No vote of confidence for the Comelec

FOCUS is on the candidates, understandably so, when its election season, especially at this point of the homestretch with only a week to go before ballots are cast on May 13. Reports of not only violence and intimidation between candidates and their supporters are increasing but also of vote-buying and illegal campaign activities. Here in Pangasinan, considered as one of the areas of concern, election violations and various levels of hostilities are widespread.

The scenario is practically the same every election year, and what that points to is the continued inutility and helplessness of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to enforce the laws. Comelec’s deputies, particularly the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, are tasked mainly to keep order during election day, but not to enforce campaign rules strictly.

The persistent problem of illegal postering was not addressed despite the Comelec’s fierce-sounding ‘Operation Baklas’ campaign. There is rampant vote-buying by local candidates but Comelec has not shown it is capable of stopping it, much less punishing the guilty.

In this midterm election, Comelec’s ineptness has become more pronounced because it even attempted to come up with more rules it cannot even understand nor hope to implement, i.e., internet-related policies and time limit on political advertising to cite a couple. Then there was the spending on non-essentials related to the election like special beds and brand new cars for commissioners.

When the election is done and dealt with, time to re-examine the law creating the commission.

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Surveys

THEY say surveys give us an idea who the voters will elect as senators on May 13.  Do you believe in that?  We don’t, if we go by the number of voters surveyed.

In its last survey April 20-22, Pulse Asia said 16 of the 33 candidates would most likely make it to the Magic 12:  Legarda (1), Escudero (2), Poe (3-4^th), Cayetano (3-7^th), Villar (4-9^th), Trillanes & Aquino (4-10^th), Ejercito & Binay (5-11^th), Pimentel (6-12^th), Angara (8-14^th), Zubiri (10-16^th), Honasan & Enrile (11-16^th), and Hontiveros & Magsaysay (12-17^th).

Surveyed, said Pulse Asia, were 1,800 voters—and we have 52,014,648 registered voters, 75 percent of whom (nearly 40 million) are expected to troop to their precincts on election day, according to Comelec. And certainly, 1,800 do not reflect the sentiments of 52-plus million voters.

Why do some people go into the business of surveys? Do they really do it just for kicks?

We doubt that very much.  Since the invention of civilization, there is no such animal anymore as free lunch.  Like religion, surveys are nothing but business. And what a lucrative business they have become.

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