Apathy of Filipino Voters

What is apathy? Apathy is defined in the encyclopedia of mental disorders

as an absence or suppression of emotion, feeling, concern or passion. Further,

apathy is an indifference to things generally found to be exciting or moving. In a

political sense, apathy is described as the non-participation of Filipinos towards

activities that concerns them like voting and participating in community

developments.

As to find out the root of apathy, researchers explored the perceptions of

youth about what their roles in political adversaries in the Philippine society. The

youth emphasized their roles to contribute in the society by obeying the law and

some were more particular in engaging in community activities and using the

available resources in their community to be involved in politics and some gave

importance in participation in activities intended for the common good

(PHILIPPINE JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY, 2009). Active participation is the

first step in actually starting to contribute in the country may it be social or

political. Filipino youth believed that when they choose to act they could actually

change and contribute in the country (Philippine Social Science Council, 2003).

People needs not just to think of resolutions but also be a part of acting those

resolutions.
 But what happens when you take out the youth in the contributions in the

society? When the youth disengage in social and political contributions, there will

be deterioration in the development of the society. Materialism and Individualism

will be given more importance than the community as a whole. Disengagement of

youth in participation in community, social and political activities are taken as

forms of apathy and cynicism (Johnson, 2005). As Jose Rizal wrote Ang

kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan, the youth is needed in the country to

participate, to engage, to act. But it is becoming a conflict since apathy is

becoming common therefore depriving the country from the opinion of the youth

because of their lack in interest in the scope of national concern.

As to the current situation in the country, there are instances where people

do not register to be able to vote for elections. According to an article by Jonas

Bagas, several youth activist organizations denounced the COMELEC for its lack

of effort to disseminate information campaign on the process of voters

registration during December 2000, as it was overshadowed by the issues on the

impeachment trial of then-President Joseph Estrada, the youth activists were

concerned on the lack of public awareness of the registration process, which

could pave the way to the disenfranchisement of approximately 4.5 million first-

time voters. To address the problem, the youth organizations launched various

campaigns to have the registration period to be extendedalthough the

COMELEC had refused. Due to the lack of information dissemination, the rates
of apathy among the Filipino people are highly increasing, as their participation is

not strongly insisted upon them.

However, during a more recent event, in preparation for the 2016

elections, the Comission on Elections told the Filipino youth through an article in

the Philippine Daily Inquirer that they need to be wise in choosing the right

candidates. The Comelec was asked on how they will urge to youth to take an

active participation in voting wherein the Comelec chair, Andres Bautista

responded, addressing the youth that they will inherit all the good things and the

bad things their predecessors are doing, and that they must participate

because it is the duty of each and every voter to vote, and more than that, to vote

right.

Nonetheless, these convictions to cure apathy seem to be never enough.

To make matters worse to the contribution of apathy, repetitive patterns that

make for dubious elections have made the Filipino people lose confidence in the

efficiency of our electoral system. The performance of Filipino politicians often

disappoint the Filipino people in general which then, as a result, most Filipinos

had grown apathetic to the elections. They had developed public mistrust and

thus, grown to have the perspective that all politicians have a single objective

when they run for elections which is only self-glorifying, and that will benefit only

them through corruption. Although this way of thinking is incorrect, it has

contributed a high impact in terms of apathy.

 Goal contagion, according to James Shah and Stacey Sanders, is the idea

that we are influenced by the goals of the people around us. As given example in

the article by the aforementioned authors, when someone sees a person helping

others, that person may have the possibility of the sudden want to be helpful as

well. However, the question surrounds to whether apathy could be contagious as

well. The article suggested that when people are wavering in their commitment to

a goal, exposure to apathy decreases their motivation to pursue a task, and that

exposure to apathy can decrease the motivation of people to perform and pursue

their goals.

In the contrary from the conflict of apathy, where majority had given up,

there are still a few who strive to make a difference in the countrys politics.

Students are taking up active roles by being more involved in their school by

organizing and striving to influence their fellow youth for social mobilization and

awarenessso that they may become involved in the current issue arising.

These small actions by the few group of concerned youth has been becoming the

hope to end the issue of apathy in our country. This is the goal contagion that the

Filipino youth must promote. Those few who strive are stepping up for those who

had given up hope by rekindling the flame of nationality in each Filipino by

seminars, talks, and youth summits, by inviting people to be part of the

movement to become politically and socially aware and to put up against issue of

apathy in the society.