For Filipinos like Randy Martinez, May 12’s midterm elections for the House of Representatives, half of the Senate and thousands of city and municipal council seats come at a time when crucial policymaking and legislation could have a hand in spurring development across a country falling short of its economic growth targets.
Weak consumption and a battery of typhoons clipped growth toward the second half of 2024. Meanwhile, stubborn inflation and a two-year slump in per capita income expansion have left citizens like Martinez, who sells smoothies and pancakes in an alley in Davao City’s busy Bankerohan market, grappling with weakened purchasing power.
