Politics in the Philippines has become a blood sport, where those who seek office often resort to demolishing their opponents through character assassination, intimidation, and violence. This disgraceful conduct exposes a political culture that values power over service, and ambition over integrity.
Instead of investing time and energy in genuine public service, many elected officials spend their terms orchestrating takedowns of potential rivals. The demolition jobs come in various forms: trumped-up charges, relentless media attacks, online smear campaigns, or, worse, extrajudicial means. Such practices waste public resources and hijack the democratic process by denying the people fair choices. Candidates are not evaluated based on merit or platforms but on the mud that others manage to sling at them.
This obsession with political survival cripples governance. Programs are shelved, budgets are misused, and public welfare is neglected as incumbents plot, scheme, and maneuver to weaken those who may challenge their hold on power. The electorate is shortchanged, as their votes are betrayed by officials who forget their oath to serve. The violence and political persecution are symptoms of a rotten system, where winning is everything, and serving becomes incidental.
The media, wittingly or not, often becomes a tool in these political skirmishes. Black propaganda spreads like wildfire, destroying reputations regardless of truth. Public discourse becomes toxic, reducing politics to a game of who can scream the loudest or manipulate the public the most. This does not inform or educate the citizenry; it confuses, misleads, and blinds them. The result is a disillusioned public that either loses interest in governance or blindly aligns with political noise.
Our country needs a wholesale cleansing of political habits. Laws must be strengthened and enforced to punish those who weaponize public office for personal vendettas. Political parties must be institutionalized to focus on platforms and ideologies instead of personalities. And the electorate must mature, demanding accountability, valuing substance over spectacle, and refusing to reward bullies and manipulators with public office.
