“What lessons did the recent elections teach us?”

I have been asked this question quite a lot lately. The question came from members of the media, colleagues in the public service profession, and young people — millennials and Gen Zs — who have shown a lot of interest in this democratic exercise. They pointed out that there have been a number of “surprises” in the recent polls and were hoping to get some insight into what may have brought them about.

Our view is that the 2025 elections may have brought some “surprising” results, but the principles underlying the results have remained the same. To this day, especially at the local community level, the main basis for voter preference remains to be “performance.”

“Performance” is understood by our countrymen as “may nagawa na” (have done something for us), “may napatunayan na” (have proven something to us), and “may naipakita nanggaling” (have shown competence). It is clear that today’s Filipino voters, including the vaunted youth vote, demanded “proof” from those who vied for the votes. The best “proof,” as far as they are concerned is still “performance.”

There were other possible bases for voters’ choice of which candidates in the 2025 polls used.

There were attempts to use “promise” — the usual effort to paint a rosy picture of a future under their leadership. A variation of this technique is the use of the slogan “iba naman” or “bago naman,” the attempt to lure votes by enticing the public to reject the current leadership in their local communities and replace them with a new one. While this tactic may have worked in a number of local governments, it fell flat on its face on many more.

There are inherent weaknesses, it appears, in this particular campaign method. True, the message of “iba naman” or “bago naman” grabbed attention in social media, triggered the imagination and caught the fancy of many. As Election Day neared, it appears most voters went for certainty and opted to cast their votes in favor of candidates with proven track record.

They demanded “proof” from those who aimed to replace long-serving incumbents — proof that they had what it takes to outdo and outperform the latter and that their claims are more than just rhetoric and an empty promise of a better future.

Having failed to show “proof,” they ended up performing dismally in the polls.

For the call for “iba naman” or “bago naman” to be effective, the incumbent must have been a serious disappointment to his or her constituents. Barring that, no amount of sloganeering or calls for change could overturn the value of consistent, proven performance.

In January this year, a research group dug deep into this very topic. The data forensics firm The Nerve studied data gathered from a survey conducted on a news website before the filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2025 elections. According to the said report, the research firm asked qualified voters about the factors that influence their voting decisions.

The research was intended mainly to determine the basis for voter preference for senatorial candidates. The results of the study, however, applies to candidates for all positions and they were proven true by the 2025 election outcome.

Four groups of respondents were interviewed: Those from the practical working class, economy-conscious professionals, young progressives, and law-and-order rural supporters.

All groups of respondents came up with identical answers. All of them indicated “proven track record” as the top basis for their choice of who they vote for: 55.74 percent among the working class; 68.06 percent among professionals; 69.87 percent among young progressives; and, 50.68 percent among rural supporters.

Our view is that more than ever, the size of our “free market” voters has significantly grown.

These are our countrymen whose decisions are hardly influenced by secondary information sources such as social media campaigns and advertising. These are voters who have clear criteria for decision-making. They do their research, verify and validate information, compare aspirants, and come up with the best options from the several they have.

They are hardly swayed by rhetoric and dramatics. For them, it is reason over emotion. They are rational voters. They have just redefined the way political campaigns are to be conducted in our country. Aspirants for elective posts will now have to prove “performance” to win this vote. Challengers to incumbents will have to show an exceptional capability to accomplish “superior performance.”

We have entered an era in politics where the dominant principle is “actions speak louder than words.”

The political arena is changing and the future looks brighter than ever.