A new Pulse Asia survey shows that fighting graft and corruption in government remains among Filipinos’ most urgent national concerns. But it appeared this was hardly a factor in the voters’ preferences for the senators they will elect in next year’s elections.
At least seven senatorial candidates entered the “Magic 12” of the survey conducted from Nov. 26 to Dec. 3, 2024 despite facing corruption cases or allegations, either in the past or present.
The seven candidates are brothers Erwin and Ben Tulfo, Christopher “Bong” Go, Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Lito Lapid, and Imee Marcos.
It’s a development that an analyst attributed to Filipino voters’ preference for “tried and tested’’ names in politics.
Dennis Coronacion, head of the University of Santo Tomas’ Department of Political Science, explained that voters tend to choose “tried-and-tested” names in politics that are mostly associated with political dynasties.
“When you want [someone] who is popular, you will vote for who you usually hear because they are already in dynasties. And you hear them because they have been in power for such a long time,” he told the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) in an interview.
Top 5 most urgent concern
Fighting graft and corruption is among five most urgent national issues in the Philippines, based on the new Pulse Asia survey.
More than a fourth or 27% of the respondents said it was one of three most urgent issues in the country.
PERCEIVED URGENCY OF SELECTED NATIONAL ISSUES
| SELECTED NATIONAL ISSUES | % CITING AS ONE OF THREE MOST URGENT ISSUES |
| Controlling Inflation | 74 |
| Increasing the pay of workers | 36 |
| Reducing the poverty of many Filipinos | 31 |
| Creating more jobs | 27 |
| Fighting graft and corruption in government | 27 |
| Addressing the problem of involuntary hunger | 17 |
| Fighting criminality | 15 |
| Providing assistance to farmers, including selling their products | 14 |
| Promoting peace in the country | 14 |
| Stopping the destruction and abuse of our environment | 9 |
| Enforcing the law on all, whether influential or ordinary people | 9 |
| Defending the integrity of Philippine territory against foreigners | 5 |
| Protecting the welfare of OFWs | 3 |
| Responding to the needs of areas affected by calamities | 0.02 |
Go, a reelectionist senator who ranked 3rd to 4th in the survey, is facing plunder and graft complaints filed by former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV over the award of P6.6 billion contracts by the Davao City government to Go’s family from 2007 to 2018.
Go is a former aide of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Revilla, who placed 5th to 10th place, was acquitted in 2021 by the Sandiganbayan of 16 counts of graft in connection with the “pork barrel” scam. But he was ordered to return P124.5 million to the government. He has yet to comply with the order.
Lapid, who landed in 10th to 14th place, faced graft charges over the purchase of P4.7 million overpriced fertilizers in 2004 when he was Pampanga governor. This was dismissed by the Sandiganbayan in 2016. Three years later, the Supreme Court ruled to hear the graft and corruption case against him.
Lapid was also implicated in the “pork barrel’’ scam, which entailed channeling lawmakers’ fund allocations to ghost projects through non-government organizations.
Marcos, who also ranked 10th to 14th place, was probed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2018 over an alleged misuse of P66.45 million in Ilocos Norte tobacco funds in the purchase of 110 Foton minicabs.
Leading candidates Erwin and Ben Tulfo were also dragged in a corruption controversy involving their sister, former Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo. The complaint was already dismissed.
The brothers of Sen. Raffy Tulfo were linked to a P60-million advertising deal in 2017 between the Department of Tourism and People’s Television Network. Wanda’s department placed advertisements in “Kilos Pronto,” a TV program produced by Ben’s media company and co-hosted by Erwin.
The Commission on Audit flagged the transaction in 2018 for lacking proper documentation and possible conflict of interest. Wanda resigned from her post following public outcry.
Pacquiao also faced a P2.2-million tax evasion case in 2013, but this was dismissed by the Court of Tax Appeals in 2022.
Personality, not issue-oriented
Coronacion, former president of the Philippine Political Science Association, said that the surveys also showed that voters’ choices are influenced by personalities, not by issues.
“We are not issue-oriented [and] Filipino voters’ criteria [have] only a small percentage that is allotted for objective criteria, like is this candidate competent enough [or] does he or she have any corruption issue?” he said.
This voters’ mindset has only encouraged politicians to commit offenses while serving in government, which they conceal through public relations on social media, Coronacion said.
“This is why we have many politicians who are not afraid of committing graft and corrupt practices,” he said.
Voters tend to disregard allegations of corruption against candidates because money is enough incentive for them to vote for a certain candidate, Coronacion observed.
“Filipinos tend to disregard [corruption records], and we think it’s not about being forgetful or forgiving. I think it’s more about what they need for today, because of course, they need to survive,” he said.
Julio Teehankee, a professor at De La Salle University’s Political Science Department, said survey results show a disconnect between politicians and their image.
“I sense that the imaging is different from the actual concern. It’s an indication that they have no choice. But image is only one part of a national electoral campaign,” Teehankee said.
“Because who is often seen in carpooling, or ‘ingat kayo sa biyahe,’ or sino yung madalas sa radio, it takes money. [But] who is at the top? They are the ones with business interests or other interests invested in their political careers,” he added.
Ona Caritos, executive director of election watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE), said politicians with name recall enjoy an advantage in multi-slot positions, say in the Senate.
“This multi-level position would really put individuals who are famous or who have surnames with recall at an advantage because that’s what they fight for in a multi-slot position because normally people would not fill up the 12 slots,” she said.
Commission on Elections chair George Garcia said: “You know, Filipinos are forgiving. We are very forgiving people. We can easily forget and we can easily set aside all issues against a candidate.”
But he added that disinformation may also be a factor in the voters’ preferences for senator.
“Of course, disinformation is always a threat to anybody with or without a case, to anybody who is living ordinary lives. At the same time, especially when it comes to elections because of misinformation and disinformation it can allow somebody to be voted or it can allow somebody to be rejected by the electorate because the people may believe the misinformation or the disinformation,’’ he told PCIJ.
Coronacion advised voters to put premium on credentials and competence rather than popularity when electing candidates.
“You have to ask yourself, after the elections, are they capable of performing their tasks? Are they competent enough? So, aside from ability, are they capable of functioning as congressman, as mayor, as senator? Aside from that, is he or she competent enough?” he said. — PCIJ.org