IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay โ The streets of Ipil, the bustling capital of Zamboanga Sibugay, are getting louder as political motorcades weave through barangays, posters cover every wall, and candidates flood the airwaves with promises as elections day get nearer.
But behind the campaign music and hopeful slogans, a quieter story unfoldsโone that affects karinderya owners, market vendors, small hardware suppliers, and neighborhood sari-sari storekeepers.
Sales are down, and many small business owners across the province are feeling the pinch.
โDili pareho sa unaโ
โDili pareho sa una ang halin karon. Ang mga tawo murag nagtipid,โ says Aling Tersing, who runs a karinderya at the town center. (โSales aren’t like they used to be. People seem to be holding back.โ)
She noticed that her regular customersโmostly tricycle drivers, students, and government workersโare cutting back on daily spending. Some eat out less. Others have stopped altogether.
This slump, just weeks before the May 2025 mid-term elections, is not unique to her. Entrepreneurs from Titay to Kabasalan, from Buug to Alicia, echo the same concern: people seem to be on holding their cash, businesses are slowing down, and daily takings are declining.
Why Now?
Conventional wisdom suggests that election periods stimulate economic activity. After all, politicians spend millions during campaigns, hiring locals, printing materials, and paying for logistics.
In fact, at the national level, analysts are projecting an economic uptick driven by the 2025 elections, particularly in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. Worldpanel by Kantar recently reported that election-related spending and improving financial indicators are expected to drive a 5% overall value growth in FMCG, including packaged food, beverages, and household products.
โ2025 is shaping up to be a positive year for the FMCG industry,โ said Laurice Obana, Shopper Insights Director at Kantar (Obana).
But for many in rural Zamboanga Sibugay, the story is different.
Michael L. Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said infrastructure spending is likely to increase further in the second half of the year.
โGovernment expenditures may pick up by late 2024 in preparation for the May 2025 midterm elections, potentially accelerating infrastructure projects and boosting local economic growth,โ Ricafort noted.
It appears, however, campaign money is not structured to circulate through the wider economy. The expenditures disproportionately benefits a narrow circle of service providersโprint shops, caterers, transport operatorsโwhile excluding most small-scale enterprises.
An election paraphernalia business owner, who asked not to be named, noted an increase of their sales since last quarter of 2024,
In other words, while national data reflect formal, metro-centric trends, rural communities with informal economies often experience disruption and a slowdown rather than a surge.
Cash for Politics, Not for Pancit
Some Sibugaynons find temporary work with campaignsโyouth hired for rallies, local drivers paid daily rates for sorties. These short-term gigs pull people away from their regular employment or daily hustle, shifting labor and spending patterns.
โIngon sila sayo pa mi magsira karon, kay daghan rally, daghan sab samok,โ says Mang Jun, a dry good store owner in Ipil. (โThey say they close early these days because of all the rallies and the disruption.โ)
Storefronts along highway routes complain of traffic rerouting and noise deterring regular customers. โDi makalusot ang delivery truck namo kay naay motorcade,โ says another store manager. (โOur delivery truck couldnโt pass because of a motorcade.โ)
COMELEC Spending Ban Bites Deep
Another key factor is the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) ban on public spending during the campaign period. Comelec with Resolution No. 11060ย prohibits the the release, disbursement, or use of public funds for social services from March 28 to May 11, covering the 45-day period leading up to the elections.
This directly affects local contractors, suppliers, and service providers tied to LGU-funded projects. Food suppliers for feeding programs, uniform makers for public school distributions, and even printing businesses reliant on barangay clearancesโmany find themselves without work.
Elections: The Boom and the Bust
The disconnect between national FMCG optimism and local business pessimism in Zamboanga Sibugay highlights a deeper truth: election-related growth is uneven.
National projections from Kantar track formal economic metricsโsupermarket sales, corporate revenues, and branded product uptakeโoften centered in urban areas.
But in provinces like Zamboanga Sibugay, where the economy is heavily informal and many residents live hand-to-mouth, the same campaign season can mean less money in circulation, fewer public projects, and paused livelihoods. In 2022, Zamboanga Sibugay has the second highest poverty magnitude in the Zamboanga Peninsula. Half of the provinceโs 127,375 households have been classified as poor.
So while election spending might boost the bottom line of Metro Manilaโs supermarkets or Cebuโs consumer chains, it can simultaneously depress microeconomic activity in towns like Imelda or Tungawanโespecially when consumers hoard cash or shift spending to political commitments.
A Double-Edged Season
While elections stir political excitement, for MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) in Zamboanga Sibugay, it also means disruption, uncertainty, and lower income.
โSige lang man sila sulti og progresibo nga probinsya, pero kami diri naglisod,โ says Aling Tersing, a small stall owner in Ipil town. (โThey keep talking about a progressive province, but here we are struggling.โ)
Many small business owners are simply riding out the season, hoping that by Juneโwhen new officials take officeโcommerce and public spending will resume.
But the cycle is familiar and repetitive. Every election brings slogans and noise, but not necessarily sales.
About The Author
