Analysis of the current presidential candidates from the lens of Ethics.

Candidate 1: Mr. Francisco "Isko" Moreno Domagoso

a) Ethical Theory: Consequentialism

b) Reason: I think he follows the consequentialist perspective because his platform

would really help our country overcome all the challenges it is currently facing, not just
the pandemic but also other matters such as the country's mounting debt. We know that
consequentialism is a theory that emphasizes the consequences of actions to determine
whether they are right or wrong. It is result-based ethics, meaning that an act is right or
wrong depends only on its results; the more good an act produces, the better it is. With
that being said, I can say that Moreno's detailed and well-presented plan produced the
best overall result. If we go back to the reading materials, the nature of
consequentialism states that an action is morally required just because it produces the
best overall results. Compared to Robredo's and Pacquiao's health and livelihood plan,
Moreno's plan is way more detailed and realistic. Using Manila as an example, Isko had
set a good record for the past three years of his service as a mayor. Many significant
results have been produced under his effective leadership.

c) Proof: In his recent interview with ANC, he said: "Number one housing. Our solution,
we will allot 1.3% of the GDP each year for housing with a target of one million buildings
in six years. Whether in city vertical housing or horizontal housing such as what we did
in Manila. Or row houses in the countryside depending on the availability of land. Two,
education. 4.3% of the GDP will be allocated to the education budget to improve
student-teacher ratio. Three, labor and employment. Help revive the MSME's badly hit
by the pandemic lockdowns." This statement indicates that he aims to improve the
country's situation using his platform, dubbed as "Bilis Kilos 10-Point Economic Agenda
". It covers health, housing, education, infrastructure, tourism, agriculture, "smart
governance," and many more. His campaign manager Lito Banayo stated that their
platform was crafted based on a series of discussions with economic, agriculture,
education, IT, and environmental specialists. Additionally, Moreno said that he would
save more government money by reducing unnecessary expenses in the country's
escalating debt.

d) Your Stance: I firmly agree with Moreno's Bilis Kilos 10-Point Economic Agenda not
only because it is clear but also because it hits all the country's problems that need
attention. I appreciate his slick video presentation composed with numbers and
percentages because it effectively communicated their economic plan grounded by
targets and rife points to the public. He is also very eloquent and unequivocal in
expressing his thoughts in his interviews. Despite his lack of educational background,
his effectiveness as a politician and leader has never been compromised. However, I
think it's too early for him to run as a president, knowing that he had only one term of
experience as a mayor. It could've been better if he had run as a senator or as a vice
president for now.

Candidate 2: Mr. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr.

a) Ethical Theory: Deontological

b) Reason: I think he follows a deontological perspective because he emphasized that

one of the keys to a bright future is making the people discern hope and security. In
connection, deontological ethics refers to ethical systems that place a particular focus
on the link between commitment and the righteousness of individual behavior. Kant
even stated that nothing is good without qualification, except benevolence, and
benevolence is one that willpower to behave in accordance with moral law and out of
reverence for that law, instead of out of natural inclinations. Marcos, together with
UniTeam, wanted to push it since we are progressively moving out of the epidemic but
are still experiencing an economic problem due to the outbreak. Furthermore, he
remarked that he is convinced that the first step toward resolving the challenges arising
from the pandemic is for our economy to "unite."

c) Proof: In his recent interview with Rappler, he said: "Unity is my advocacy because I
believe that Unity is the first step to recover from the crisis we are in, in the middle of the
crisis of the pandemic, and in the middle of the economic crisis brought about by the
pandemic. We're not war freaks; we don't look for trouble. All we want is a decent life for
ourselves, our families, and our country. We will take the Philippines not to where it was
before but to bring our beloved country to greater heights. So we can face the whole
world, and we can say again, shout to everyone that I am a Filipino and proud." This
statement is an indication that Marcos desired to pursue good guidance, proper growth,
and actual development by making us one to combat the crisis we are currently
experiencing. Additionally, national Unity is an essential aspect of a country's overall
development. He aims for the betterment of the country. Now is the time for
togetherness, for the community to band together to stop this infection and its
devastation. He has been consistent in his latest interviews as he delivered about
"unity." According to him, the first step in overcoming the tragedy brought by the
coronavirus pandemic has claimed over 55,000 people in the country thus far.

d) Your Stance: I support Marco's advocacy about "Unity" because I believe that it is a
crucial step to combat the concerns that the Philippines is currently encountering. A
great example would be excellent leadership that may build future-proof Unity because
it uplifts and rouses rather than levying or mandating it. Yet, I cannot guarantee such a
thing because he lacked some essential aspects, such as a detailed presentation of his
plan. As I dug deeper, I saw that most of Marco's interviews were solely about "Unity."
Like I, most people wanted to know his specific plans, if ever he wins this election.
Moreover, Unity does not just indicate that we talk about it all the time, nor does it imply
that we have unification talks for the sake of some self-serving politics of interest.
Instead, Unity is about establishing a positive example for people to follow, to unite
under ethical administration, where the bad will eventually join the good among the
leader's followers.

Candidate 3: Mrs. Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo

a) Ethical Theory: Natural Law

b) Reason: I think she follows the Natural Law perspective because she is more
focused on what our country is currently facing and working on those issues in order to
help the Filipino people. Due to the pandemic, many businesses were forced to close,
and after such, many Filipinos became unemployed. Acknowledging and solving
present problems is only natural because they considerably affect the future. The
natural theory states that the view is that actions are right or good just because they are
natural and bad or wrong just because they are unnatural. This action of hers is
supported by the doctrine of double effect wherein the principle states that if your goal is
worthwhile, you are somehow allowed to act in ways that foreseeably cause certain
types of harm, though you must never intend to cause such harms. Her goal is to
eradicate the unemployment rate inside the country, and to achieve such a goal, other
pending projects such as the build build build project would be postponed or, at the
worst stop due to lack of funds, although she never intends to perform such an act. In
addition, focusing on people's employment is a practical reason because possessing a
job would let you eat, live, and basically survive. As St. Thomas Aquinas says, the
natural law is a dictate of practical reason; it is busied with contingent matters and is
ordered to some work or end. Moreover, the fundamental principle of natural law was
that good is to be done and pursued and evil avoided (ST IaIIae 94, 2), and we can
identify what a good act is by checking the reason for the action.

c) Proof: In her recent interview with Rappler, she said: "Milyon-milyong tao ang
nawalan ng trabaho dahil sa pandemya. Sa mga may trabaho naman, patuloy ang mga
tanong na bumabagabag sa kanila. Paano ba ako giginhawa? Bakit parang sa kabila ng
pagkayod ko, paunti ng paunti yung naihahain ko sa pamilya ko? ... Kung buhay ang
mga negosyo makakalikha ng mas marami pang trabaho." followed by, “Kung may
kakayahan at handa kang magbanat ng buto, kahit may edad ka na at anuman ang
natapos mo, karapatan mong maghanapbuhay.” These statements are indications that
she aims to eradicate the unemployment rate among Filipino citizens using her job
recovery plan which includes a push for anti-discrimination bill. Her pandemic response
plan dubbed as “Hanapbuhay para sa Lahat” focuses on five main themes, regaining
trust in government, reviving Filipino industries, supporting small businesses, ending
discrimination at work, and cushioning the impacts of unemployment. This Job recovery
plan is the second series of plans that Robredo presented in connection with her
"Kalayaan sa Covid plan," which aims to help people survive the pandemic. Although it
was not clearly stated, this plan also aims to help Filipinos survive during the Covid
pandemic.

d) Your Stance: I would like to say that her plans are helpful, especially during this
pandemic; however, the actions to implement those plans were vaguely stated. I have
doubts about Robredo's Job recovery and Covid plan because the details are somehow
lacking after I checked it thoroughly. In terms of her platform, reviving, creating, and
luring different business industries in the country would be really difficult. Not only
because it would cost a lot of government funds, but it would also crash other pending
government projects. Furthermore, some of her plans are either too good to be true or
contradict each other. Her plan to build green infrastructure, in particular, has the
potential to create jobs and promote green space. But the fact that she also wants the
revival of the manufacturing industry, which causes human waste to increase, defeats
the purpose of her "climate industry." These actions of hers can cause unnecessary
expenses for the country that she plans to lead.