Palasan: On elections

IN MY college days, I thought I was a political animal. If I remember it right, I had thirteen organizations where I was president, but the editor of the yearbook had to cut the number to save space. Out of these thirteen organizations which I led, I founded five.

Fresh from passing the bar exams, I saw myself leading civic organizations. At one time, my wife complained that I had to attend baptismal, marriage, burial, and anniversary, of people I even barely knew.

Being an active student leader and a lawyer, I was tailor-made for political career, so I thought.

I was in the perfect ship for political career early on. I was with a law firm in my home province where the senior partner was a congressman, and the other lawyers also in local politics.

My initial brush with political campaigns, not for myself, but for my senior law partner, was a shock. The campaign could get so dirty, ranging from intimidation, vote buying, and killing. In one municipality which I was in-charge during the election period, I had to be accompanied by a company of scout rangers because of the peace and order situation.

Despite the bad picture of a politician, I admire there tenacity. A politician has no private life. Anytime of the day, their constituents would knock on their doors. Plus, they have to bear their guilt, at least for those who still have a sense of guilt left on them.

Election is the most sacred of the democratic processes. It is this process when we elect our leaders who will actually wield the sovereign powers.

Our election, however, is a flawed system. The cost alone of electoral campaign is prohibitive. A study shows that to wage a presidential campaign, you need P2 billion, for a senator, P200 million, and for congressman, P30 million.

Just yesterday, a barangay chairman candidate in Cagayan told me that he spent P3,000 per voter during the last barangay elections but lost still.

I cannot imagine myself spending my hard-earned money just to run in the elections. The salary is too low to recoup the campaign expenses.

The only alternative for these politicians is to accept lobby funds or worse, dig into the government coffers by way of commissions in the government projects. There are cases though of outright plunder.

No wonder, the likes of Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Bong Revilla are facing plunder charges. Recall former Bong Calingin, who after his storied political career, is now facing the implementation of a criminal conviction. My good friend, Lawrence Cruz, former Iligan mayor, is still facing Ombudsman cases.

Our patronage politics is still one stumbling blocks too many for a clean political career. I recall that when I was still the managing partner of the law firm, the constituents of my senior partner then congressman, would come to ask money to buy medicines, and then come back asking for money for fare after the patient is discharged from the hospital. And if fate would not be good, the relatives would come back for the ninth time asking money for burial expenses.

With these realities, I am sure I don't have the stomach for politics.

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