Monday, May 14, 2007 Maxey: The voter's responsibility By Ram Maxey Bar None
THE nation goes to the polls today to elect 17,889 officials from senators down to the last municipal councilor out of a total 48,967 candidates. After the counting of votes, which could be as quick as less than a week for the smaller towns or as long as "forever" in the case of national positions, the usual inevitable electoral protests will follow.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) had earlier warned that the official campaign period was to end at midnight last Saturday. But as with all other Comelec rules and regulations, these were more honored in the breach.
Join Sun.Star's online hotline with Comelec spokesman James Jimenez from May 14 (Monday), 6 a.m. to May 15 (Tuesday), 6 a.m. (RP time) and report poll-related incidents in your area.
Warnings from the Comelec seldom deter politicians and their tireless minions from continuing an unofficial campaign beyond the reglamentary period.
This unofficial campaign continues on the day of the election itself in the form of vote-buying, whether in cash or in kind (2 kilos of rice, noodles, sardines, etc.), distribution of sample ballots or the putting up of instant food kitchens serving hot porridge (lugaw) to voters on the way to or from polling places. As a rule, such breaches of the law virtually go unpunished because the under-manned Comelec is too busy attending to the more important process of actual voting and occasional reports of ballotbox-snatching, harassment of voters, or even violence.
After the last ballot has been cast it is axiomatic to expect that 31,078 candidates out of 48,967 have lost their bids since only 17,889 positions are up for grabs, although the process of determining the winners and losers will take still take some time.
As in previous elections since 1907, not all winning candidates will turn out to be exemplars of good public service and not all losers deserved their fate. That is the problem confronting every well-meaning voter. How to separate the grain from the chaff. During the campaign voters are regaled by candidates with promises that they promptly forget to remember as soon as they are elected. We see their handsome/pretty faces smiling at us from glossy posters, the easier for us to fall prey to their guile. But we can't see what is in their hearts and we have no way of knowing that some of them will turn out to be corrupt.
A voter has an awesome responsibility -- to oneself, and to country. VOTE WISELY.
