Ateneo Policy Center and AIM Researchers Release Study on Vote Buying Incidence among Filipino Poor

Vote buying in the Philippines tends to be more transactional in nature as voters lose faith in the government system, Ateneo School of Government Dean Ronald Mendoza said in an interview of with Jing Magsasaysay of Lahi.PH.

He added that this attitude among voters is exacerbated by the prevalence of traditional politics -- notably fat political dynasties -- which leave voters with no alternative leaders to choose from especially in the poorest areas of the country.

A recent study published in the South East Asia Research Journal on vote buying in Metro Manila co-authored by Dean Ronald Mendoza with researchers Tristan Canare and Mayo Lopez from the Asian Institute of Management uncovered patterns of vote buying among low-income voters. Using data on low-income voters in Metro Manila collected after the 2016 and 2013 national and local elections, evidence suggest that goods or money is not the deciding factor for citizens in their decision to vote for a particular candidate. Instead, longstanding dependency and loyalty built over years of patronage are merely punctuated by election-related transfers. By then the intention is merely to reinforce these relationships further rather than to completely change voters’ minds.

Furthermore, the empirical analyses by Canare, Lopez and Mendoza (2018) show that although all respondents reported that they received a vote buying offer, the incidences of the different vote buying types were widely distributed. The most prevalent form of vote buying uses food, clothing, and other material offers. On the other hand, monetary vote buying offers are more intensively used when elections are tight and closely contested, and that in these cases, low-income voters are more likely to be targeted and to accept these monetary offers. This suggests that vote-buying is a finely targeted activity with different vote-buying types corresponding to different correlates including socio-economic factors such as lower income, unemployment, and fewer acquired tangible assets.

Nevertheless, the Dean remains optimistic of the future in light of a younger Filipino voting population and an increasingly literate workforce. Efforts to reduce poverty through more inclusive social safety nets and social protection systems also offer “competition” and a real rights-based and evidence-based alternative to the transactional targeting by traditional politicians.

Dean Mendoza also takes this opportunity to thank Prof Mayo G. Lopez for his leadership and support for this study. In his words: “Mayo is one of the strongest supporters for our dynasties and anti-corruption research in both AIM Policy Center and Ateneo Policy Center. He continues to inspire us to speak truth to power, by exposing through rigorous analysis and strong evidence those weaknesses in our society, democracy, and economy that we need to address. This vote-buying study is special -- it is one of the last publications we co-authored with Prof Mayo. Part of his legacy lies in younger researchers who will take up his cause to provoke evidence-based reforms.” Mayo G. Lopez passed away in early 2018 after a long bout with cancer.