CAN MID-TERMS SPARK CHANGE IN PHILIPPINES?

The outcome of this election, dominated by Marcos-Duterte rivalry, could shape the nation for a generation

- BY JAY HILOTIN | Senior Assistant Editor

Here's why the mid-term elections mark a defining moment in the Philippines. With more than 99 per cent of votes counted, the election has been generally peaceful. The swift count has raised the election's credibility. But a political showdown is shaping up like a telenovela — only the stakes are real: power, survival, and revenge.

From the Marcos's northern stronghold to the Duterte bastion in the south, the country's two most famous (or infamous?) political dynasties are gearing up for a face-off.

At the centre of it all: Senate seats, scandal, and the people's lingering hope that maybe — just maybe — this time, they'll get leaders who have their best interest in mind.

Let's not sugarcoat it: many Filipinos call their politicians "buwaya", crocodiles with insatiable hunger — not for prey, but for public funds. I heard as much while lined up with fellow voters at my local precinct. "Why are we staying under the sun to vote for 'buwayas'?" The joke that's not very funny anymore.

The country's annual budget for 2025 is about $114 billion. That's taxpayers' money. But corruption is so common, both top-down and bottom-up. Given the prevailing culture, graft seems impossible to shake off. It's like expecting "sabong" (cockfighting), a centuries-old tradition, to go away.

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