#AnimatED: Elections a watershed for Southeast Asia’s oldest democracy

Will Philippine democratic gains be eroded or strengthened?

Today, with a 75% projected turnout, 40.5 million Filipinos will vote for a new set of leaders, most importantly the two highest officials of the land: president and vice president.

This is the 5th presidential election since our freedoms returned to the country in 1986 – after 14 years of authoritarian rule under President Ferdinand Marcos. And it is turning out to be a critical watershed: will our democratic gains be eroded or strengthened?

The poll front runner, Rodrigo Duterte, is not a fan of our democratic system. And Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who leads the vice-presidential race, brings back memories of martial law, a dark chapter in Philippine history.

Administration bet Mar Roxas and independent candidate Grace Poe are a distant second.

Leni Robredo, Roxas’s running mate, is coming toward the finish line neck and neck with Marcos Jr.

In some ways this campaign is no different from the rest. We saw the usual practices, foremost of which is politicians jumping ship from one presidential candidate to another, a multi-party system gone berserk.

This adds to our young experience with multiple political parties, weak and dominated by personalities.

But something’s going on that is making the 2016 election campaign different. This appears to be the most divisive and rancorous, fueled by a mix of factors:

• The presence of a defiant and unconventional candidate
• Disorientation brought by economic growth that has left many people behind
• Incompetence and indecision of the Aquino government
• Slow and inadequate reforms to strengthen the rule of law
• The ubiquity of social media

The front runner, presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte, has tapped into a mother lode of aspirations and anxieties, effectively recasting the country’s number one problem from poverty to criminality and drugs.

An outsider to national politics, he has styled himself as the Filipinos’ “last card,” out to save us from doom, especially the clutches of drug lords and rapists. This message has resonated with many, from the elite to the poor. 

Duterte’s show of force – his clenched fist and threats to kill anyone who gets in the way of his anti-crime drive – is backed by his record as Davao City mayor, where he brought peace combined with extra-judicial killings of petty criminals.

He has created a following that is loyal and uninhibited, fiercely protective of their candidate and easy to bash critics. They pervaded social media, intensifying the exchanges on Facebook, which has more than 37 million Filipino users.

How did it happen that the Aquino government’s successes were drowned in the noise and hate talk of the campaign? The easy answer is: these have been eclipsed by its visible shortcomings and mistakes.

Yes, the Aquino government has surged the economy. But many are impatient to feel its benefits.

Yes, the conditional cash transfer program has helped millions improve their lives; universal health care has widely expanded its reach; major road networks have reached a number of provinces.

But hot-button issues that easily build disenchantment – such as efficient mass transport and working airports in the nation’s capital – have not been quickly addressed. Frustrations with these basic services have spread like wildfire on Facebook.

Painfully slow resolution of cases in our courts – anywhere from 6 to 10 years – remains a big hurdle.

Poor crises management – from the Luneta hostages to Mamapasano – have added to public disaffection. True, Aquino has remained popular compared to past presidents, but not the government.

The 2016 elections will be fodder for endless analysis and soul-searching by candidates, media, academe, and citizens.

But, today, we go to the polls in what is another test for the country’s fledgling democracy. – Rappler.com