The Ballot’s Curse: Why Do Filipinos Keep Electing the Unfit, the Questionable, and the Controversial?

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

In a nation drenched in the blood of its heroes, steeped in centuries of struggle for genuine freedom and self-governance, one haunting question continues to echo through generations of disillusioned citizens: Why do we keep electing the unfit, the questionable, and the controversial?

The Philippines, a country that prides itself on democratic vibrancy and people power, paradoxically keeps empowering individuals who represent everything its democracy should resist. From celebrities with zero legislative credentials to politicians with shadowy pasts and messianic delusions, the electorate’s choices often leave political analysts, civic educators, and patriots alike in stunned disbelief.

The Rise of the Unlikely

Consider Robin Padilla, a former action star and ex-convict, who topped the 2022 Senate race. His legislative interventions have, time and again, betrayed a lack of preparedness, coherence, and even basic constitutional understanding. Yet he was catapulted into national office not because of his grasp of policy but because of fame—a currency that, in Philippine politics, often outweighs competence.

Then there’s Apollo Quiboloy, the self-declared “Appointed Son of God,” whose religious empire is clouded by serious allegations of sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and financial misconduct. Despite his global notoriety and fugitive status, he still garners support among a segment of the population who cling to his fiery sermons and promises of divine intervention.

Vice President Sara Duterte is another example. While her political career is partly her own making, there is no denying that her rise to power is deeply rooted in her father’s cult-like following. Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs—responsible for thousands of extrajudicial killings—should have haunted any family member’s political ambition. Yet here she is, installed into the second highest post in the land, arguably untouched by the moral debris left in the wake of her father’s policies.

And then there are the party-lists—supposed to be sanctuaries for the marginalized. Yet many of these groups have morphed into dynastic proxies, business-backed interests, or Trojan horses for traditional political clans. The very system that was created to uplift the voiceless has been hijacked, manipulated, and defiled.

The Roots of a Democratic Tragedy

Is this a case of national amnesia? Mass manipulation? Or a collective craving for spectacle over substance?

The Philippine electoral landscape has long been fertile ground for the cult of personality. Charisma, celebrity, and spectacle trump policy platforms and qualifications. Media saturation, name recall, and emotional resonance often dominate the factors influencing voter decisions. When poverty persists and civic education remains weak, emotional connection becomes more compelling than evidence of leadership capability.

There’s also the machinery of political dynasties and entrenched patronage systems—families who monopolize power across generations, reinforcing a cycle where name, not merit, wins votes. The result is a population so used to political disappointment that it lowers the bar for leadership, even idolizing the very figures who fail them.

Moreover, the electoral process itself is deeply flawed. Bogus party-lists infiltrate ballots under noble-sounding causes. Disinformation campaigns flood social media, weaponizing fake news to rewrite history and vilify critics. Voter manipulation, vote-buying, and disenfranchisement still run rampant, while institutions meant to protect democratic integrity often bend to political pressure.

The Cultural Curse of "Mababait Naman"

A cultural tendency to forgive—even forget—plays a dangerous role. Filipinos often rationalize poor governance with phrases like “Eh mabait naman siya” or “May puso naman siya sa mahirap.” Morality becomes subjective, and accountability is blurred. The convicted, the accused, the corrupt—even the bloodstained—are given political absolution through the ballot box.

The Way Forward—or Further Back?

Breaking this vicious cycle demands a national reckoning. A reinvention of civic education. A radical commitment to voter empowerment. Institutions must be reformed to prioritize transparency, protect against manipulation, and ensure that qualification, not just popularity, guides leadership selection.

But above all, Filipinos must reclaim their power—not as spectators of democracy, but as its vigilant stewards. Because every vote is more than a choice—it is a reflection of values, a measure of collective dignity, and a contract with the nation’s future.

Until we learn to separate charisma from competence, and celebrity from credibility, we will remain trapped in this tragic loop—a democracy hijacked by spectacle, haunted by its own choices.

The haunting question lingers: How many more times must we elect the unfit before we finally learn?

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