12/30/2017 Elections Philippine style, same issues, same problems - Bulatlat

LATEST STORIES COMMENTARY SPECIAL REPORTS MULTIMEDIA SPECIAL SECTIONS ABOUT BULATLAT

YOU ARE HERE: Home → 2013 → May → 10 → Elections Philippine style, same issues, same problems   SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL

Enter your email address to subscribe and

receive notifications of new posts by email.
Elections Philippine style, same issues, same
Email Address
problems
Subscribe
 Benjie Oliveros  May 10, 2013  4 Comments  Election 2013

By BENJIE OLIVEROS
MULTIMEDIA more
Bulatlat.com

On Monday May 13, 2013, the country would have its first elections under the Aquino administration, which was
propelled to power on the promise of change. This will be the first elections under the so-called “tuwid na daan”
(righteous path) regime of President Benigno Aquino III. The question is: do you notice any difference from previous
elections?

We still have the same rule of guns, goons and gold in provincial elections. Reports about killings and attacks on
candidates are still common fare for national dailies; vote buying is still common with some offering as much as P5,000
for as long as voters would raise their ballots after voting, for the candidates’ ward leaders to see. Although some have
become more creative by having nightly ‘meetings,’ or by raffling out cell phones, tablets or even paying big tips to taxi
drivers.

For national candidates, those with the money to pay for TV and radio plugs still dominate the airwaves despite the
Comelec ruling limiting airtime of candidates. Another Comelec ruling designating common poster areas and banning
posting in most public places even worked to the disadvantage of candidates and political parties who do not have Groups launch Movement
money to pay for a lot of airtime. Against Tyranny
We still have the same political dynasties lording it over the elections. In fact, they seem to have become more blatant. AUGUST 29, 2017 0 COMMENT
President Benigno Aquino III has a cousin Bam and an aunt Margarita Cojuangco running for senator. The ruling Warning the Duterte government is fast unfolding into
coalition also has the son of Sen. Edgardo Angara also running for a seat in Senate. The other major political party UNA, another despotic regime, the group calls on…
which could not be really called as an opposition party, has three candidates for Senator who are the scions of the three
leaders of the party: Jackie Enrile, JV Ejercito, and Nancy Binay. Worse, the infamous Ampatuan clan, whose patriarch Read the rest of this entry
and prominent members are under trial for the worst massacre of journalists in history – the Maguindanao massacre –
have members running in the slates of both major parties.

When questioned about its support to candidates from the Ampatuan clan, President Aquino reasoned that those
running under the ruling coalition are the “good Ampatuans.” Well, the evils of warlordism and corruption do not
SALUNGGUHIT more
emanate only from inherently “bad” people, it comes from uncontested or monopoly of power and its logical
consequence: impunity. And this has corrupted even the so-called “good” people.

The Comelec, which had three years to prepare after the 2010 elections and with a chairman Sixto Brillantes taking the
helm since January 2011, still appear unprepared. Reports reveal a lot of glitches and errors during the final testing and
sealing of PCOS machines last May 6, a mere week before the elections. Independent election watchdogs such as Kontra
Daya and AES watch lament the fact that the same problems, which happened during the 2010 elections, have not been
resolved and have resurfaced.

The elusive source code, which contains the human-readable commands executed by machines, was purportedly
released today, a mere four days before the elections. After dismissing demands for the release of the source code and
for its review, even calling those asking for it as saboteurs, Comelec Chairman Sixt Brillantes suddenly announced that
the source code has been released and reviewed by an independent party. Brillantes was even quoted as saying that the
source code was not really necessary. It was released just to show that the elections would be credible. How else could
we know that the PCOS machines were not tampered with or programmed to favor candidates and political parties if
the source code was not reviewed? Is the credibility of an election just an afterthought for our dear Comelec?
Spot the difference
SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 0 COMMENT
Acting as if on cue, the Social Weather Stations came out with its survey naming nine candidates as ‘safe’ or sure to win.
By RENAN ORTIZ
The Inquirer.net, citing the same survey, issued a report with the title “6 senatorial candidates slugging it out for last 3
slots.’ it’s as if the election has started and all the other senatorial candidates would have no chance of wining one of the Read the rest of this entry
12 Senate seats being contested. Why can’t the SWS and the Inquirer report the results of the survey as it is? Why can’t it
just say that the results of the survey reveal the following candidates leading? Is the announcement of the results of the
SWS survey, which is normally commissioned, necessary in the first place?

http://bulatlat.com/main/2013/05/10/elections-philippine-style-same-issues-same-problems/ 1/4
12/30/2017 Elections Philippine style, same issues, same problems - Bulatlat
Does this not constitute trending? Was it not intended to influence voters to think that they should just vote for those MARTIN'S PURRSPECTIVE more

who have “chances of winning” based on the SWS survey? Is this not intended to condition the mind of the public that
these candidates will be the winners?

The Aquino administration has been boasting that its ‘good governance’ has been bearing fruit with the investment
grade ratings the country got from Fitch and Standard and Poor. Well, if it could not institute reforms in the electoral
system, how could it claim to be practicing good governance? After all, the evil called corruption, which the Aquino
administration has vowed to stamp out, begins with the elections.

Share this:

 Share

Birthday song
Share This Post      
SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 0 COMMENT

By DEE AYROSO

You might also like: Read the rest of this entry

STREET SHOOTER more

Funeral protest slams ‘Champion of Chico River’ | Mindanao martial law | Duterte redux
youth killings, impunity Rights groups mourn Minors, students among
death of ailing, elderly civilians killed, missing in
political prisoner Marawi

4 Comments - Write a Comment

Pingback: Philippines news: May 2013 automated election shows urgency of electoral reforms | Pinas news library
Pingback: May 2013 automated election shows urgency of electoral reforms « Bulatlat
Pingback: Hocus PCOS: the specter haunting the 2013 elections | Hello.Lenin! Balcony view
Pingback: Elections Philippine style, same issues, same problems – Bulatlat | Pinoy Big Blogger SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 0 COMMENT

By RAYMUND VILLANUEVA

Comments are closed. Read the rest of this entry

PHOTO OF THE WEEK more

Offering
SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 0 COMMENT

By EFREN RICALDE

Read the rest of this entry

‘RISE, DANCE, STRIKE’

http://bulatlat.com/main/2013/05/10/elections-philippine-style-same-issues-same-problems/ 2/4
12/30/2017 Elections Philippine style, same issues, same problems - Bulatlat

Rise,dance, strike to end violenc…

OTHER STORIES more

‘Champion of Chico River’ |

Rights groups mourn death of
ailing, elderly political prisoner
SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 0 COMMENT

Marcos Aggalao, 74, was a peace-pact holder of the

Salegseg tribe in Kalinga, and was…

Read the rest of this entry

IP leader from Sandugo alliance

threatened with arrest
SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 0 COMMENT

Int’l rights group slam P1,000 ‘defunding’

of CHR
SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 0 COMMENT

A PRODUCT OF ITS TIME BULATLAT TWEETS LIKE US IN FACEBOOK SUBSCRIBE

Bulatlat.com was a product of the times. It was Enter your email addre
born right after the ouster of the Estrada receive notifications of
administration in 2001 by a politicized and
empowered citizenry who were tired of the Email Address
blatant corruption by those who claimed to
work for the interests of the Filipino people.
Learn more » Subscribe

http://bulatlat.com/main/2013/05/10/elections-philippine-style-same-issues-same-problems/ 3/4
12/30/2017 Elections Philippine style, same issues, same problems - Bulatlat

Bulatlat Bulatlat
@bulatlat 20,049 likes

My week on Twitter : 1 Mention, 11 Likes, 13

Retweets, 38K Retweet Reach, 6 New Followers,
1 Reply. See yours with
Like Page
sumall.com/performancetwe…

2 friends like this

Dec 28, 2017

http://bulatlat.com/main/2013/05/10/elections-philippine-style-same-issues-same-problems/ 4/4