Despite the incredible results of our last presidential elections whose themes of unity had drastically warped into today’s hatred-ridden headlines characterized by vicious mudslinging, demolition jobs and a toxic unraveling among 2022’s elected incumbents, the public is once again eager for yet another electoral exercise.

Quickly forgotten are the red and green campaign shirts worn by two who raised each other’s hand. Now both appear to be going for each other’s jugular. While 2022’s count confirmed their victory, now confronted with the midterm elections, and beyond that, 2028, all remnant unity be damned.

Inside the cathedral that worships pagan gods, on aisles leading to the 2025 altar, wannabes have started their dog and pony acts. For some, despite past losses, delusions remain in tow. They refuse to acknowledge that despite her apparent popularity, the opposition’s presidential candidate could not carry her ticket to the legislature, specifically the Senate where most believe winners were legitimately elected. 

Analyze the arithmetic. Her running mate in 2022, now running for the Senate, with a “best” voting base shy by over six million, neither has the numbers for a prospective Senate seat, much less the vice presidency. Never mind that his counterpart might be the most hated today.

The eventual focus now is on the 2028 presidential elections with 2025 as a preparatory stage since it is expected that the sitting president may hand over his scepter but not necessarily relinquish his political powers and influence. To ensure these are perpetuated and protected, such disturbing anti-democratic prospects may require far subtler ways than did the previous unsettled travesty.

Those proven strategies include media disinformation, social media manipulation, personality politics, hate campaigns, trolls, and influencers. Given the level of intellect, the surrender to fate, our doctoral degrees from the university of TikTok and our inherent collective brown-nosing attitudes towards autocrats — we are where we are, and the status quo is likely to worsen until 2028.

Among the pillars of democracy, the right of suffrage is one of the most important as it vests upon us the tremendous power to choose leaders. By freely and quite simply shading tiny ovals, we can theoretically determine our future. Unfortunately, this noble concept is wrapped in what has turned into ignoble simplicity by the conveniences of voting mechanization.

The convenience in which we vote is in direct contrast to suffrage’s importance and that is the reason that the exercise is given little significance, specifically in the interregna between 2016, 2022 and the forthcoming 2025 midterms. 

Return on investments

That there might be a significant number who would readily trade off their suffrage rights in exchange for a thousand-peso bill and the cliché promises of politicians is unfortunate if not criminal for both briber and bribee. Worse, characteristic of a banana republic, it speaks volumes of our propensity to translate voting into a petty cash transaction and thereby torch our democracy.

Given the incumbency vested on officials transactional voting has enabled political and economic dominance for supposedly civil servants. For incumbents who have benefited from electoral fraud, the count is an existential affirmation. It is their alpha and omega. Unfortunately, forthwith it is also the source of their return on investments (ROI).

This pecuniary objective accounts for the massive investments by both the candidates and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) at being credible. Results should at least sustain a grip on power until the next exercise when the electorate is again gifted a package of promises. 

So huge are these that it boggles the mind how such spell the difference between the hiatus of a non-election year’s gross domestic product (GDP) and its sudden spike in an election year. The impact of government spending, the increase in money supply released from campaign coffers and a year’s consumerism, from household spending and the momentary productivity of cottage industries supplying campaign paraphernalia all create an illusion of economic expansion. 

For election winners, these bankroll the proverbial “honeymoon” period and morning-after ‘sugar” highs. Never mind that these trigger subsequent delusions of grandeur. Preening fowl think they bring on the sunrise by crowing.

In billions

Work into this expenditure hypothesis the remittances of over-budgeted and unused funds from government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs). To appreciate the magnitude of election-timed cash flows analyze the P731.45 billion sudden ballooning in GOCC excesses. Include the billions of congressionally appropriated, state-subsidized, or individually contributed forced savings by members of a healthcare fund exclusively established for personal needs.

Think in billions. Note how the funds involved in the Pharmally scandal and those laundered through Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in Bamban, Tarlac are peanuts compared to pre-need health funds continuously being spirited away. As preparations are made for 2025, do the math, and check the electoral calendar against the remittance schedule. 

Our electoral system is obviously in the gutter and its loss of credibility is attributable to factors that cross partisan aisles and involve the loss of integrity and independence of our institutions. 

In the United States, a ranking former Comelec official, a key ally of the opposition to dictatorial rule is now a fugitive and has been charged under US laws with bribery related to a $17.56 million money-laundering case. In our neck of the woods, current officials have been called to account for 2022’s results. Collectively, these negatively impact on credibility.

The existential question remains unsettled. Losing its inherent integrity, the electoral system has warped transactional. Ironically, for many voters as well as candidates, that is an upside. In our book however, if only for its educational value, competitive campaigning still catalyzes awareness. But that is a pretty low bar. Beyond that, we are compelled to ask if indeed suffrage still matters. – Rappler.com

Dean de la Paz is a former investment banker and managing director of a New Jersey-based power company operating in the Philippines. He is the chairman of the board of a renewable energy company and is a retired Business Policy, Finance, and Mathematics professor. He collects Godzilla figures and antique tin robots.