In 2016, Bongbong Marcos lost the vice presidency to Leni Robredo. It was a tight race, but the results were clear: he did not win. For years, he remained unemployed in government, absent from any public service role, and yet, in 2022, he managed to clinch the presidency.
The question is, how? And more importantly, what does this say about the Filipino electorate?
Even before he won, I had heavy doubts about Bongbong Marcos. He was a politician with a surname, not a leader with a vision.
His track record was questionable, his credentials vague, and his accomplishments—if any—were overshadowed by the baggage of his family’s past. Yet despite these glaring red flags, Filipinos embraced him as if he were their long-lost savior. Not just voters, but fanatics.
Red Flags Ignored, Fanaticism Embraced
Marcos Jr.’s presidency was built on nostalgia, not merit. His supporters conveniently forgot—or outright denied—the atrocities of Martial Law under his father’s regime. They disregarded his inability to participate in debates, his questionable academic records, and his lack of a clear platform.
Instead, they worshiped his last name, bought into propaganda, and silenced those who dared to question his competence.
Let me drop some truth here: fanaticism is different from loyalty. Loyalty is built on trust and consistent proof of credibility, while fanaticism is blind, irrational, and dangerous.
Filipinos, in their desperation for a leader who could bring back some idealized version of the past, allowed themselves to be manipulated. They didn’t vote with their intellect; they voted with sentimentality.
The Filipino Electorate: Do We Ever Learn?
Filipinos have a painful history of making the same mistakes. We topple corrupt leaders only to replace them with equally questionable ones. We elect movie stars, plunderers, and those who appeal to our emotions rather than our logic.
Time and time again, we fail to ask the hard questions. Instead of scrutinizing candidates, we turn politics into a popularity contest.
The 2022 elections saw over 31 million Filipinos vote for Bongbong Marcos. This was despite the historical record of his family's stolen wealth, estimated at $10 billion, and the unfulfilled promises of their previous reign.
Even more concerning is the rise in crime and economic struggles post-election.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the country’s inflation rate soared to 8.7% in January 2023, the highest in 14 years, affecting the prices of basic goods and further pushing millions into poverty.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police reported a rise in serious crimes, including theft and murder, in key urban areas. This is the reality Filipinos now face, one that was foreseen but ignored due to blind devotion.
The Cost of Ignorance
A country that refuses to learn from history is doomed to repeat it. If Filipinos continue voting based on blind faith rather than informed decisions, the cycle of poor governance will never end.
Elections are not a game, and yet, many treat them as if they are. They vote based on name recall, viral social media content, and feel-good rhetoric instead of policies, competence, and integrity. This has dire consequences, and now, we are living through them.
Even more tragic is that history keeps repeating itself.
Decades ago, Marcos Sr. was ousted for corruption, economic collapse, and human rights abuses, and yet, in 2022, millions willingly chose to reinstate the same bloodline into power.
How many times must the nation suffer before Filipinos realize their mistakes?
Wake Up, Philippines
Filipinos deserve better leaders, but to achieve that, we must first become better voters. We need to break free from this toxic cycle of fanaticism and demand accountability from those in power. Bongbong Marcos’ presidency is not just his victory—it is the Filipino people’s failure.
The question is: will we ever learn?
Or will we continue to make the same mistakes, deceiving ourselves into thinking that one surname can magically fix an entire nation?
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