Why the Midterms Matter
On May 12, 2025, Filipinos will choose candidates vying for more than 18,000 national and local positions. I find this simple fact astonishing and a proof of just how democracy works. This is what I like about democracy, it allows people to manifest their choice. You can have all the pundits and so-called “opinion-makers” out there but at the end of the day the most important voice is that of the Filipino people.
The 2025 elections is essentially a midterm electoral exercise as it will happen in the middle of the term of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. In a sense, it is correct to treat it as a referendum on the President’s performance thus far. As such, it is a very democratic exercise in which people express their approval (or disapproval) of the direction taken by the current regime halfway through its term in office. In the United States, there have been many cases where the party who won the presidential race got clobbered in the midterms as Americans express their displeasure of the sitting administration. It is chaotic but that is also the beauty of democracy. It all boils down to the voice of the people.
So why do the 2025 midterm elections matter? What do the people want? What are they thinking?
As is usually the case, several pundits, “experts,” and analysts have focused on the controversial issues. When I was still in politics, I noticed that a number of people prefer to exploit the “sabong” mentality of a particular segment of the voters. In cockfighting, there is a term called “kulitan,” which is the part of the fight where each gamecock is allowed to peck at the other’s head. This is done to agitate the gamecocks that is supposed to make for an exciting fight. Some people enjoy that in politics, gusto nila pinagsasabong ang mga kandidato (they like to pit candidates against each other).
It does create sparks and better ratings for TV, more clicks and likes on social media, and generally more attention from the public. But does it focus on the issues that really matter? Do these “kulitan” in Philippine electoral politics create the right atmosphere for the discussion of issues? In this scenario, elections are treated as “bangayan” rather than a sober discussion of what our problems are and what can be done about them. These partisan skirmishes actually obscure the real issues. Instead of focusing on “intrigahan,” political campaigns should focus on issues that people regard as important in their lives.
A Pulse Asia survey released in October of last year and was apparently commissioned by think tank Stratbase ADR Institute revealed that more than half of Filipinos (57 percent) hope for candidates to have “job creation, livelihood generation, and financial literacy” as their platform. The second item on the agenda of the people is actually quite surprising, as people prefer an “investment-led economic growth” platform (44 percent) from candidates. This was followed by corruption, quality healthcare and quality education. In this survey, Pulse Asia asked 1,200 respondents to select three out of 11 options regarding what they consider the “most important issues” for senatorial candidates to address in their campaigns.
This was very similar to a July 2024 Ulat ng Bayan survey by the same company. Pulse Asia found that the top five “most urgent national concerns” among Filipinos are the following: controlling inflation (74 percent), increasing the pay of workers (44 percent), reducing poverty (32 percent), creating more jobs (30 percent), and fighting corruption (22 percent). These are the issues our people want government to focus on, not the “sabong” between politicians, not the controversies and scandals. They want jobs, they want livelihood, they want better pay, so they can afford to send their children to school, give them good education, and create a new and bright future for them.
These are the reasons why the 2025 midterms are important. We need to refocus our attention away from the cockfight and focus on what really matters. Let us look for candidates — local and national — who have plans and the track records on how to create jobs, provide livelihood, and create a new and better future for Filipino families. Let us not lose sight of what the elections are all about. It is not about the fight between two forces, it is about the daily struggles of the Filipinos and how candidates can help in achieving their dream of a new future.
Source:
