Really Stopping Jueteng

To stop "jueteng", a marching order must originate from the President himself. P-noy must come out in fighting mood and order his PNP and DILG top brass to end the operation of jueteng all over the country. He must be the one who should lead in convincing the public that the days of jueteng lords are over. He must issue the marching order to make jueteng an illegal act that will send anyone involved, including the bookies or "kubradors", in jail.
If there is no marching order from the President, the police force and the DILG officials, including the mayors, congressmen, governors and other government officials, will get a dubious signal from Malacanang and will just continue to engage in jueteng operations. Now that President Aquino enjoys a high trust rating from Filipinos, it will not be difficult for him to get the cooperation of every Filipino to eradicate jueteng.
If President Aquino continues to display a lukewarm attitude on the government's jueteng drive for whatever reason, then the scourge of this illegal numbers game will spread and neutralize whatever headways the government has achieved in other sectors of society. Inaction and half-hearted attitude towards the drive to stop jueteng will bring disgrace in the Aquino governance and wll eventually derail his crusade against corruption and poverty.

Ways to End Poverty in the Philippines

The Philippines is one of the countries in Asia with the highest percentage of poor people. It is obvious that those countries, the Philippines included, are deeply saddled in a morass of bureaucratic corruption. Thus, there is sense in the strategy to remove corruption as a problem in government before launching programs to end poverty. But there is a drawback to this strategy. It slows down the momentum to serve the poor. Corruption meansures are on-going and it does take time to haul all corrupt officials and their accessories to court and mete out the necessary justice. Thus, it is incumbent for the government to get bolder and pour millions of pesos to poverty-ending tasks that aim to provide an opportunity for every Filipino to experience the basic amenities of life and get out of poverty, pure and simple. And what are ways to accomplish these?
The government should continue with its conditional dole-outs of money for its identified poor families, for this is a noble effort to reach out to the poor in society and let the public money benefit those people in the poverty line.
Also, the government can tap international financial institutions, including the United Nations, whose main work is to alleviate world poverty by pouring in millions of dollars to developing countries to improve the lot of their citizens. The Philippines is still a Third World country. It should get easy approval from international programs designed to help end the poverty curse. Poverty-ending projects like cooperatives, livestock and food production, handicraft production, food banks, rural road projects, and other small-scale projects can be started in villages and small towns all over the country with the help of these international agencies. The Philippines must accept that it is still a developing country after all these years due to corruption that is endemic in all levels of its bureaucracy and which has created a deep division between the haves and the have-nots in Philippine society. It should therefore continue to look to international agencies for help in terms of grants and loans to help the poor and bring them at par with the rich in enjoying even just the basic amenities of life.
Vital to these projects to end poverty should be the continued efforts of government agencies concerned to generate jobs for its jobless poor, provide a place and build simple shelters for its homeless poor, create more educational scholarships in high school and college levels for the children of poor parents who, without those free-schooling opportunities, will render them tied to a future of endless poverty.
The government should also ask its people to practice volunteerism and help its poor countrymen. It must assert that the success of government programs for the poor still rests with the full coperation of its citizens. It must encourage private institutions and agencies to re-focus their programs to help the poor and the homeless in society. It must reward individuals and groups who take extra effort to assist the needy citizens through tax incentives and financial assistance.
And a lot more projects for the poor are just waiting for the government to lay its helping hand on. And since a sincere and straightforward President is currently at the helm of power in the country, there should be a rosy future at last for its poor citizens.

The Hostage-Taking Fiasco Shouldn't Cripple the Aquino Presidency

Granted that the hostage crisis of August 23 came to a disappointing end with the loss of eight lives. Granted that the Aquino government failed miserably in responding correctly to the crisis. But this tragic event should not cripple the work of the Aquino administration to save the country from corruption and extreme poverty. Critics of Aquino are crying for blood by asking the President to make the extreme sacrifice and ask those heads of agencies and offices responsible for the hostage fiasco to resign. Aquino already accepted responsibility. That should be enough.
President Aquino has a lot of tasks at hand that might be imperiled by this seeming propensity to search for sacrificial limbs to recover the prestige and honor of the country in the light of accusations from all over the world that there was negligence on the part of the Philippines in saving the hostage victims. It seems that the country and its leaders have focused their attention to do everything to appease the prying eyes and end the ridicule that Filipinos are now facing from foreigners due to the events of August 23 at the Quirino grandstand, where a dishonored police officer commandeered a tourist bus and killed some of its occupants when his impossible demands were not met. This should not be the case.
The response that the government has made so far should be enough to prove to the world that the Philippines is sincere in its acceptance of blame and it has been apologetic to the families of victims of the hostage-taking, as well as to the government of Hongkong province, on the actions that the hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza committed as well as on the lapses of the police force in responding to the crisis.
Otherwise, the Philippine government should now turn its sight on the crusade to haul corrupt officials, smugglers, and other bad elements before the hall of justice and make the money that will saved from this crusade benefit the Filipino people through infrastructure development, health benefits, educational reforms and poverty-ending projects. This crusade cannot suffer the ningas-cogon mentality that has felled many a good crusade by the government. Aquino has just less than six years to make good his promise to eliminate corruption as the cause of the impoverished conditions in the country. The events of August 23 should not derail or cripple the work and dedication of the Aquino administration to bring the needed blueprint of a clean government into full implementation. In addition, P-noy will need all the heads of his Cabinet to help him achieve this. He should therefore not listen to critics who are suggesting that there should be resignations from his government resulting from the hostasge crisis fiasco. Aquino should know better.

P-noy Doing the Right Thing in the Hacienda Luisita Deal

President Benigno Aquino III is doing the right thing as President to distance himself from the controversy brewing in the Hacienda Luisita deal with the farmers in Tarlac. Right now, he is under pressure to involve himself and resolve the deadlock between the farmers and Hacienda Luisita. But Aquino stood his ground and remained at a distance, thus preventing himself from being enmeshed on something that will only be attacked by his critics. Even religious leaders, at least some of them, are getting into the fray and are trying to pressure Aquino to get involved. No way, the Palace countered. It is already being handled by the Supreme Court and Hacienda Luisita is dealing with the farmers in an amicable way.
Unless laws are violated or the farmers are blatantly shortchanged in the settlement of issues regarding the distribution of land or shares, then the best that President Aquino should do is stay away from the subject and just do his job as President. Being the leader of the country, he must not take sides. His only focus should be on the advancement of the socio-economic conditions of the country as well as the maintenance of peace and order. He is no longer connected to any private entity like Hacienda Luisita. He must therefore stand his ground amidst pressures from headline-hugging individuals and groups who seem intent on perpetuating their influence or advancing their selfish and hollow cause to the detriment of people and institutions like the Presidency of Noynoy Aquino.
Hopefully, the problems that are sprouting from the Hacienda Luisita and its farmers could be settled in due time. But right now, the stance that Aquino has chosen in this controversy is the right thing. He is neutral and that is that.

President Aquino Is Credible in His SONA

President Aquino increases his believability as a reforming leader in his first State of the Nation Address in Congress last Monday. He first revealed the near depletion of the country's treasury this year due to fiscal mismanagement of the past administration of Gloria Arroyo. He added that the calamity funds are almost empty, and this puts the country, which lies in the path of typhoons, in jeopardy. This is just the middle of the year and most of the typhoons and tropical storms are still to come in the late period. Aquino frankly enumerated in his first SONA the suspicious government contracts that are losing propositions to the Filipino people. He also lambasted the atrocious benefits and bonuses that the members of the board of trustees of a government corporation, MWSS, enjoy while the pension benefits of its workers languished.

Aquino also exposed the rotting rice in NFA warehouses. Instead of the hungry getting fed, these cavans of rice, which could be six months to two years in continued storage, remain undelivered and unprocessed. This is due to over-importation of rice, which caused the government rice agency to get indebted in the billions of pesos. Furthermore, Aquino mentioned the shady flood-control contracts of the DPWH, 19 in all, which were approved and about to be funded during the waning days of the Arroyo administration. With the initiative of the incoming DPWH secretary, these shady deals were held and remained under study. Aquino wanted to convince the Filipino people that the government that he inherited remained enmeshed in shady projects and contracts that threatened the financial stability of the country and continue to enrich a corrupt class of people which will he will now fight and stop.

Then, he told his audience the steps that the new administration is doing and plans to do to provide wide-ranging reforms for the Filipino people. Among these are the following: a) continue fight against corruption in government by tightening the enforcement of tax laws and prosecuting blue-collar criminals; b) the Executive Order calling for the formal creation of the Truth Commission which will investigate and put a closure to the high profile corruption cases during the Arroyo administration will be signed; c) government-privater sector partnership to fund programs and projects, especially in the field of infrastructure; d) continued construction of ports and highways to hasten the economic recovery of the country. Aquino made special mention of a proposed built to operate (BOT) project to connect Metro-Manila and Cagayan Valley through an expressway that will pass through the stretch of Central Luzon and Cagayan Valley provinces.

In the end, Aquino told the audience and the Filipino people that to dream of a better life will be more achievable in his Presidency and that he will see to it, with the cooperation and support of all, that this human aspiration to seek fulfillment of a dream will be possible.

The First SONA of President Aquino

While this post is being written, it is still early Monday in the Philippines. The activities in and around Congress have not begun and the rallies that are supposed to greet the State of the Nation Address of President Aquino and the tight security that the Philippine National Police plans to put around the area have not taken place. However, the excitement and expectations of a meaty SONA are already felt in Philippine society, including the media. It is said the speech of President Aquino to the legislators in both houses and to the nation in general will mostly be in Pilipino, interspersed perhaps by a few paragraphs and sentences here and there in English. In short, the intention is there to make the speech completely communicated clearly to everyone, most especially to the majority of Filipinos who voted him into power due to his powerful campaign slogan of "Kung Walang Corrupt, Walang Mahirap".
Much of the next six years in the Aquino administration is believed encapsulized in the first SONA. While he will talk about a depleted treasury caused by profligate spending by the Arroyo administration, President Aquino promises to replace the shock that the audience will feel about details of a depleting budget, including a measly sum left to tackle calamity and disasters from incoming typhoons the rest of the year, with his vision and goals of his Presidency. This is supposed to guide the legislators on the kind of laws and support that he expects from the halls of Congress.
President Aquino is expected to reveal for the first time the core of his program of reforms to improve the conditions of the country and eventually propel it to the zenith of prosperity and progress. Because he always pledges his sincerity to everything that he says and does to the Filipino people, it should be the climax of the day to hear him say the visions of his leadership to the Filipino people as well as the expected invitation that he will lay down to the entire citizenry of the Philippines to support him and help him produce a better Philippines. In a way, the President is most likely ready to appeal once more to the majority if not all of the Filipino population to reveal their better nature to help each other and volunteer in whatever they can to attain the success of the visions that he will speak of for the entire nation.
It is much like, and this is just a guess, a rephrasing of the call of US President John F. Kennedy to the American people in his inaugural speech: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
What ever transpires in the halls of Congress and around it this Monday, it is hoped it will be for a much improved country and a more patriotic citizenry.

Sincerity Begets Sincerity

President Aquino found out that Filipinos will respond to their government about their needs and aspirations if their leaders are sincere and serious and honest. These are the qualities that the voters in the May 10 automated polls saw in the electoral campaign of the Liberal Party standard bearer Noynoy Aquino, so they voted him into power. Now, thanks to modern technology in communicating and the availability of social networking websites such as Facebook, Multiply and Twitter, President Aquino is getting a lot of feedback from concerned citizens. He recently told the press that he receives all kinds of text from various sectors of society and this is quite a revelation. Here is a President who is in charge of the fate and destiny of the country, and he finds time to listen to simple folks about their problems and concerns. He has no qualms about the veracity or authenticity of the feedback. All he is after is the immediate response that he receives from the people. This is a healthy sign that his budding Presidency is being received openly by the entire nation.
Thus, when he designed a communication setup in the Palace with the appointment of three capable media practitioners, President Aquino has in mind the Magsaysay-style of linking with the masses. And this style aims to go to any extent possible to reach out to the people. While telegrams during Magsaysay's time was one of the more popular instruments to air to their leaders the concerns of the people, the focus of Malacanang at this time is to hear the people and respond to the feedback that they receive, through an integrated use of Internet, print and broadcast media. President Aquino will leave no stone unturned in order to listen to the people and respond to their needs. He is willing to listen, even implement good suggestions and recommendations that he hears from concerned sectors of society.
Since he has shown sincerity in dealing with the people, President Aquino stands to reap from this act. The people will look up to him in high regard because he aims to be a role model in being an incorruptible leader of a developing country. He said in his election campaign that he will not steal from the people. "Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap". Now he has added the instrument of mass communications - sincere and serious - to reach out to the people and convince them that he means business. Sincerity begets sincerity. The people will be more involved in helping the government attain the goals of fighting corruption and reducing poverty. From all these actions will come a prosperous country that is finally liberated from doubts, half-heartedness and complacency.

Early Days of the Aquino Presidency

President Benigno Aquino III, who wants to be called P.Noy by the media and his people, has assumed power and is now busy performing the duties and responsibilities as leader of the country. His Cabinet people are almost complete, except maybe the post of the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Governments). Right now, pending the final selection of who'll take over the post, Aquino has decided to temporarily head the agency. Otherwise, the various agencies and departments of the government are now in full operation and functioning on target to implement the campaign promises of Aquino to the people.
During his inaugural address, he is quoted: "Walang wang-wang, walang counterflow, walang tong!" It is a pledge to the Filipino people. Thus, the campaign to fully ban the use of sirens and blinkers by unauthorized individuals is in full effect. The PNP has given recognition to this desire of P.Noy to stop the illegal practice of using blinkers and sirens in traffic stops. Although there is law about this, dating back as early as 1973, it has not been completely enforced due to a culture of "palakasan" which is endemic in the socio-political life of Filipinos. Now, this practice is being challenged, no less than the President of the country.
Looking back, President Aquino made a declaration during his speech to the nation at his presidential inauguration that he will be a role model to the nation in its attempt to be great again. In effect, the call for nationalism and patriotism in words and in practice has been launched by the son of Cory and Benigno Aquino. The Filipino people are witnessing the renewal of effort to improve their lives by re-doing the pledges and promises that have been made in the past. They now blaze a trail of greatness and prosperity --- one final time.
There maybe parallel efforts of this kind in other countries wanting to develop and improve their lands and their people, but the patriotic effort now getting refurnished in the Philippines is entirely unique and totally Filipino, and it started when President Benigno Aquino III gained political power as the head of the country.

Latest on Aquino's Ascendancy to Power

Ninoy Aquino has been proclaimed by the national canvassing board of the Philippines. This means that he is just waiting for the swearing-in and inauguration rites on June 30. His transition team has been working round-the-clock to pave the way for a smooth turn-over of power at noon of June 30. Also, it has been reported that the family of President Arroyo has moved out of the Palace much much earlier. This information was reportedly relayed by no less than the First Gentleman himself during a book launching of his two books. This should be met with a sigh of relief by the people. Indeed it can be said that there is really a smooth turn-over of power and responsibilities by an outgoing President to the incoming leader who won by a majority vote in the first automated polls in the country.
With regards to the issues of "midnight appointments", Aquino has shown a determination to review all appointments made at the last minute which appears to be in violation of the Constitution. Unsolicited advice has been piling up from all sources, including Malacanang, about what Aquino should do on urgent matters once he assumes power, but there is no telling whether Aquino will heed all of them or he has an agenda of his own. But it should be pointed out that the son of Cory Aquino is not daunted by the great tasks waiting for him once he takes over the helm of political power as the 15th President of the Philippines. During a press conference held after his proclamation by Congress, Noynoy Aquino revealed his plans once he is President. He did not mince words and never try to be fuzzy about hard questions thrown at him by the media. In effect, we are seeing a President-elect much prepared, very intelligent, and more than serious in solving the ills of the country.
The Filipino people should be assured day-to-day that the road to Aquino's inaguration and assumption to power will not be bumpy afterall. Even the issue of Delfin Bangit's term as chief of staff of the Armed Forces is coming to a quick conclusion, as the general has shown his desire to retire early knowing that he does not earn the nod of the incoming President to remain as AFP chief. Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales tried to criticize Aquino for allegedly conducting a "loyalty check" in the AFP, adding that soldiers and officers should not join in this exercise to divide the military. This is a shallow attempt of Gonzales to put a dent on the growing connection between the military and the incoming commander-in-chief. At any rate, the media did not pay much attention on this.
All in all, there seems to be nothing to worry about in the day-to-day happening regarding the fading out of the nine-year rule of President Arroyo and the birth of a new leadership born out of a solemn promise to eradicate corruption and poverty. The Filipino people remain hopeful that there will be a smooth transition of power and that worries and doubts about it should simply fade away.

Nothing Is Perfect

The recent automated polls in the Philipines still do not earn the trust and confidence of sour losers and harsh critics. The winners have been proclaimed by Comelec and and Congress but the discontentment about the results and how the national election was managed continue to linger. But if one can just take a hard look at the supposed complaints, it can been concluded that there has not been a convincing evidence of a massive and systematic cheating or fraud by an individual or group of individuals aimed at manipulating the results. The word "manipulation" entails the willful selection of winners irrespective of the mandate of the voters. Nothing has been found or unearthed by the critics.
What they are doing is keep on pounding on the issue of credibility of the election process and the eventual results. In effect, they are looking for a perfect electoral process, and if they found something or sense something that the election authorities and Smartmatic have difficulty explaining, an alarm bell would ring far and wide.
In effect, it is a "fishing expedition". And so far, nothing has been found.
Critics should understand that there is no perfect electoral process. There are always complaints. There will be lapses here and there. But the foray to an automated polls should be viewed with encouragement and full support by the Filipino people. Just to realize that results have been shown to the public hours after the close of voting to protect the people's mandate and quickly spurn any attempt to derail the tallying of the votes by such past dirty tactics like causing brownouts or forcible grabbing of ballot boxes is something. This is a feature that makes automated polls a plus in a third world country like the Philippines, where people in power can just deploy their cheating machinery and manipulate the results every election.
Right now, critics should rest and just help in fine tuning the automated election process. IT experts still doubting the system should begin a teamwork mission of producing a more strengthened and fool-proof poll automation and share their expertise with Comelec's IT experts.
This is by far a country's achievement worth crowing about, not fretting about.
In this Independence Day celebrations by Filipinos, a decision to automate the polls, while not fully perfect, can be compared to a decision by past heroes more than three centuries ago to declare freedom from Spanish colonizers.

Tuesday Next A Country is Reborn

According to the chairmen of the national board of canvassers, a new set of leaders shall have been proclaimed next week, Tuesday at the latest. This is a significant development, if not historical in nature. After all the travails and challenges of the first automated elections, the Philippines has lifted itself past the clutches of election cheating and other dirty election maneuvers and would have been able to produce a set of leaders that will rule the country from the local up to the national level of governance.
It is therefore fitting to inject a sense of nostalgia in all these developments now embracing the country. Where before any election leaves a bitter trace of tragic consequences and regretable, if not horrible decision-making on the part of the voters, the election of May 10 may not be perfect but for one split moment, it stunned the nation with the swiftness of the results, hours after the closing of the precints. This prevented any real and unimagined tampering of the people's will.
The losers can continue to complain even up to the the election tribunals months or years after May 10, but the fact remains the developing normalcy and easy acceptance by the majority of the Filipino people days after the winners have been proclaimed, have proven to be the harbinger of things to come. And this should be for the better.
The winning President was elected on the basis of his political partry's mission to eliminate corruption as it is the root cause of poverty in the country. If he governs according to this program of reform, the Philippines should be on the right track for progress in the next six years. Of course there will be detractors and stumbling blocks along the way of reform, but it is easy to rule and generate the kind of leadership that this country needs once you are in the helm of power.
So come Tuesday next, if things are expected to happen, then the Filipino people will see a kind of rebirth of their country. And this can be made to happen with their willing participation and support.

On The Correct Path

They are now counting the votes in Congress. The national board of canvassers has decided to do their constitutional function to count the votes in the last elections so that a new President and Vice-President can be proclaimed before Independence Day, which is June 12. This is also in preparation for the change of leadership procedure which will take effect at noontime of June 30, when President Arroyo leaves office.
President-apparent Noynoy Aquino decided to reject a proposed walk-over of Malacanang as suggested by the Arroyo transition team. His reasoning is simple. He has not been proclaimed yet by Congress.
All the wranglings about digital signatures, alleged fraud, cheating and manipulations of the May 10 polls, and authentications of certificates of canvass in the provinces have finally shut down. This is a high-class act of joint Houses of Congress and definitely is good for the nation.
More representatives of the diplomatic community have trooped to the Times Street residence of Noynoy Aquino to congratulate him and to express the cooperation of their respective governments to his administration. Of course, this should not preclude the fact that Congress still has to canvass the votes and officially declare the winners in the two highest seats of the land.
However, it should be pointed that the trend of events of recent days augurs well for the future of this nation. It has expressed its will on who should lead the country for the next six years and the joint public session of Congress is now doing its function to count the votes and proclaim the winners on the scheduled date.
Foreign countries will express amazement on the conduct of Filipinos when it comes to choosing their leaders. The Filipino people have decided to choose the path of automation and technology to choose their elective leaders in the hope that it will shorten the time to check the results as well as deter any cheating. And with more fine tuning of the automation process, the decision to poll automation must be a sensible move.

All Talks

Talks of massive cheating and systematic fraud have pre-emptied the scheduled national canvass of presidential and vice-presidential candidates in Congress. The congressional panel involved in the canvass have shown a propensity to question every glitch and discrepancy in the preparation of electional returns and certificates of canvass. The Comelec effort to manage an orderly election process is not only in question, but it has to pass the strictest scrutiny from a congressional body whose constitutional mandate is to insure that the winning candidates are anointed and proclaimed before the outgoing President leaves office.

Definitely, the on-going hearings in the Lower House to hear electoral complaints add to a perception of distrust in the May 10 elections. And this has contributed to the on-going confusion in the joint congressional task to canvass the votes.

Until now, there is just a build-up of talks and tales of syndicates offering to cheat the elections and make candidates win. Anyone can just come out and build a tale of cheating and fraud. Proofs of these allegations are difficult to find from people who are the sources of these talks of cheating and fraud.

Meanwhile, Comelec and Smartmatic offficials have not hidden from public view and have faced their critics. They are out there, in the hearings and the joint canvassing panel in Congress, trying their best to answer and explain the automated election process.

Expect glitches to occur, since this is the first elections where the country sought the technology of automation to speed up the counting process and prevent massive cheating that usually happened in past elections.

The teachers who comprised the board of election inspectors and the workhorses in the last elections, may not have been perfect in their work. They may have have erred in some of the tasks that they have to do during the day of the voting. But it should be noted that this is also the first time that they are dealing with a new technology to automate the election process. Glitches are expected. Repeat, glitches are expected. Unless there is a deliberate attempt to transgress any rule or procedure, so massive in scope as to manipulate results, then any delaying tactic that is going now in the national canvass to check every nook and cranny of the 2010 election process, is justified. But so far, more than two weeks after the polls, nothing has been found to prove that a systematic manipulation of the May 10 polls has occurred.

It is now up to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House who handle the national canvass procedure, as well as the chairman of the House committee on suffrage and election reforms, if they can control or stop the slow undoing of the election process last May 10, or they can fast-track what they are doing and save the people's mandate that was realized and is already known.

The People's Mandate is not Easy to Erase

All the Filipino people can do now is pray, pray that the mandate of the May 10 polls will be preserved. Right now, the hearings being conducted by the House committee on electoral reforms and suffrage have succeeded in casting doubts on the legality and success of the first automated national elections in the country. Reading from written scripts, the complainants, mostly losing candidates who hold national positions and in danger of losing them, took turns in attacking the Comelec and Smartmatic as well as enumerating alleged instances of cheating, fraud, wrong procedures and technicalities that supposedly happened during the May 10 polls. And the worst fear has been heard. Due to non-use of digital signatures by the board of election inspectors (BEIs) when election returns were transmitted, the results would be, according to one of the complainants, null and void. Thus, the said complainant continued, the May 10 polls should be considered illegal and the results be made null and void. It was suggested by the complainant that a comprehensive manual audit must be made and if it is not possible, a new national elections should be held.

A question should be raised: who has the authority to declare an elections null and void? It should be the Comelec only, unless the complainants file a strong petition and ask the Supreme Court to nullify it. The House committee is not in a position to do it. The purpose of the hearing is hear and find out what happened during the May 10 polls so that if there is a need to improve the just-passed Automated Election Law, now is the time to gather data and pass subsequent legislation to improve the law in preparation for the 2013 polls.

But the Comelec is all convinced that the May 10 polls was a resounding success.

Surely, there is a hand manipulating these events surrounding the recent polls. It is difficult to pinpoint just what is going on. Is it a well-oiled machinery to derail the results, or is it an instant collaboration of losers coming out to prevent the mandate of the 2010 polls from being fulfilled?

Confusing as it may, all the people can do now is pray and then go out and express their reactions to everyone. One strong move is to gather outside Congress who will conduct an official canvass of the votes for the presidential and vice-presidential positions and demonstrate their disapproval over attempts to derail the May 10 polls. The mandate of the people cannot simply go to waste because of unproven allegations from sour losers.

Comelec Decisions Must Be Respected

A fresh development from the brewing crisis brought out by a flurry of protests from losing candidates about alleged fraud and cheating in the last national elections is a threat from a losing senatorial candidate to file a petition to the Supreme Court to nullify the results. The candidate was not specific in the news report if he is asking for the nullification of all results of the May 10 polls. The Comelec, although a constitutional body assigned to conduct elections, has been sidetracked by protesting entities affected by supposed fraud and cheating and instead, have brought their case before the media. Without allowing the Comelec to conduct a formal investigation on electoral protests, the losing candidates and groups who are in the center of these protests, are pushing the country to the edge of a political crisis. It is not known whether there is an unseen hand in charge of these protests that unknowingly have spread and grown in number. It would not be a suprise if all the provinces in the country would have electoral protests. In effect, it would complete an answer to the question on whether the cheating is massive and nationwide. At any rate, it is still the Comelec as a constitutional body that will decide whether there is systematic cheating that favors a winning candidate over the loser.
It is difficult to assess the involvement of the Supreme Court, the Congress, or the Excutive branch in this problem. The Comelec, as a constitutional body, must be respected and its decision to declare a winner a winner or a loser a loser, must remain unsullied and should be followed. No other constitutional body must overrule what the Comelec has done. Otherwise, this country will enter into a crisis mode that is difficult to get out of.

Repercussions of Poll Results

The Filipino people have spoken. They favored a sincere candidate that will attack the twin problems of corruption and poverty. Thus, majority of them voted for Noynoy Aquino as the next president of the country. As of this writing, Aquino is leading his next rival in the most number of votes by five to six million votes, with almost 90% of the clustered precints from all over the transmitting their results. Congress has agreed to make an official canvass of votes for president and vice-president respectively much earlier than the scheduled May 31 date as prescribed by law.
The expected ascendancy of Noynoy Aquino as the next President means that the
country is facing a regime of change. And this change is directed towards leading the Filipinos to a path of renewed national transformation both in themselves and and in their government. Meaning, the kind of governance that Aquino has hinted he will follow is one from the heart and with a conscience with only the Filipino people and the country's welfare in mind. Grafted to this mission is the promise to implement the reform tasks to stomp out graft and corruption as well as eliminate or neutralize the threat of poverty by giving each Filipino an opportunity to improve his/her economic standing in life. Six years is a long time for a determined government to improve and institute reforms in the country. Aquino will continue to enjoy the trust and support that he received in the recent polls by putting into action the programs that he outlined during his campaign sorties. He only needs to make his bold moves and the Filipino people will follow.

May 10 Polls Still A Go

COMELEC continues to believe that problems in the voting machines can be fixed before voting day. Thus, since it is mandated by law to enforce and implement the automated elections law, COMELEC is pushing through with the elections despite massive protestations from various civil society groups as well as concerned candidates that the May 10 polls be postponed. The May 10 polls will therefore push through, unless another test run of the CF memory cards inside the PCOS machines malfunction again. It is therefore up to the COMELEC to decide the fate of the first automated elections in the country and in effect, the fate of a nation. But this constitutional entity must be aware that the people still have the upperhand in deciding what is best. The will of the people must be preserved, as always, in any nationwide elections, and the May 10 polls is no different from previous elections except in the manner in which the voting was conducted. There is nothing elese that the Filipino people can do in the coming days except to prepare for the coming elections for this will decide the future of the country for the next six years. This is the stepping stone to reaching the dream of millions of Filipinos, especially to the millions who who have been suffering from the effects of massive corruption in government and extreme poverty in society. The May 10 elections is by far the only path open to the people to get even with those in power who have monopolized political and socio-economic power in the country. For once, the general public will rule over any one else, even for just one day, when they vote deserving candidates for public office. But even after voting, the people should remain vigilant and remain ready to respond aggressively to any threat to subvert this sacred exercise of suffrage under a democratic way of life.

Unbelievable!!!

The word to describe it is "unbelievable". During its latest press conference heard and watched by Filipinos nationwide and even around the world through satellite, the COMELEC and Smartmatic officials were telling the media people that the malfunctioning memory cards inside the PCOS machines were caused by "human error". Can you believe that? Weren't these memory cards and the
PCOS machines subjected to rigorous quality control inspections, tested and re-tested in the production line before they were certified as ready for use in the May 10 polls? A riled Angelo Reyes, the former Energy secretary who was once a chief of staff of the AFP under President Estrada and who is now running for public office through partylist, raised his voice in the said press conference to demand an investigation, hinting that it was not a simple "human glitch" that caused the PCOS voting machines to malfunction during a recent test run. One should ask now, although it is still premature, if there is a plot to program the failure of the May 10 polls so that instead of electing new set of leaders, chaos and confusion will reign during and after the voting day. From Day 1 until the last test run of the voting machines, it appears that the COMELEC kept on a facade of confidence and calm, dispelling rumors and apprehensions from the various civil society groups and the general public that something sinister is afoot to cause the first automated polls in the country to fail. And now the race against the clock to correct the "human error" as well as the new faced-saving measure being launched to regain the confidence of the voters and the candidates on the trustworthiness of the voting machines has begun. And it would appear, from the many questions and suggestions that the COMELEC and Smartmatic have halfheartedly addressed or even failed to address from concerned sectors of society, that there is a slim chance that the COMELEC can have a complaint-free and glitch-free election day. From being the first country in the world to switch directly from manual to automated polls, the Philippines might instead become another Thailand where the people have questioned the authority of its leaders and strongly exercised their right to protest for a better government.

Parallel Manual Count Spells Clarity in Polls

Concerned civil society groups have called for parallel manual count by COMELEC in the May 10 polls. This is an offshoot of a growing belief that the first automated national elections of the Philippines does not have enough safeguards to prevent cheating. To achieve credibility on the election results, a move was hatched by concerned groups such as the business club of Makati to suggest to COMELEC to also do manual count aside from the automated poll count. It looks like the poll commissioners will just junk the said proposal and will go ahead with the aultstomated results. This is sad.
The suggestion for a parallel count is reasonable and will help in achieving credible election results. As it is, the automated polls stand to lose against creative attempts to inject cheating and influence the results. Majority of the voters might not see their votes count. Either they could be unknowingly disenfranchise or see their votes that they cast disregarded. Whatever the mode of cheating will be launched in the May 10 polls, what is alarming is the seeming inaction of the COMELEC to do something about the suspicions and fears of concerned civil society groups about a credible May 10 polls.
So far, there is a trend about what the outcome will be that is being offered to the Filipino voters by local pollsters such as Pulse Asia and the SWS (social weather station) outfits. But the problem is, will their surveys be similar to the actual election result?
So, where does the country stands right at this juncture in its historical attempt to produce leaders through automation? There is courage and doubt. Courage that the people will pursue the course of peaceful means to effect change in society, but also doubt due to inadequate safeguards to defend the first automated polls from professional cheaters.

An Assertive COMELEC Can Dissipate Rumors

Despite the assurances coming from the military brass and Malacanang officials that the May 10 automated elections will push through, the country is rife with rumors and conspiracies relating to the expected failure of elections scenario. Even presidential bets are affected by it as they issued possible moves should there be an attempt to prevent the holding of elections or to mess up the results. Some religious bishops even participated in the current public debate on whether there will be a failure of elections and what the public should do should such scenario take place. Despite all these, the country is now ironically one busy place on earth for election campaigning. National and local candidates are now working 24/7 to convince the voting population that they are the right choice for the country come May 10 polls. In effect, rumors of failure of elections are either relegated in the sideline or that the people are still weighing the credibility of this event from happening. Perhaps a quick assurance from the COMELEC coupled by their ability to strengthen their mandate to conduct a clean and safe elections on May 10 will calm the nerves of people who worry day and night about the possibility of election failure. Election officials should start to be assertive and prevent chaos and confusion from happening. They should enforce election rules and mete out penalties or punishments to candidates and political parties who abuse them. During the election campaign period up to the actual day of voting, an assertive COMELEC operating as an independent constitutional body can maintain order and cause rumors to dissipate by simply adhering to its mandate to conduct elections and enforce the rules with clarity and decisiveness. If it continues to be in the background while all kinds of rumors and gimmicks are taking place, then there is no question that May 10 polls will fail. Right now, the most powerful political entity in the country in terms of powers and responsibilities is the COMELEC. On the other hand, it is also the body that will absorb most of the blame should the first automated polls of the country fail and no winners are declared.

Opportunity Knocking

The May elections event is an opportunity knocking for the Filipino people. It is not a job offer but a duty - a qualified duty not just to vote but to transform that vote to put to rest the twin problems of corruption and poverty that have plagued the country for years. Every Filipino voter should therefore vote with this in mind. It is the future of the country that is at stake here. Reforms in government can only begin when you have elected leaders that are serious and committed in eradicating the root problems of slow economic development --- corruption and poverty. If the lure of money overcomes the call of patriotism, then the vote that could have spelled the difference between permament political reforms and shoddy political promises is rendered wasted. Filipino voters should therefore vote with their conscience. This is one opportunity knocking. A vote can level a mountain of problems in a democratic country such as the Philippines. Choosing well-meaning candidates with concrete programs of reforms for the good of the community and the country should be considered by the voters. And it is easy to see who they are. These candidates commit themselves to the voters. They are not moneyed candidates who suspiciously deal in vote-buying and confusing political ads. Instead, they speak from the heart. They follow election rules and are not puppets of corrupt political figures. Indeed, the May election happening is memorable for it will test the patriotism of Filipinos and challenge their ability to choose between making their vote count and solve the ills of the country or become a part of the cycle of corruption and poverty by allowing corrupt candidates to rule once again. This is an opportunity knocking and Filipino voters should take advantage of it.