When experts cited the country as benefiting from a demographic sweet spot that is ongoing, they referred to the young population as an economic advantage.

The recent midterm polls, however, proved that the phenomenon is also about ushering in a sea change in the political arena.

Government data showed that 65 percent to 70 percent of the population is of working age, a proportion that is expected to remain stable until 2040.

The 115 million Filipinos have a median age of 25.7 years, making it one of the youngest populations in Southeast Asia.

With its young population, the country boasts a robust labor supply for industries such as manufacturing, services, and technology, as well as a strong remittance base from overseas Filipino workers, which contributes 8 percent to 10 percent of the gross domestic product annually.

The youthful, tech-savvy, and English-speaking Filipinos are the comparative advantage of the economy.

It turns out that the demographic dividend extended beyond the economy. Rob Rances, who practices a new field called neuromarketing, said the midterm elections and those that follow it will be decided by a Filipino electorate who are younger, more digitally immersed, and far more emotionally calibrated.

The midterm polls featured 20 percent very young voters under the age of 30, including first-time voters, which may account for the pre-poll surveys being significantly off.

Rances said that by 2028, Gen Z and Millennials will comprise 65 percent of the electorate, raised in digital warfare involving deep fakes, propaganda, cyberbullying, and government gaslighting.

“They’ve developed what neuroscience calls pattern recognition fatigue — a cognitive disinterest in repeated political behavior that smells fake,” according to the part-time political analyst who holds a master’s degree from York St. John University, UK.

He referred to the impact of the youth in the balloting in the recent polls, where even high-budget celebrities, with the usually dependable name recall, lost.

Story and substance beat stardom, he explained. That explains how the candidates of the Duterte bloc endured not through noise but by emotional loyalty.

“The Pink resurgence was polite but not magnetic. Even Bam (Aquino) and Kiko (Pangilinan) couldn’t ignite a cultural shift,” he said.

An explanation for the midterm polls’ outcome was rooted in emotional memory or the recall of who made a person feel safe, validated, or protected.

Elections hereon will be decided by raw authenticity, as the perceptive youth sees through “packaged” bets.

Moral toughness will be a factor that considers not just integrity but defiance under pressure.

Mayors who fed their towns, governors who stabilized economies have the advantage, as performance is the new promise, according to Rances.

Instead of political machineries running the show, the next wave of the political battle will belong to those who win the deep trust of the Filipinos.

It won’t be about credentials or perfect speeches, but what makes the people feel seen, defended, and believed in. “In times of distrust, connection beats credentials,” Rances added.

The vote in the recent polls stunned many traditional politicians who thrived in the once-unbeatable formula of money and popularity. Several unknowns at the local level trounced well-entrenched members of political clans.

The new breed of Filipinos will mean turning a new page not only in the economy but also in politics — and, hopefully, will bring better leaders for the nation.