Gimmicks and overpromises
Enough of substitution gimmicks. The people knew from the very beginning that the substitutions of candidates happening now for the 2022 National and Local Elections do not happen by chance. They are premeditated and do not add value at all in promoting the welfare of the Filipino people.
All candidates for the 2022 elections must now focus on the problems waiting for them once elected to office. As of July 31, 2021, the Philippines has a total debt of P11.6 trillion. This means that each Filipino has a debt of P106,387.00 using the Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2020 Census of Population and Housing. The Philippines’ unemployment rate rose to 8.9% in September 2021. The education system has plunged into a deep crisis with almost two years of no face-to-face classes.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) maintained its forecast for the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 4.5% in 2021 and 5.5% in 2022 in its Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2021 Update. The report notes signs of a gradual recovery in the country’s economy, with the upturn in domestic demand and favorable external trends aligned with the ADO’s projections announced in April. The main risk to the outlook is the spread of newer, contagious COVID-19 variants, which may result in the return of stricter containment measures and stall economic activity. (adb.org)
As of November 12, 2021, the country has administered 69,028,113 doses of COVID-19, with 31,355,064 people who are fully vaccinated (doh.gov.ph). With only 47 days left before the year 2021 ends, government officials still hope to vaccinate 70% of the country’s population by the end of 2021. In 2022, the target is 90% of the country’s population. The challenge of President Duterte’s successor is to have 98 million of the Filipino people fully vaccinated to mitigate the risk of lockdowns and closure of borders which proved to be disadvantageous to the economy.
Presidential aspirant and incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo has started revealing her plans for the first 100 days in office with focus on COVID-19 response and economic recovery. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno has laid out his Iskonomics as well while Former Bongbong Marcos Jr. is still in the process of crafting the details of his ‘unifying leadership’ campaign slogan.
It is time for the voters to critically examine the promises of these candidates. While it is convenient for a candidate to make motherhood statements, none of them has a silver bullet to end poverty in our country. The realities on the ground are far more complex and it is oftentimes difficult to balance various interests.
With a term of six (6) years for the top government posts and three (3) years for local offices, candidates who promise to create a utopian world by eliminating poverty or crimes during this term, or in six (6) months as what has been promised in the past, do not deserve our votes. The business of running the country is a tough job. We deserve a sincere and credible leadership, not gimmickry and overpromises.