EDITORIAL - A new cottage industry

In case you haven't noticed, there appears to be a spike in the number of groups endorsing candidates to the May 13 midterm elections that one begins to wonder if a new cottage industry has not been born.

No one would probably have minded if these groups have some political streak tucked up somewhere in their organizational resume's. But it seems that to many of them, interest in politics came as a complete and surprising sea change.

Worse, some of them are likely newborn, making one wonder again if their births were not specifically timed for the campaign, and their endorsements the sole purpose of their being, in which case Philippine elections may just have made another left turn for the worse.

Of course, the candidates who get endorsed by these groups cannot complain. On the contrary, they can only be too happy to be included in any endorsement, regardless of which group is making the endorsement.

Remember that the most disturbing public perception regarding the coming election is that it is the worst so far when it comes to qualifications. Too many candidates are running without even the necessary minimum skills to hold public office.

With skills as a measure all but swept aside, the scramble for office has become one huge popularity contest. In such a contest, it is therefore a great advantage to be picked up by some endorser as part of its lineup of endorsees.

Under different circumstances, the qualifications of the endorsing group would themselves have mattered a lot. Does the endorsing group have credibility? Does it enjoy public trust and confidence? More importantly, does it have the numbers to back up its endorsement?

But then again, the times have changed. Qualifications have become the least of all worries when it comes to Philippine elections. If nobody gives a damn about the qualifications of a candidate, why bother with the same from an endorser?