Tuesday, October 23, 2007 Seares: Poll bets on drugs, impossible things By Pachico A. Seares News Sense
“There’s no use trying,” said Alice. “I can’t believe impossible things.” “You haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen, “when I was your age...I believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” —Lewis Carrol, “Alice in Wonderland”
Comelec requires candidates in barangay and youth elections to take a drug test. But if the poll bet tests positive, he’s not struck out from the list.
There’s no rule disqualifying drug addicts, Comelec sheepishly admits. What’s the sense of the exercise then?
Maybe to tell voters the man who wants to be barangay captain is hooked on drugs. But even that influence on voting is dubious.
The drug-abuser tag isn’t publicized. Official lists don’t add “confirmed drug addict” beside the candidate’s name.
And an aspirant may even be proud of it. A Compostela, Cebu candidate wears his brand of honesty like a Boy Scout badge: “Look, I’m a drug addict and I’m not hiding it.”
He’s not promising drug sessions but he’s in effect telling voters his barangay council meetings will be anything but dull.
Practice won’t help
Then there’s the rule that “no political party or civic or religious organization shall give aid, directly or indirectly, to a candidate’s campaign.”
The ban used to cover political parties only. It’s expanded to include civic, professional and religious groups.
Useless still. A gaping loophole is that only parties and groups are banned, not individual officials and members. Just more rules they can’t or won’t enforce.
Election goals are impossible things. Not even more practice can make Alice believe them.
