THIS Election 2025 is insulting the intelligence of the Filipinos, if there is intelligence left to begin with, and bastardizing the environment without regard to climate action needed, now!
The pandemic experience of the worst human crisis did not change the way campaigns are done.
Cheap messengers
We can still see the cheap stunts of some candidates insulting the intelligence of the audience which patronize with full stupidity the bad taste in the candidates’ mouth. The several sexist remarks fit the miseducated misogynists. The awkward dance numbers that capture the applause of crowds.
The interviews that blatantly admit in public that they will become on-the-job-trainees in the Senate once they get elected. Those whose credentials are empty and track records are much emptier but have the courage without shame to believe they are fit to serve.
Empty messages
Those who have spent decades in public service but have not done anything worthwhile at all. Those who rely on celebrities and entertainers to woo the audience during campaign rallies with empty messages. Those who have nothing in their past to prove that they can do anything — except the popularity — in the legislative arena.
Those who have damaged integrity with the obvious personal interest to pursue and protect. Those who are willing to spend a fortune on getting the needed votes to get the power, then, recover the investment through corruption and exploitation of government resources and influence.
Sick system
Locally, we could see the unscrupulous politicians monopolizing the lineup of candidates as members of a family corporation they have built in local government that they seem to have franchised exclusively.
The party-list system, with great wisdom for the marginalized, has become bastardized by candidates that have neither the right to be in the list nor the representation to legitimately claim — yet with great possibility to be in the halls of Congress as honorable members. Many are the worst implication of the political dynasty.
Disrespected mother
The election has been unmindful of the damage it causes our environment. The huge volume of tarpaulins will become waste which will take decades to disintegrate. We can find them posted on trees with wires and nails. Plastics dominate the giveaways, water and snack packages during rallies. Most candidates are just irresponsible of the waste they produce in the process of campaigning.
Manipulated medium
Thanks to the social media platform that creates an open world for you and me — but also the platform where exploitative messaging and strategies may take, amid fake news, trolls, and digital illusions and delusions. The traditional media is a beneficiary of election economics and has lost its influence on their audience.
The voice of the righteous advocates is lost in the wilderness of the platform that makes noise depending on what money can buy.
While some remain to be true to the science there is in its conduct, the surveys have become both a mirror of what could be or a conditioning to what manipulated reality that could and would be.
Regions that can make senators win
A total of 68,618,667, plus 1.231 million registered abroad and 48,000 enrolled in the pre-voting system, Filipinos will determine the fate of the candidates in senatorial, party-list and local elections (as of Oct. 31, 2024, Comelec).
The top five regions (out of 18 regions) constitute 33,513,562 (48.84 percent) of the entire voting population. These are Region 4A (Calabarzon, 9.7 million), Region 3 (Central Luzon, 7.76 million), the National Capital Region (NCR, 7.51 million), Region 7 (Central Visayas, 4.40 million) and Region 5 (Bicol, 4.06 million). If a senatorial candidate gets half of the votes from these top five regions (16,756,781 votes), a candidate could already win a Senate seat. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada got 15,108,625 votes to land the last slot in 2022.
The bottom five regions constitute 9,798,288, or 14.28 percent, which even with 100 percent votes for a candidate cannot deliver a seat. These are Region 2 (Cagayan, 2.36 million), Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM, 2.37 million), Region 4B (Mimaropa, 2.06 million), Region 13 (Caraga, 1.89 million) and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR, 1.11 million).
Game-changing young and single voters
Assuming they will come out and vote, the young population can swiftly lead to the victory of national candidates. The Gen Zs (born 1997 to 2007) who are now between ages 18 and 28 constitute 21.87 million (28.79 percent), and the millennials (born 1981 to 1996) who are now between ages 29 and 44 constitute 25.94 million (43.15 percent). When combined, these two generations have a powerful 47.81 million (69.68 percent) voting population.
The voters who are single in status may spell the difference as they constitute 39.2 million (57.41 percent) compared to married at 28.1 million (41.08 percent) and widowed at 0.95 million (1.38 percent).
The candidates should reach out to these 44 and below young and single voters in the final stretch of the final stretch of the campaign.
The female voting population (34.88 million) is slightly higher than the male voters (33.55 million).
Costly election
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) obtained the data from Nielsen Ad Intel on the campaign expenditures on television, radio, print and billboard. This report covers data from January to December 2024. This period was even before the official elections period.
According to the PCIJ report, in the month of December, a daily average of 171 television ads were aired, with a total of 5,327 ads amounting to over P3.37 billion before discount.
The top four, who breached billions of pesos in expenditure, are Camille Villar (P2.14 billion), Imee Marcos (P1.9 billion), Abby Binay (P1.29 billion) and Francis Tolentino (P1.03 billion). The top 10 in the list spent a total of P9.196 billion. The list includes Benhur Abalos, Bong Revilla, Ronald Dela Rosa, Bong Go, Erwin Tulfo and Bam Aquino. Given this, senatorial candidate Camille Villar is spending P1 per registered voter already. The top 10 spenders are spending P134 per voter.
Among party-list candidates, the ACT-CIS spent P291 million and Bangon Bagong Minero (BBM) spent P100 million. In the 2022 elections, ACT-CIS generated 2 million votes. Assuming they generate the same number, they have already spent P145 per voter they will get in this election 2025.
These expenditures were limited to television, radio, print and billboard. It excludes the social media campaign expenditures, which may be presumed to be higher than these reported costs of campaigning.
We can just imagine how much more is being spent on operating a nationwide campaign — logistics, people, sorties, giveaways, and more.
Call to change form of government
The quick and surgical solution according to political scientist Clarita Carlos is a change in the form of our government. If we were in a parliamentary system, campaigning will be only within two weeks and only in the electoral district of the candidate, not in the entire archipelago, and the candidate’s political party will take care of the financing.
Rezoning and reconfiguration of the regions must be done to update the realities of the social mobility that changed the landscape of our demography.
-END-
SOURCE: The Manila Times
The pandemic experience of the worst human crisis did not change the way campaigns are done.
Cheap messengers
We can still see the cheap stunts of some candidates insulting the intelligence of the audience which patronize with full stupidity the bad taste in the candidates’ mouth. The several sexist remarks fit the miseducated misogynists. The awkward dance numbers that capture the applause of crowds.
The interviews that blatantly admit in public that they will become on-the-job-trainees in the Senate once they get elected. Those whose credentials are empty and track records are much emptier but have the courage without shame to believe they are fit to serve.
Empty messages
Those who have spent decades in public service but have not done anything worthwhile at all. Those who rely on celebrities and entertainers to woo the audience during campaign rallies with empty messages. Those who have nothing in their past to prove that they can do anything — except the popularity — in the legislative arena.
Those who have damaged integrity with the obvious personal interest to pursue and protect. Those who are willing to spend a fortune on getting the needed votes to get the power, then, recover the investment through corruption and exploitation of government resources and influence.
Sick system
Locally, we could see the unscrupulous politicians monopolizing the lineup of candidates as members of a family corporation they have built in local government that they seem to have franchised exclusively.
The party-list system, with great wisdom for the marginalized, has become bastardized by candidates that have neither the right to be in the list nor the representation to legitimately claim — yet with great possibility to be in the halls of Congress as honorable members. Many are the worst implication of the political dynasty.
Disrespected mother
The election has been unmindful of the damage it causes our environment. The huge volume of tarpaulins will become waste which will take decades to disintegrate. We can find them posted on trees with wires and nails. Plastics dominate the giveaways, water and snack packages during rallies. Most candidates are just irresponsible of the waste they produce in the process of campaigning.
Manipulated medium
Thanks to the social media platform that creates an open world for you and me — but also the platform where exploitative messaging and strategies may take, amid fake news, trolls, and digital illusions and delusions. The traditional media is a beneficiary of election economics and has lost its influence on their audience.
The voice of the righteous advocates is lost in the wilderness of the platform that makes noise depending on what money can buy.
While some remain to be true to the science there is in its conduct, the surveys have become both a mirror of what could be or a conditioning to what manipulated reality that could and would be.
Regions that can make senators win
A total of 68,618,667, plus 1.231 million registered abroad and 48,000 enrolled in the pre-voting system, Filipinos will determine the fate of the candidates in senatorial, party-list and local elections (as of Oct. 31, 2024, Comelec).
The top five regions (out of 18 regions) constitute 33,513,562 (48.84 percent) of the entire voting population. These are Region 4A (Calabarzon, 9.7 million), Region 3 (Central Luzon, 7.76 million), the National Capital Region (NCR, 7.51 million), Region 7 (Central Visayas, 4.40 million) and Region 5 (Bicol, 4.06 million). If a senatorial candidate gets half of the votes from these top five regions (16,756,781 votes), a candidate could already win a Senate seat. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada got 15,108,625 votes to land the last slot in 2022.
The bottom five regions constitute 9,798,288, or 14.28 percent, which even with 100 percent votes for a candidate cannot deliver a seat. These are Region 2 (Cagayan, 2.36 million), Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM, 2.37 million), Region 4B (Mimaropa, 2.06 million), Region 13 (Caraga, 1.89 million) and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR, 1.11 million).
Game-changing young and single voters
Assuming they will come out and vote, the young population can swiftly lead to the victory of national candidates. The Gen Zs (born 1997 to 2007) who are now between ages 18 and 28 constitute 21.87 million (28.79 percent), and the millennials (born 1981 to 1996) who are now between ages 29 and 44 constitute 25.94 million (43.15 percent). When combined, these two generations have a powerful 47.81 million (69.68 percent) voting population.
The voters who are single in status may spell the difference as they constitute 39.2 million (57.41 percent) compared to married at 28.1 million (41.08 percent) and widowed at 0.95 million (1.38 percent).
The candidates should reach out to these 44 and below young and single voters in the final stretch of the final stretch of the campaign.
The female voting population (34.88 million) is slightly higher than the male voters (33.55 million).
Costly election
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) obtained the data from Nielsen Ad Intel on the campaign expenditures on television, radio, print and billboard. This report covers data from January to December 2024. This period was even before the official elections period.
According to the PCIJ report, in the month of December, a daily average of 171 television ads were aired, with a total of 5,327 ads amounting to over P3.37 billion before discount.
The top four, who breached billions of pesos in expenditure, are Camille Villar (P2.14 billion), Imee Marcos (P1.9 billion), Abby Binay (P1.29 billion) and Francis Tolentino (P1.03 billion). The top 10 in the list spent a total of P9.196 billion. The list includes Benhur Abalos, Bong Revilla, Ronald Dela Rosa, Bong Go, Erwin Tulfo and Bam Aquino. Given this, senatorial candidate Camille Villar is spending P1 per registered voter already. The top 10 spenders are spending P134 per voter.
Among party-list candidates, the ACT-CIS spent P291 million and Bangon Bagong Minero (BBM) spent P100 million. In the 2022 elections, ACT-CIS generated 2 million votes. Assuming they generate the same number, they have already spent P145 per voter they will get in this election 2025.
These expenditures were limited to television, radio, print and billboard. It excludes the social media campaign expenditures, which may be presumed to be higher than these reported costs of campaigning.
We can just imagine how much more is being spent on operating a nationwide campaign — logistics, people, sorties, giveaways, and more.
Call to change form of government
The quick and surgical solution according to political scientist Clarita Carlos is a change in the form of our government. If we were in a parliamentary system, campaigning will be only within two weeks and only in the electoral district of the candidate, not in the entire archipelago, and the candidate’s political party will take care of the financing.
Rezoning and reconfiguration of the regions must be done to update the realities of the social mobility that changed the landscape of our demography.
-END-
SOURCE: The Manila Times