influencers, to political dynasties, and even detainees, they are all present in the candidate pool. Stirring public opinion is a big threat and corruption, no different.
Influencers and celebrities venturing in a ground alien to them is old news, however, the issue remains grave. They are basically soldiers fighting a war to which they voluntarily chose not to bring any weapons.
Note that some of the personas that filed their COCs are not recipients of formal education under the political disciplines and governanceโyet, they are the ones making waves. Moreover, the place where their decision to run is coming from is also substanceless. Applicants whose reason to seek office are encouraging comments, promises of new politics despite coming from an old one, and relying on a good and helpful heart. It is alarming that despite this, there are still 91 of them running.
It is vital to recognize that knowledge of the law coupled with concrete platforms are key in bringing change in their respective communities, however, these are barely evident in these people.
Reckless decisions, detached promises, and cliche motherhood statements have no place in this nation. With this, the systemโs subservience to mediocrity is what continues to reek and this reduces the elections to a mere play. If this blatant display of circus politics is left unaddressed, minorities and communities will continue to be unrepresented, unheard, and barred-down.
If incompetence and under-education secure seats in councils and Congress, it would only reveal that the essence of service to the people is now completely absent, having been relinquished in favor of running for power simply out of capability. This only perpetuates a cycle of votes influenced by familiarity, translating to the undermining of the quality of governance in our country.
While it is not fundamentally wrong for online sensations and celebrities primarily to enter politics, the issue is that not only do they have imaginary credentials, they also have already-established influence. Influence, large or larger, is power and it is the primary tool at their disposal that even permits them to stand where they are.
This long-standing predicament should reflect back on the government and the power they should be utilizing. Legislations about factoring in polished track records and such to assess oneโs eligibility to run should undoubtedly be passed. Moreover, this is also a call to them to enhance the quality of education in the country.
Elections in the Philippines are beyond repair. The system is already in a sorry state and if this deeply-rooted issue of passivity to dead weights is left thriving and encouraged, it would only lead to decay. Politics in the Philippines is a paradox in itself.
