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Thursday, February 12, 2004
Espinoza: Expect more ‘eyesores’
By Elias L. Espinoza
ADS. As the campaign period for the national posts started yesterday, local newspapers already carried a political advertisement of a senatorial candidate.
In the few days to come, expect that almost all walls, posts, and trees around Metro Cebu will be posted with political campaign materials of national candidates.
Consider that even before the campaign period for the local elective positions starts, several posters carrying a woman’s name have already been posted in posts and walls around Mandaue City.
When the campaign period starts on March 25 for the local candidates, more
eyesores are going to ruin further our surroundings. This despite the designation of the authorized poster places by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The problem with the Comelec is that while it has laws that prevent indiscriminate posting of campaign materials, it has no teeth to go after the violators.
With several candidates both for the national and local positions, the designated places for campaign posters might not accommodate the posters of the different candidates under a multi-party system electoral exercise.
Happy days are here again, as the song goes that some radio block timers use the
line as theme song in every elections. With less than three months before the May 10 polls, every candidate and their leaders are now gearing up for a shorter campaign period.
But are we ready for the May 10 elections? The answer remains to be seen since the Comelec has to go back to the manual counting after the High Tribunal voided the Comelec’s contract with a supplier. Let’s wait and see.
QUIET. Politics in Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu seems quiet since the local candidates have yet to wait until March 25 before they can officially start campaigning.
However, with only 45 days to campaign, the local candidates who belong to the party in power have a better, if not simple, way of circumventing the prohibition.
Without having to campaign openly or promote the local candidates to the electorates, all the local officials (re-electionists) do is call for a “pulong-pulong” with the leaders in every community either in a city or town.
“Pulong-pulong” is not prohibited per se. It is supposedly a way of getting to know the barangay leaders and personally knowing the problems of the particular community.
Actually, this is what we call in political parlance “equity of the incumbent.” The local officials, just like the national officials seeking reelections, can use the time and resources of the government without pain of being sued.
However, in the case of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu Cities, it appears that the local officials in these bridge cities are not having any difficulty or problem seeking reelections come May 10, the judgment day.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza and his councilors appear to get the nod of the majority of the voters in this Island City despite having two other mayoralty aspirants.
The same is true in Mandaue City. Mayor Thadeo Ouano can get reelected together with his councilors hands down, so to speak. Even with a single opposition party, the odds are still in favor of Ouano.
TIDBITS. As an alumnus of the Academy of American and International Law, I had the occasion to attend the testimonial dinner for Department of Justice Acting Secretary Merceditas Gutierrez on Friday evening, Feb. 6, at the humble residence of Export Processing Zone Authority Director General Lilia Delima.
The Philippine chapter alumni association of the Academy of American and International Law, which is now Center for American and International Law, based in Dallas, Texas, USA, tendered the dinner for DOJ Acting Secretary Gutierrez in recognition of her appointment.
DOJ Acting Secretary Gutierrez took her international comparative law studies at the academy sometime in the later part of the 60’s. Delima is the president of the association.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Renato Puno was also honored as an honorary member of the alumni since he took his masters in comparative law in Southwestern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, the school where the academy held classes for several years before the center’s building was completed last year in Plano, Texas, USA.
(February 12, 2004 issue)
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