On candidates running unopposed
IF THERE is a politician running unopposed for a certain position in a local government unit, it is a sign that democracy in that locality is not at its best state.
A healthy democracy is when several people are involved in the electoral process -- voters who are presented with multiple candidates, voters who have choices. The ability to govern is not a monopoly of a single family.
The Commission on Elections has said that there are 18,023 local elective posts being contested in the May 9 polls, and check this out: There are 832 candidates running unopposed in the local elections. The electorate does not have to cast their votes for these unrivaled candidates who could be all from political clans -- the candidates can vote for themselves to win.
People who do not mind having only one candidate for representative, mayor, vice mayor, vice governor and governor do not really care for democracy. It’s possible there are people who like it that way because their place would be in a Pax Romana state during elections if there is only one candidate for a local position. In short, no hassle for the voters.
If Charter Change happens, would it be a good idea to include a provision that no winners be declared if there are no two or more candidates running for the positions of governor, vice governor, mayor, vice mayor, legislative district representative and even barangay captain?
The President could be authorized by a new Constitution to fill in the vacant seat of a local executive. Or the local legislatures could select their leaders in case there is a vacancy. For a vacant position in a legislative district, the House of Representatives
campaign rallies if your candidate is not popular. The core of rallies are the people reached by one’s organizing effort. The rest are the spontaneous elements who embrace the issues or the candidates you are peddling.
For example, the people reached by the organizing efforts of Robredo’s camp in Cebu are not many. But why the big crowd when Robredo held a rally at the SWU grounds? Because the spontaneous elements were for Robredo. That experience was replicated everywhere Robredo went in the country. Which only shows how popular the Robredo candidacy is.
Meaning that Robredo’s support throughout the country could not only be 16 percent. Which brings me to another point on this crowd-gathering issue. In the Eighties, two major gatherings reflected the popular will. The first was the burial of former senator Ninoy Aquino in 1983 and the second was, of course, the 1986 Edsa people power uprising.
Marcos’minions would later insist that Edsa, which ended the hated dictatorship, only reflected the will of the people in Metro Manila. Which is a revisionist view of Philippine history. But why did the Edsa gathering win a chunk of the military and people nationwide? Because it reflected the nation’s will. That’s the message voters are sending to survey firms. Those “mini-Edsas” we are seeing in many provinces nationwide are a reflection of voters’will. Never ignore these.