The 2025 Elections: Continuity, Change, and the Crisis of Governance

𝗖𝗲𝗻𝗣𝗘𝗚 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗨𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗺𝗶𝗱 𝗮 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺

In a post-election assessment forum titled “The 2025 Elections: Continuity, Change, and the Crisis of Governance,” the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) brought together experts and advocates to unpack the results and implications of the recent national and local polls.

Prof. Roland Simbulan, CenPEG Chairperson and noted political analyst, raised serious concerns over the continuing dominance of traditional politicians, enabled by massive election spending, widespread vote-buying, and the instrumentalization of government aid or "ayuda" for electoral gain. He also flagged the unresolved issues surrounding the credibility of the automated election system, citing multiple cases of machine malfunctions and results that remain unverifiable to this day.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦. 𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦,” Simbulan emphasized. He challenged citizens and civil society to push for policies that promote an independent foreign policy, strengthen the domestic economy, and uphold clean and accountable governance.

Mr. Sonny Africa, CenPEG Fellow and Executive Director of IBON Foundation, added that the electoral outcome bodes ill for economic justice. He pointed out the glaring absence of reform-oriented leaders in the Senate and the continuing influence of big business over policymaking.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦’𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰-𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺,” Africa said. He called for the scrapping of the Rice Tariffication Law, the removal of the Value-Added Tax (VAT) on oil, food, and essential social services, and a long-overdue increase in wages to livable levels.

“𝘈 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴. 𝘞𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦—𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺,” he added.

CenPEG calls on the public to join in the continuing effort to deepen public understanding of governance issues and amplify the calls for structural reforms in Philippine politics and the economy.