When will the Comelec penalize rule violators?
Six individuals gathered over coffee and discussed candidates for public office who violate Commission on Elections (Comelec) rules and if they ever face punishment.
A priest said the Comelec has tried being strict for decades but it does not appear one candidate has ever been penalized.
“The Comelec always announces that election campaign posters must be located only in Comelec-designated areas but campaigners continue to hammer posters on trees and light poles,” replied a retired banker. “Comelec is truly helpless.”
“Are they afraid to reprimand candidates?” they asked. “Are they afraid of political parties?”
A teacher said the country has not seen a Comelec that instills discipline among candidates.
“Even if posters are installed by their supporters, they should still be liable,” they noted. “If they are not liable, then abuse and disregard of Comelec rules will be forever.”
“We are dreaming of a clean Comelec organization that will not be [used as] a tool of any scam, like those electronic vote counting machines that have been dishonest,” the priest responded.
They then reiterated an opinion made in a previous column entitled “How many would run for office if financial benefits were scrapped?,” where a banker was quoted as saying, “Political games are intended to keep the electorate poor in order for candidates to ‘buy’ them.”
According to the priest, politicians want “voters to remain poor so that they could bargain their votes for a hundred or so pesos.”
They continued, “Life has been miserable in this country because we see elective officials getting richer and richer while seeing those stupid vote-selling Filipinos getting poorer and poorer.”
The priest then reiterated another statement from the aforementioned previous column, where a lawyer was quoted as saying, “Why are politician candidates spending millions to win an election… How could they recover the millions spent after winning?”
“How will they recover the cost of winning – or losing – an election except from money deals when they sit in power,
right?” the priest asked.
A golfer wondered how such concerns could be resolved.
“The Comelec should act swiftly and suspend the declaration of the winning, but cheating, candidate,” the banker suggested.
“But will election officials not be tempted to receive grease money from erring candidates?” the priest replied.
“That is another story, Father,” the banker answered.
“In this country, there is more pain applying as a security guard or company driver than [to] apply for election candidacy,” they added. “Even if you have pending court cases, you could run as a mayor – even senator – but if you apply as [a] security guard, one needs those NBI, court, and police clearances.”
“That is why there is the saying, ‘if you do not want to remain poor, be in politics,” the priest replied.
They then restated another comment from the aforementioned previous column, where a lawyer pointed out, “[If you] observe some cities and towns, the franchise holders of famous food chains are the family members of politicians – what a shame!”
The priest said, “Elective officials have become entrepreneurs and capture even those food franchises in their own towns and cities.”
“Investors have no other choice but to ride along with the deals of the powerful politicos,” the golfer added. This column greets Karen Dinsay, Francis Velez, Mark Yanson, Marlon Navarro, Renato Novero, Reuben Tampos, Novo Torres, Art Colmedora, Raymund Javellana, Efren Nagrama, Pete Gellada, William Ong, and Erlinda Regalado.