Election 2022 is coming and presidential candidates are doing their ways to be noticed by the public, some are conducting free services to people, some are giving food, and some are just roaming around conducting caravans. The most notable presidential candidates are Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with his running mate Sara Duterte, Leni Robredo with her running mate Francis Pangilinan, Manny Pacquiao with his running mate Lito Atienza, and Francisco Domagoso with his running mate Willie Ong. All candidates started roaming around the country after filing their Certificate of Candidacy (COC) last October 8. However, there is a certain pair of candidates that we should look out for, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his running mate Sara Duterte. He is the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and the brother of Senator Imee Marcos. Sara Duterte is the daughter of the current Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Why should we look out for them? Despite underperforming in his time as a politician, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. is still supported by some people just because his father was and is still seen by the others as “the best president”. Compared to his colleagues in Congress and the Senate, he passed and co-authored fewer bills than any normal politician. He was also caught lying in his political advertisements —saying he instigated certain projects but it turned out that it was not his. There have been appeals for the disqualification of his certificate of candidacy for many reasons; the most recent would be the conviction for his 1995 Tax Evasion case. Victims of his father’s Martial Law also appealed for his disqualification saying that he made “false materials representations” in his COC. People are afraid that if he wins the election—mass historical alterations will most likely happen, that he will add fire to the country’s deep-rooted romanticism of his late dictator father’s Martial Law, and he will clear his records in the system. We cannot allow past oppressors to come back to seats and haunt us again. Let us be concerned and diligent enough to check the records of who we support and vote for the morally and legally upright person.
Moving to the current president’s daughter, Sara Duterte is the current mayor of Davao City and is gunning for the second-highest position in the Philippine government. Her father’s supporters urged her to run for a national seat, expecting her to run for president but instead she went for the vice-presidential position. She is currently leading the surveys for vice presidential preference. It is seen that she may be used by her father to maintain political influence on a national position. She stated that her father does not influence her decisions, but we cannot be sure of mere words.
Article II Section 26 of the Philippine Constitution states that: "The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law." Marcos Jr. has his sister Imee in the Senate, and Duterte has her siblings in the local government and Congress. We should not tolerate this kind of action from our aspiring leaders. If they could not follow the Constitution, then we cannot trust that they will ensure a clean and honest government.
Being a part of this growing nation, we should be vigilant about who we support and who gets our votes. We cannot just pick someone just because of their looks or their sweet words. As the famous logic about students goes; grades surely don’t matter in life but it will tell a lot about you as a person—whether you’re a hard-working student or someone who just depends on others. These candidates’ track records, achievements, and opinions on certain issues will describe a lot of who they are as a person and as a leader. Check their backgrounds and most of all, their sincerity to provide change for the Filipino people.
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