By Leonardo Micua

 

As I was writing this column, people are gathering in droves at the CSI Parking Area and helipad owned by the family of former Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez, where VP Leni Robredo and her teammate Kiko Pangilinan were to hold a grand rally.

Naughty minds suspected that Belen may have already shifted her support to Leni from Isko Moreno whom she hosted when the latter held a grand rally attended by a banner crowd at the CSI Stadia weeks back. In fairness to her, we are not making any conclusion until we officially hear from Belen herself.

In this Leni-Kiko rally, there is a possibility it is going to attract a crowd that is even bigger than the crowd gathered by Isko and Bongbong Marcos in their separate sorties in Dagupan last month.

The handlers of Leni in Dagupan, who I am sure are also rabid supporters of the former Dagupan City Mayor in her quest to return to her old post, are well aware that there’s no other place in Dagupan capable of hosting a multitude of people at one time than at the sprawling property of the family of former Mayor Belen in Barangay Lucao.

In the presidential derby, it is still BBM in the lead with Leni in far second more than one month before the election but the latter, according to respected political analysts, already got the necessary momentum to unleash a strong finishing kick up to the finish line and win the race.

From this Dagupan Leni-Kiko rally, we will know if Leni will have a share of the pie in Pangasinan, that would be much bigger than what she got six years back when she ran for vice presidency post.

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So, Comelec has formed an anti-vote-buying task force headed by Commissioner Aimee Feronilo. But I doubt if this will work as vote buying has long been rooted in the culture of most Filipinos, especially for those in need who can easily be swayed to vote for a non-deserving and even a corrupt candidate for a few measly pesos in their hands.

Surely, the task force will have its hands full in its bid in stumping out vote-buying which is now the name of the game in every election anywhere in the Philippines, if the Comelec does not know it yet.

Because of the magnitude of the problems posed by vote-buying, the Comelec task force may only be likened to Don Quixote dela Mancha fighting the windmills or an ant wrestling with a carabao.

So far, the task force has only unearthed evidence of vote buying in Quezon City which it traced to be the handiwork of the men of congressional candidate Rose Nano Lin, whose name is familiar to those who watched the hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee of Senator Dick Gordon in the controversial Pharmally deal. She was one of the resource persons quizzed about the reported scandal.

But the task force should not limit its operations to Metro Manila. It must send its operatives to the provinces and cities where vote-buying is just as pervasive where the system already uses modern technology, and some even using QR codes. 

There are now even vote-buying stations in place, where people bring their QR-coded stubs distributed earlier house-to-house by the tentacles of the corrupt candidates. The stubs are verified with a scanner and before one can receive the cash equivalent of their stubs, the vote seller is made to register his biometrics.

If you see people queueing in one place nowadays, it is not because of the ‘ayuda’ being distributed by agencies of the government but because they are claiming their stubs in that vote buying station. Hahaha. 

In one town south of Dagupan, the candidates are reportedly distributing plastic pails loaded with rice noodles, sugar, coffee and canned goods; other candidates provide trays of eggs aside from cash to buy votes in last-minute vote-buying sprees.

The Comelec task force should also hear about the very shameless tradition of “pakurong” in Dagupan City every eve of elections when money flows like rushing water even in the streets. 

Vote-buying is a game where the candidate with more money in his pocket definitely wins.  This is bad for the country, for democracy. Who cares if the stomach is grumbling? 

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