Tuesday, September 02, 2008 Malig: Early election fever By Jun A. Malig Cognition
THE proponents and supporters of the recall petition against Governor Eddie Panlilio are already on overdrive. They have the necessary resources, especially money, to push through with their objective to subject the reverend governor to a recall election.
"Happy days" for campaign and election-loving masses seem to be just around the corner. The signature drive for the anti-Panlilio petition has started. The groups and politicians behind and supportive of the recall initiative -- who include the vice governor, board members, and other local officials down to the barangay level -- are expected to do what they can to have a gubernatorial election by the end of the year or early 2009.
They, along with their sympathizers, are even willing to spend their own money for the recall. They want the reverend governor out of Capitol through Constitutional process, which is far better than extra-judicial means of kicking out someone from a public office.
Sooner or later, the ball will be on the hands of the Pampangueños. They will be the ones who will sign or refuse to sign the recall petition forms. And if the pro-recall groups will be able to gather the signatures of at least 10 percent of the registered voters in the province, Pampangueños will be the ones to decide on the political fate of the reverend governor by voting for him or voting for his opponent.
The game has started. Campaigns for and against Panlilio are already on the Internet, in our emails, in the text messages we receive in our mobile phones, and through other means of mass communication.
Should we expect some ugly sides of politics to surface too? We'll be really naïve not to. It's part of the game in this part of the globe. Gold, guns, goons, different "methods" of winning the votes (if not the hearts) of the people, smear jobs, and attention-grabbing stunts are parts of Philippine politics. Pampanga is not an exception.
It's just surprising that some proponents of the recall petition want to limit the controversies and issues plaguing the Capitol within Pampanga. How can anybody do that when even their own press conferences are being covered by the regional and national media?
Even our paper's online version is being accessed daily by huge number of readers in various parts of the country and abroad. And there's no denying the fact that Panlilio has become a national, if not international, personality.
Try "Googling" or "Yahooing" Eddie Panlilio in your web browsers and you'd know what I mean.
Even international news wires like the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France Presse, and Union of Catholic Asian News have been using news reports about Panlilio.
On Monday, we received an email message containing photos showing the reverend governor who was riding a passenger jeepney and a tricycle on his way to the Capitol and a gathering in Bacolor. It reminded me of the "kariton" he pushed more than a year ago on his way to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office to file his candidacy for governorship.
