MANILA—An election watchdog on Tuesday expressed concern that Filipino voters do not look anymore at the track record and platform in choosing candidates for the 2022 polls.

"''Yung discernment parang ngayon hindi na masyadong, parang hindi na uso," Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting chair Henrietta de Villa told TeleRadyo.

"Parang hindi na nag-aaksaya ng panahon ang mga botante na talagang pagnilayan, pag-aralan ang mga kandidatong tumatakbo."

De Villa said voters were more committed in the electoral process in the past, such as during the 1986 snap election.

The snap election saw late President Cory Aquino assuming the country's highest post and the downfall of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The dictator oversaw widespread human rights abuses to maintain his control of the country and enable his massive plundering, with thousands of people killed or tortured, according to previous Philippine governments.

"Ngayon, meron pa rin 'yung pag-asa pero ewan ko, dahil sa kahirapan, because of the current social environment, parang ang pakikilahok sa eleksyon ngayon hindi na masyadong matindi para ma-safeguard ang eleksyon," De Villa said.

According to last year's presidential surveys, former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. holds a double-digit lead over all his rivals.

Incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo -- a former lawyer for the disadvantaged and a rival of Marcos Jr and President Rodrigo Duterte -- is a distant second in voter surveys.

However, Marcos has been criticized after he snubbed invitations to participate in interviews or forums with rivals, and told a journalist he would no longer "return to 35-year-old issues."

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Meanwhile, Legal Network for Truthful Elections executive director Ona Caritos said the electorate had achieved some sort of political maturity.

But she noted that there is a "lack of choices" among those gunning for electoral positions.

"Pare-parehas na lang kasi 'yung tumatakbo sa eleksyon natin," she also told TeleRadyo.

"So, kahit anong sabihin natin na pumili nang tama, nang maayos ang kapwa nating Pilipinong botante, kung pare-parehas lang ang pangalan, hindi rin natin masasabi na bumuboto sila nang hindi maayos."

The official campaign period for national positions in the 2022 elections starts Tuesday, with presidential candidates set to stage proclamation rallies in different parts of the country.

Candidates hit the hustings for the 3-month campaign season in a chaotic and colorful charm offensive aimed at wooing millions of voters typically more interested in personality than policy.

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—With a report from Agence France-Presse