Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Members of the Dumagat-Remontado indigenous group cast their votes at the Mababang Paaralan ng Nayon in Sta Inez in Tanay, Rizal on May 12, 2025. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

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Halalan 2025-COC Filing

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/174711938997720250512-halalan-dumagat-remontado-JC1636.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Members of the Dumagat-Remontado indigenous group cast their votes at the Mababang Paaralan ng Nayon in Sta. Inez in Tanay, Rizal on May 12, 2025. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Disillusionment with the government and with politics may have prompted some not to vote, but apathy over perceived lack of change after each election season helps make it harder for that change to happen, a political analyst said.</p><p>Maria Elise Mendoza, a political analyst and assistant professor at the UP Diliman Department of Political Science, acknowledged that people have valid reasons to decide not to exercise their right to vote. </p><div><strong>&#x27;NO CHANGE IF WE DON&#x27;T TRY TO CHANGE IT&#x27;<br/></strong></div><p>&quot;I think one of the reasons would be the long-standing issues we have in politics. Like for example, yung notion na pare-parehas lang naman yung tumatakbo, wala namang nagbabago,&quot; she said. </p><p>(For example, the notion that all candidates are the same and that nothing really changes)</p><p>But she argued, &quot;if we do not exert efforts to try to put the right people in power, then things actually just stay that way.&quot;</p><p>Skipping elections would allow traditional political dynasties to maintain their hold on power and creates room for bad leaders to thrive.</p><p>“Magkakaroon ng chance &#x27;yung mga same old names na manatili in power kasi walang nagko-contest sa kanila. Walang nagta-try na mag-elect ng candidates who could potentially…. beat them in the elections,” Mendoza said. </p><p>(The same old names will have a chance to stay in power because nobody is contesting them. Nobody will try to elect the candidates who could potentially beat them in elections)</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/5/10/philippines-midterm-elections-youth-want-dynasties-out-1340">Philippines midterm elections: Youth want dynasties out<br/></a></div><p>And even a single vote can have an impact, especially on the local level, where races have been won and lost by a couple of votes.</p><p>&quot;One or two votes or less than 10 votes, but still, it made a difference,&quot; she said.</p><p>Partial and unofficial results of the Monday elections show a surge of votes for former senators Bam Aquino and Francis &quot;Kiko&quot; Pangilinan.</p><p>Progressive party-list Akbayan is also seen to get three seats at the House as it tops the party-list elections.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/5/11/wrap-leftist-candidates-take-on-political-dynasties-in-halalan-2025-2203">WRAP: Leftist candidates take on political dynasties in Halalan 2025<br/></a></div><div><strong>&#x27;UNEXPECTED &#x27;TURNOUT</strong></div><p>The Commission on Elections has yet to release data on voter turnout but Comelec chair George Garcia said the poll body saw an &quot;unexpected&quot; number of voters heading to voting precincts on Monday despite the heat.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/5/12/kudos-to-the-filipinos-ph-closes-midterm-polls-with-unexpected-turnout-2015">&#x27;Kudos to the Filipinos&#x27;: PH closes midterm polls with &#x27;unexpected&#x27; turnout</a></div><p>&quot;Something is really happening because the people really wanted to say something, &#x27;yun yung naramdaman namin kanina (that was the sense that we got earlier),&quot; Garcia said.</p><p>&quot;Ang haba ng pila kahit sa mga lugar na hindi humahaba ang pila kahit sa presidential elections,&quot; he added.</p><p>(There were long lines even in areas where we didn&#x27;t see lines even during the presidential elections)</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VevFeJxt7E4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>"If we do not exert efforts to try to put the right people in power, then things actually just stay that way," UP Political Science assistant professor Maria Elise Mendoza said.</p>

"If we do not exert efforts to try to put the right people in power, then things actually just stay that way," UP Political Science assistant professor Maria Elise Mendoza said.

Political apathy helps keep bad leaders in power: analyst

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Political apathy helps keep bad leaders in power: analyst

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern,

Fritz Aranda

Published May 13, 2025 03:18 PM PHT

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Updated May 14, 2025 09:29 AM PHT

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