BUTUAN CITY – A Catholic university here has raised concerns after results of their latest election survey in the city showed that 77.95 percent of the respondents favored on accepting money from politicians on Election Day.
Lawyer Josefa Sorrera-Ty, director of Father Saturnino Urios University (FSUU) Policy Center, said the survey result is depressing.
“The survey result on the vote-buying is depressing and frustrating. The results show that 59.11 percent of the respondents believe that candidates will give money to voters; while 77.95 percent of the 1,932 respondents surveyed are willing to accept money from candidates this coming election. When the respondents were asked whether they will vote for the candidates who will give money, 39.03 percent said 'Yes', 31.57 percent answered 'No', while 29.40 percent did not answer,” said Ty.
Ty said the result shows the sad reality on how people perceive corruption.
“I categorize my reaction as depressing because it is very sad as well as frustrating to see how people failed to connect corruption and the culture of accepting money from politicians on Election Day. Why do people fail to see and acknowledge that the main source of corruption is vote buying or accepting money from politicians? We often hear people complain and condemn corruption but accepting money from politicians is a form of corruption,” said Ty.
Ty, who is also the dean of FSUU’s College of Law, cited that electorates should be made aware that accepting money is a violation to the Omnibus Election Code.
“I think most people don’t know the implications of their actions – that they have violated the law. It is not only the person giving the money who is at fault but the person who also accepts the money from politicians violates section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code which prohibits vote buying and vote selling,” she bared.
Rev. Father Randy Jasper Odchigue, FSUU vice president for Academic Affairs, said the data are indication of a failure in addressing the vote buying/selling issue.
“Nothing much has changed in relation to the mindset of the people despite progress and efforts of the academe, socio civic organizations and the Church on voters’ education. Certainly, this is a huge indication that we have to do better in our efforts,” said Odchigue.
Odchigue explained that the moral decline in the national consciousness could be traced directly at home and on the education system.
“The formation of values education starts in the family. How the parents influence their children, especially on the topic and conversations at home. After the family, we then have basic education and how the school formation teaches our students especially on history and social studies. Historical facts on corruption in our culture and social implications have never been reiterated that much in our education system,” said Odchigue.
Nothing wrong in accepting money?
In the social media, a discussion on Butuan Global Forum Inc. Facebook group page on vote buying has been showing that several residents in Butuan City claimed they would accept money from politicians and “see nothing is wrong about their acts.”
“But of course, it’s wrong to sell our votes, but did I? No, as I said anyone who will give me money, I will accept it, but no matter what, I will vote the person I believe can better my country,” said one of those who commented on the forum.
Another resident said: “There is nothing wrong in accepting the money. Besides, I think it is the same money stolen from us. The important thing is we should be wise in choosing whom to vote. I don’t think this is against the law, since I haven’t heard anyone go to prison for accepting money. Besides, for us, the poor, we live a life clinging on to what we can earn each day, the money given would be a great help to our daily needs.”
Several other residents voiced similar views on accepting money, but to vote with their conscience.
In 2013, the FSUU Policy Center conducted the same survey in which 80 percent of the 1,833 respondents expressed they had nothing against selling their votes.
The recent survey revealed that the data gathered last March 28 to April 3, 2016 from 1,932 respondents represented one percent of the voting population of each of the 86 barangays in Butuan City.
The data were analyzed using frequency and percentage distribution establishing a margin of error at 3 percent and at 95 percent level of confidence.
Results of the survey also show that there are more female respondents (53.57%); 31-59 years old (58.95%); attained secondary education (48.45%); unemployed (39.86%) which is a notch higher than the self-employed (37.42%), and whose monthly income ranges from P1,000 to P10,000.
Several other data were gathered in the election survey such as the preferred candidates for president, vice president, congressman, mayor, vice mayor and councilors.
Included in the survey are the top five problems in their barangays which are drug addiction (31.68%), unemployment and lack of sustainable livelihood (14.23%), lack of supply of clean and potable water (12.32%), road (9.58%) and drainage (8.39%) construction and rehabilitation.
The respondents also perceived their leaders to be good and kind (17.29%), helpful and approachable (16.10%), sincere, honest, trustworthy and transparent (15.79%), not corrupt (9.52%), and strong, firm and responsible (9.42%).