As the election season heats up, vote-buying remains the most shameful currency of political ambition. There is, therefore, a dire need for candidates who reject this rotten culture and instead earn the people’s trust through competence, credibility, and a genuine vision for change.
A nation in constant struggle against corruption cannot afford to keep recycling the same dirty tactics that have kept it stagnant for decades. Every peso handed out during campaigns is a promise of future payback through public funds, influence peddling, or policy manipulation. When a candidate buys votes, that act alone disqualifies him morally from any claim to public service. It reveals a transactional, not transformational, character. Elections must be about ideas, not giveaways.
Those who rely on their qualifications and platforms deserve greater public attention. They represent the possibility of a break from the old cycle of deception. Unfortunately, these candidates are often overshadowed by rivals who flood the ground with bribes disguised as “assistance.” Voters, particularly those in impoverished areas, are routinely reduced to prey in a marketplace of favors, forced to trade their conscience for a sack of rice or a crisp bill. This system is a betrayal of democracy itself.
However, the blame does not rest solely on the candidates. It also falls on voters who allow themselves to be bought, whether out of desperation, habit, or indifference. The practice thrives because both the buyer and seller of votes participate in the lie that short-term gain is worth more than long-term progress. The cycle will not be broken until the electorate demands honesty and competence over cash and convenience. Real change begins not just with clean candidates but with courageous citizens.
What the country needs is a serious commitment—both from aspiring leaders and the electorate—to reject patronage and embrace principle. Civil society, churches, schools, and media must work harder to elevate the discourse around elections. It is not enough to condemn corruption after the fact; it must be prevented at the ballot box. Let the honest, the capable, and the forward-looking rise—not by money, but by merit.
