Photo credit of BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-36659258

Are Filipinos truly experiencing democracy fatigue, or are they simply frustrated with a system that caged their role to the ballot box? While many assume Filipino’s declining faith in democratic ideals, what we might be seeing is disillusionment with a democracy that has never been fully realized.

The democratic backsliding in the Philippines is often attributed to Filipinos’ lost interest in democracy and their pessimism toward it, given the rising preference for populist and authoritarian leaders who promised to change this. However, these assumptions seem to be contradictory to the consistently high voter turnout, approximately 83% in the last 2022 elections, and given their strong preference and satisfaction with democracy. 

If there is fatigue, it is not with democracy itself but with the corrupt system pretending as one. Filipinos remain restricted to electoral participation, with little access to meaningful political engagement beyond voting. In this, it is not the assumed disengagement that will eventually kill the democracy in the Philippines, but rather the disempowerment of its citizens.

The Illusion of Choice 

In a democracy where elections serve as the primary avenue for public participation and accountability, the elites have reduced citizens to mere voters to legitimize their power rather than empowering them as active political players. Elections have become a battleground for the ruling class, forcing the public to choose between the lesser villain among the forces of kadiliman (darkness) and kasaamaan (evil) to take office. Government seats have become a revolving door for the same few families or the political dynasties who tried to brand their image as their family’s calling to serve the country. 

Several political candidates have normalized ‘playing dirty’ through vote buying, mobilizing flying voters, using violence against their rivals and the opposition, the padrino system, and weaponizing propaganda. This creates not just an illusion of electoral choice but also an illusion that politics inherently operates this way, leaving Filipinos to just pick the least destructive option.

Given the dirty world of fighting between darkness and evil, it was also the common argument that Filipino voters are passive actors in this narrative, letting these two villains of the story take over, thus the rise of the term ‘bobotante’ (dumb voters). However, as Filipinos are trapped in a society that forces survival to be prioritized over civic engagement, they often find economic desperation outweighing democratic reality. This has fueled the rise of ‘pulpolitikos’ (a combination of Filipino words pulpol or incompetent and politikos or politicians) who are charismatic yet inept figures who exploit this crisis. They brand themselves as saviors, who offer grand but impractical solutions to society’s deep-seated ‘plagues’, from poverty to unemployment to the problematic healthcare system.

Elections have increasingly turned into casting calls,  where TV personalities and celebrities enter politics, while traditional politicians scramble to keep up, reinventing themselves as celebrity figures in their campaigns. It is no longer about proving your credibility and competence but about successfully winning them over with dance covers and rhetorical dramas. Speaking of the country’s telenovela-like politics, disinformation has surged, with increasingly creative narratives used to discredit strong candidates. This was evident in the 2022 elections, where those with a negative track record relied on elaborate storytelling to reshape their truth into a positive one and to discredit the opponent.

Despite this seemingly lax entryway to public office, ordinary Filipinos remained blocked from leadership, largely due to the overwhelming cost of campaigning. An ordinary citizen will be fighting against candidates backed by tycoons, or those who are tycoons themselves, making politics an exclusive game for the wealthy. Moreover, the observed apathy or inaction of Filipinos might be mistaken for the lack of incentive and means to take action. Many remain trapped in the illusion that escaping poverty is purely a matter of personal perseverance, while believing they owe politicians for projects and aid that, in reality, come from their taxes.

The Authoritarian Fantasies

Given the elite-led democracy in the Philippines, many argue that this is where populist and authoritarian fantasies take root. The country’s slow justice system made Rodrigo Duterte’s promise to swiftly solve problems, particularly his infamous drug war, which aimed to eliminate illegal drug use in six months, all the more enticing. Despite the unlawful killings and his vulgar attacks, particularly against women and the media, Duterte enjoyed an extended honeymoon period and even maintained an “excellent” satisfaction rating of 88% after his regime. His actions, validated by this overwhelming public approval, could be possible signs of democratic fatigue of Filipinos losing hope in the system and further subscribing to authoritarian rule which gave fast and alternative options.

Further symptoms of autocratic nostalgia were confirmed by the election of the late dictator’s son, Bongbong Marcos, alongside his UniTeam running mate, Sara Duterte, daughter of the previous authoritarian leader. Duterte’s legacy even extends beyond the executive branch, as his and Marcos’ allies continue to dominate the legislative body. For the upcoming 2025 elections, surveys show the senatorial race remains stacked with their allies, further proving Filipinos’ continuous appetite for populist leaders.

In a 2020 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, 76% of Filipinos recognized the human rights abuses occurring under Duterte’s drug war, with 56% even supporting a United Nations investigation into the extrajudicial killings. This sentiment persisted in a February 2025 SWS survey, where 51% of respondents agreed that Duterte should be held accountable for his alleged crimes against humanity together with the looming International Criminal Court investigation.  

This suggests that while many Filipinos supported Duterte as a populist, they did not necessarily condone his human rights violations. Rather than dissatisfaction with democracy itself, their frustration likely stems from the elite-dominated and corrupt system they hoped Duterte could discipline. A broken democracy, after all, calls for the existence of populism, where voters turn to leaders who claim to speak for them and promise to return power to the people. However, these fantasies were weaponized, manipulated for personal political gain, and could ultimately lead to further democratic backsliding, as strongman leaders used the very institutions of democracy to have authoritarian rule.

What’s ahead for the country

As much as we want to hold voters accountable for their choices, recognizing their agency and capacity for logical decision-making, we cannot entirely blame them for prioritizing economic survival. Confronted with the daily cancers of society, many choose the candidate who offers the fastest remedy, even if it is unrealistic or unsustainable in the long run.

However, this continuous disillusionment and rising frustration from disempowerment could push even the most politically rational and sophisticated voter to either abandon democracy entirely, due to the current system that has long failed them, or eventually resist, fighting to reclaim the democracy they have yet to fully experience.

In the first place, there should be better regulations for political dynasties and improved avenues for civic engagement to level the playing field in our society. After all, as long as Filipinos endure long lines and crowded polling stations just to vote, as long as they continue to demand human rights, equality, and justice under the rule of law, their faith in democracy remains resilient.

Yet, with the continuous manipulation of truth, the buying and gatekeeping of basic human rights, persistent threats to safety, and fake promises of a better Philippines one might ask: how much longer can Filipinos withstand these everyday pressures? How much longer can Philippine democracy endure when its pulse is already weakening?