Determinants in Choosing Political Candidates among Benguet State University Students

Abstract

The participation of the youth in the Philippine electoral process matters because they are too many to be ignored and the issues that affect the youth of today are the very same issues that will define the future of the Philippines. The study identified and explained the voting considerations that determine students’ choice of candidates for elective positions in the government. This qualitative study utilized descriptive survey based research in describing the voting determinants of BSU students. Findings revealed that the most important personal characteristic of a politician is probity (malinis na pagkatao). Furthermore, the endorsement of the family or relatives is the foremost consideration of students when choosing a candidate and that the most important characteristic considered in voting for a candidate is someone who promotes government programs for development (nagtataguyod ng programa ng gobyerno para sa kaunlaran). Moreover, the findings also showed that there is a difference in the students’ perceptions of the personal characteristics of a politician when grouped according to gender. In general, the findings of the study show that the Filipino youth is not perpetrated by the bobotante (stupid voter) virus. Furthermore, the results illustrate that today’s youth are not politically indifferent.