“Recent news reports indicate that this year’s polls would be marked by violence and fraud in certain areas”
Free and fair elections are a hallmark of a mature democracy. Fraudulent and violent elections, on the other hand, reflect an immature, perhaps even a deviant one.
We take elections seriously, as we must. But it’s another thing to take them far too seriously. Some candidates seem willing to go to great lengths to win, like engaging in vote-buying, even murder and mayhem, to barrel their way to public office with its promise of golden riches and unlimited power.
We only have to recall the Ampatuan massacre in Nov. 2009 where 54 were massacred by a political dynasty in Mindanao that did not think twice before committing a shocking crime and get rid of their political rivals in the most gruesome manner.
We strengthen our democracy by choosing candidates who are eminently qualified to occupy the positions they seek to win through the ballot. The problem is that not a few candidates, including members of entrenched political families, who think they are God’s gift to the Filipino people and will stop at nothing to capture or perpetuate their rule.
Recent news reports indicate that this year’s polls would be marked by violence and fraud in certain areas.
Take the case of Abra province, a perennial election hotspot.
In April, the Commission on Elections was asked to place the province under its control ahead of the May midterm elections, based on a reported surge in politically motivated violence where a number of candidates and supporters have been killed since 2024.
The Comelec national office has instructed the provincial Joint Security Control Center of Abra to “continuously monitor the situation there and be ready to issue its recommendation if Comelec control would be necessary.”
A total 23 shooting incidents were reported across the Cordillera from Jan. 12 to March 31, with 17 of them occurring in Abra. With more recent incidents included, the death toll from election-related violence in Abra has risen.
Abra has long been known for political violence, especially during election periods. The province has 188,957 registered voters in 27 municipalities.
Meanwhile, in Quezon City, a local anti-corruption organization
has filed a complaint against a former congressman and two candidates for councilor over their alleged “networking-style” vote-buying scheme for the May polls.
Under the supposed vote-buying scheme, an individual would be recruited as a leader and will be tasked to recruit eight other voters.
The leader will be paid P1,000 if the persons he recruited will be able to lure in eight other people. A witness who admitted to selling his vote and recruiting other individuals in the scheme expressed willingess to testify against the QC bets.
Apart from reports of vote-buying, the Comelec has also taken note of discriminatory remarks made by some candidates against women during their campaign sorties.
The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, which is among the two citizen arms accredited by the Comelec for the May 12 midterm polls, urged voters to choose candidates who espouse key values promoted by the Church.
These include being “God-fearing, honest, polite, industrious, helpful and nationalistic.”
The Comelec’s anti-discrimination task force has so far issued five show cause orders against four male candidates who were found to have made unsavory remarks about women.
Comelec Resolution 11127 seeks to strengthen its antidiscrimination and fair campaigning guidelines. An earlier resolution by the poll body prohibits, among others, gender-based harassment, such as misogynistic and sexist slurs, as well as sexual jokes during any election-related activity, including campaigns.
The new resolution included more prohibited acts during any election activity, such as espousing immoral doctrines, authoring obscene publications and exhibitions, and conducting indecent shows; racial discrimination; child abuse; and incitement or advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that leads to the promotion of discrimination, hostility or violence.
To show that it means business, the Comelec has said any violation of its resolutions is treated as an election offense punishable by imprisonment up to six years without probation, disqualification from public office, and deprivation of the right to vote. (Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)
