Former Senator Richard Gordon said the Philippines has fallen behind its Asian neighbors because Filipinos continue to vote for candidates who are popular rather than capable, a pattern he says has held the country back for decades.
Gordon made the observation in an interview on DZRH News program Special on Saturday on May 2, drawing sharp comparisons between the Philippines and countries that have overtaken it despite starting from far worse conditions.
He pointed to Japan, which he said declared the Olympics and rebuilt its economy in under two decades after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and to South Korea, which emerged from a devastating war to become wealthy enough that the Philippines now buys jets from it.
“Bakit tayo ‘di natin magawa, ni bisikleta, ni wheelchair halos ‘di tayo makabili eh? Ini-import pa natin,” Gordon said.
He traced the problem to how Filipinos choose their leaders, saying voters are swayed by familiarity, patronage, and the perception of who will win—rather than by what a candidate can actually deliver.
“Ang nangyari sa’kin, ‘Ah, dito na ako sa panalo. Oo nga, hindi na ako mag-iisip kung anong kakayahan niyan tao yan. Basta nahawakan ako, nakaakbayan ako, nabigyan ako, iboboto ko na yan,'” Gordon said, describing the mindset he has observed among voters, adding that what voters should instead be asking is: “Pa’no mo gagawin yung sinasabi mong magkakaroon ng maraming trabaho, na magkakaroon ng katarungan?”
Gordon said the consequences of this pattern are visible in governance failures like the Pharmally scandal, where billions in public funds were misused during a health crisis, and in the continued inability to apprehend high-profile fugitives.
“Marami tayong hinahanap na mga tao na may pagkakasala, hindi natin mahuli-huli,” he said.
He said the solution begins with citizens demanding more from their leaders and from themselves, arguing that national progress requires every Filipino to take an active role in the process of change.
“People must always be part of the process of change,” Gordon said. “Kung tayo tutulong, mas madali at maganda ang ating buhay.”
