Roperos: Ground politics

Thursday, February 9, 2012

MUCH has been reported in the past few weeks about the political stirrings in the cities and towns of the province regarding the midterm elections set for next year.

The 2013 elections are largely for elective middle level leaders of the country, and involves would-be candidates from the ground level up to half or 12 of the members of the Senate and all members of the House of Representatives, along with all local elective officials.

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The politics of the province, cities, and towns would be quite complex and expansive, involving, as it generally does, not just local officials but also barangay leaders and the youth. Which is the reason why there is a move to postpone the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to another date, and not hold them in the same year as that of middle-level national officials.

It would be quite a big deal for a small republic, but we have a rather enviable democratic form of government beyond compare in the whole of Asia. Our constitutional government is something that other Asian countries are trying to approximate, but only a few are succeeding. Thus, even if there are some flaws in actual practice, still our democratic tradition is holding on and, I believe, is truly succeeding.

One reason why I agree with the proposal of Rep. Rachel “Cutie” del Mar that the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections should be held in 2014 instead of October 2013 is that having two nationwide elections in the same year might prove too costly to our government, and too taxing as well to the election officials.

On top of it, candidates for local offices will have to spend more to include support for their barangay and SK candidates.

There is no arguing the reality that our contemporary elections in the Philippines have become expensive, especially more so our presidential elections, which include elections of senators and congressmen, as well as provincial, city, and municipal officials whose term of office islimited to three years at a time only.

The campaign expenses of the candidates would be tremendous, indeed, and politically staggering.

On the whole, as an overview, maintaining our democratic tradition under the aegis of a constitutional democracy has proven to be quite expensive, but the cost, when taken against the backdrop of popular participation by the masses, makes our independence exude the true essence of our sovereignty as a free people.

We can thus stand proud as a free people from ground level to the topmost tip of the highest mountain of our country.