Evaluative Language in Op-eds: An Assessment of Attitudes and Voices toward Leni Robredo during the 2022 Philippine Elections

This study discusses how op-ed writers used their voices when evaluating former Vice President Maria Leonor Gerona Robredo (Leni) during the May 2022 Philippine elections. A total of 34 English op-eds were gathered from four prominent online newspapers in the Philippines: Inquirer.net, The Manila Bulletin, Philstar.com, and The Manila Times. The op-eds were analyzed using the Appraisal System Framework and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Writers use positive and negative judgments, appreciations, and affects to position readers toward specific ideological positions. Writers employ positive, explicit evaluative language when assessing Leni’s capacity, while negative, implicit attitudinal evaluations and amplification and softening grading devices can influence readers’ negative views of her campaign. These implicit attitudes can elicit emotional responses from readers’ cultural frameworks, affecting the public’s perspective of the presidential candidate. The op-eds feature authoritative monoglossic (single) and modalized heteroglossic (multiple) voices to present and reject viewpoints. Readers are engaged to recognize or entertain other diverse perspectives by attributing evaluative language, but Leni and her campaign efforts are negated to position the reader negatively. The study suggests that understanding the underlying evaluative language can assist reader voters in forming opinions and navigating the intricate influences of the media landscape, particularly in political discourse. It is suggested that the Appraisal System Framework could be beneficial for critically assessing evaluative language, evaluating political candidates, making informed voting decisions, and becoming socially active citizens.