The Philippines votes today in one of its most important elections for decades, as the people decide who should tackle the task of improving the economy and addressing rampant corruption. The favourite to win is opposition Senator Noynoy Aquino, the son of revered pro-democracy heroes Corazon and Benigno. His leading position in the polls reflects a widespread desire to leave behind decades of corruption, poverty and violence.
Aquino's two closest rivals in the nine-way presidential race are former president Erap Estrada, who was ousted in 2001, convicted of plunder and corruption in 2007, and pardoned by President Gloria Arroyo, and Senator Manny Villar, a property billionaire turned politician. The incumbent president, Arroyo, is currently in a poor fourth place as she has been attacked by the three leading candidates as a representative of the old, corrupt ways that they say they are seeking to change. Arroyo is placing more importance on getting a seat in Congress than trying to keep her vain presidential hopes alive.
Despite the main election issue being the fight against corruption and the need to make politics more transparent, many of the old Filipino political names are still involved, with political dynasties and billionaires leading the way. They have yet to prove to the people that they are capable of changing the way things are done in the Philippines.
However, one clear break with the past is the adoption of a new electronic voting system, which is being used for all the elections being held on the same day. In addition to a new president and vice president, Filipinos are electing a new senate and congress, as well as deciding who will fill almost 18,000 national and local posts. The new system seems likely to hold up under the strain, although some manual recounting will be allowed if and when failures occur. This is an important breakthrough that should improve both efficiency and honesty.
