Editorial

By May 2, 2016Editorial, News

Vote-buying

WITH just a week before Pangasinan voters troop to the polls, reports of candidates accusing each other of massive vote-buying are already filling air lanes and print spaces.

Of course, there is rampant vote-buying in every town and city and the best is yet to come for the voters on May 7-8! Pakurong, they call it. Voters refer to it as the ‘end-game’ and have fun speculating how much a candidate will likely fork over on the eve of the election. P500? P1,000?

Of course, it is an illegal activity that can disqualify a candidate and yet we have not heard of any candidate being charged formally by any camp. Why so? Because vote-buying has been considered a necessary tool to endear candidates to the voters. Evidently, making funny speeches, dancing foolishly, pressing the flesh, back-patting, drinking with the boys, etc. are no longer enough to impress voters.

Vote-buying has already taken many forms besides the blatant ‘cash-for-vote’ measured by influence and status of the voter. ‘Donations’ for baptism, wedding and birthday parties, burial expenses and delivery of grocery items have become the standard. Candidates get more creative with their vote-buying sprees with each election year.

Through it all, Comelec has also learned to turn a blind eye to vote-buying since nobody really wants to end this criminal activity. Pathetic.

 

Trillanes is ‘Poetector’

POLITICAL pundits ask:  Why is Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV is asking presidential frontrunner Rodrigo Duterte to show his bank account only now?  Not only too late in the day but Mr. Trillanes’ ulterior motive in his “expose” is what irks political scholars:  Hidden agenda that could only hope to benefit Mr. Duterte’s main rival for the top post of the land, none other than erstwhile frontrunner Grace Poe. For this Mr. Trillanes, being derisively labeled now as a “Poetector,” fits him to a Tee.

Mr. Trillanes has long been an ardent Ms. Poe endorser ever since Mr. Duterte rejected Trillanes’ bid to be his running mate.  (Actually, not only Mr. Trillanes but Sen. Bongbong Marcos as well was dumped by Mr. Duterte in favor of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano).

Now that the Duterte-Cayetano tandem seems to be gaining good ground way ahead of the pack, their desperate foes can only come up with desperate measures.

It can’t get any worse than this.

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments

Next Post