FactCheck 2022 - Making Elections an Accountability Platform

G-Watch views the upcoming polls in 2022 as an extremely important terrain that has to be engaged, and that would complement other accountability efforts that are being undertaken before, after and beyond elections. In this light, G-Watch is undertaking a citizenship education initiative that aims to Make Elections an Accountability Platform (MEAP). The first round of MEAP focused on the conduct citizenship education sessions and the convening of multi-stakeholder dialogues. The 2nd phase of MEAP is taking on the issue of the use of information to make elections an accountability platform.

The MEAP FactCheck Briefs review the position, platform and track record of key presidential candidates on issues and agenda G-Watch deemed important and critical. 

The first issue of MEAP FactCheck reviews the position, platform and track record of key presidential candidates on transparency, participation and accountability. Transparency, participation, and accountability (TPA) is a response to the “realization that bad governance is often a key driver of chronic underdevelopment,” and that reform measures would only succeed “if developing countries build capable (and) effective state institutions.” In the Philippines, TPA is also closely understood in the context of measures to fight corruption.

The second issue of MEAP FactCheck is on social protection. Social protection refers to policies and programs that aim to reduce poverty and vulnerability to risks, and enhance the social status of the marginalized. This includes efforts to protect and promote livelihood and employment, guard against hazards and sudden loss of income, and improve people’s capacity to manage risks.

The third installment of MEAP FactCheck brief reviews the position, platform and track record of key presidential candidates on education. The education sector is one of the hardest hit sectors during the pandemic, with schools and learning institutions forced to close to prevent the risk of infection of COVID-19. In the Philippines, this meant further burdening a sector already in a state of crisis. Even before the pandemic, the country already struggled with overcrowded classrooms, weak public school infrastructure, and low wages for teachers.

The fourth issue of MEAP FactCheck looks into political reform. Political reform refers to the effort to “gradually and incrementally transform the way governing is done through changes in policies, mechanisms and processes." Changes are, therefore, sought “within the existing legal framework or political system, using means and measures that legitimate authority legalizes and binds.”

The fifth and final issue of MEAP FactCheck reviews the track record and platform of key presidential candidates on health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), public health does not cover mere disease eradication, but also encompasses the whole gamut of services and activities that promote the well-being of people to prevent the deterioration of their health. In the Philippines, health outcomes are at best mixed, with the accessibility and affordability of quality healthcare impeding healthcare. COVID-19 has further exposed the vulnerabilities of Philippine public health system.