Judge candidates based on their accomplishments

President Aquino’s recent pronouncements against the candidacy of Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. actually tell a lot about how the President sees governance as nothing but a game of surnames.

For a man swept into power by the public’s sympathy for his mother’s death (and with only his surname as a political asset), it is not surprising that Mr. Aquino brought up the “sins of the father” in trying to discredit Bongbong Marcos. The problem with Mr. Aquino’s stand is that unlike him, Bongbong’s candidacy does not solely depend on his surname but on actual accomplishments as an executive and legislator.

It is time for Filipino voters to judge candidates based on actual accomplishments and not on their surnames. An Aquino was elected in 2010 just because he is an Aquino, and look at what has happened to us.

—ALBERTO MANALILI, [email protected]