John Benvir Serag knocked on doors in the working-class neighborhood, wearing his pink "Youth Vote for Leni” T-shirt and holding a stack of flyers. He has spent nearly every day in the past month trying to explain to strangers why Leni Robredo is the best person to lead the Philippines.

"What are you looking for in a president?” Serag asked an older woman, before the country’s presidential election in May.

"Of course, someone who does not steal,” she responded.