Same old faces, same travesties. Same old games, same old promises.
 |
| TheGuardian.com |
A person where his blood is rooted from a dynasty of politicians, the niece of the niece of the niece of the
niece of a former or is currently seated as a senator. One stands upon a crowd, waving, smiling, even handing his hands to reach the public, a sea of people from the shanties line up for a gift of food one that is packed of plastic.A vision of surprise and hope that can only be considered as a temporary resolution to ease their mumbling stomachs.This is the typical scenario of politics,beautified, exaggerated and documented by media. This is the picture of every Philippine election season. Traditional politicians play the part of a good-hearted servant of the people, the mass is fed of promises,the mass centered issues are highlighted but will most probably stay the same. This has been the Philippine history of politics, will this ever change?
The country had its first election under the Aquino administration, which was propelled to power on the promise of change. This is the first election under the so-called “tuwid na daan” (righteous path) regime of President Benigno Aquino III. The question is: do you notice any difference from previous elections?
We still have the same rule of guns, goons and gold in provincial elections. Reports about killings and attacks on candidates are still common fare for national dailies; vote buying is still common with some offering as much as P5,000 for as long as voters would raise their ballots after voting, for the candidates’ ward leaders to see. Although some have become more creative by having nightly ‘meetings,’ or by raffling out cell phones, tablets or even paying big tips to taxi drivers.
For national candidates, those with the money to pay for TV and radio plugs still dominate the airwaves despite the Commission on Election (Comelec) ruling limiting airtime of candidates. Another Comelec ruling designating common poster areas and banning posting in most public places even worked to the disadvantage of candidates and political parties who do not have money to pay for a lot of airtime.
 |
| Forums.Mukamo.com |
We still have the same political dynasties lording it over the elections. In fact, they seem to have become more blatant. President Benigno Aquino III has a cousin Bam and an aunt Margarita Cojuangco running for senator. The ruling coalition also has the son of Sen. Edgardo Angara also running for a seat in Senate. The other major political party UNA, which could not be really called as an opposition party, has three candidates for Senator who are the scions of the three leaders of the party: Jackie Enrile, JV Ejercito, and Nancy Binay. Worse, the infamous Ampatuan clan, whose patriarch and prominent members are under trial for the worst massacre of journalists in history – the Maguindanao massacre – have members running in the slates of both major parties.
But by far the most fishy and hasty amongst all the crazy antics in the world of politics is the premature proclamation of the National Board of Canvassers (NBOCs). And whether we like it or not, partial results will most probably be the final results. The anti-election fraud campaigner on President Benigno Aquino’s senatorial ticket has questioned the propriety of the Commission on Elections’ early proclamation of six senators-elect, five of them administration candidates, calling it “premature” and “wrong.”
Re-electionist Senator Aquilino Pimentel III said there was no doubt that the six proclaimed senators-elect already had secured their seats in the Senate but, he added, the National Board of Canvassers should have acted strictly “in accordance with the law and procedure.”. He added, “The rule is, partial proclamation should be done only if the total uncanvassed votes would theoretically no longer affect the results.”
Apart from Binay, who did not show up for the proclamation, all those proclaimed were Pimentel’s fellow administration candidates in President Benigno Aquino’s Team PNoy coalition. They were proclaimed even though only 72 of the 304 certificates of canvass had been officially tabulated by the NBOC at the Philippine International Convention Center. The 72 COCs represented just about 13 million votes out of the 52 million registered voters.
Reacting to tweets from news organizations covering the Comelec’s canvassing of votes, Pimentel expressed reservation about the Comelec’s decision to proclaim six candidates in the wake of transmission glitches that drastically slowed down the official canvass. “Proclaim winners at six-million-vote level? With still 30 million votes uncanvassed? Where is the logic in the early partial proclamation? Why rush?” Pimentel tweeted. “This is simply wrong!” went another one of his tweets regarding the early proclamation.
Reacting to former Election Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal’s tweet that the winners were proclaimed in alphabetical order without mentioning their vote tallies and their ranking, Pimentel tweeted, “Aren’t you glad you are not a member of the NBOC?”
 |
| Demotix.com |
What is seemingly interesting about the premature proclamation is how the consistency of the pattern 10-30-60 throughout the results from all over the country, indicating a systematic cheating in favor of the Administrative ticket.Ateneode Manila Mathematics professor Felix Muga II, a member of the watchdog Automated Election System Watch (AES Watch), recently pointed out an “interesting pattern” in the results, as reflected in the 1st to 16th official canvass of the Commission on Elections (Comelec). It shows a pattern that Muga said could have been pre-determined: an aggregate 60% of the votes going to candidates of Team PNoy, 30% to candidates of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), and 10% to the independent candidates.
Eric Alvia of the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) said “it is too early to make a conclusion” that there was a cheat formula applied in the elections. “I do not see established trend yet. The theory and observation (60-30-10 formula) should be subjected to a series of statistical analysis first, saying that Namfrel “is not joining” the chorus on alleged systematic cheating.
Joel Layson, a member of Namfrel’s Systems Group, said Namfrel’s initial analysis of regional data does not indicate any manipulated voting pattern. “If you look at the aggregate votes in the national level, it seems there is a trend. But if you break it down by regions, it appears there is no trend.”
Layson said a study of the results in the regional level does not reveal “parallel lines” that could indicate that the 60-30-10 formula existed. “In the regional level, the lines are not parallel. In some regions, they intersect,” he said.
Thus, he said, the 60-30-10 cheat formula “is not supported in the regional level.” While not agreeing with Muga's methodology, Layson said at least his questions served “to raise the red flag” if there was automated cheating.
IT expert Nelson Celis, also a member of AES Watch, said it is best to study provincial-level and municipal results, to determine a pattern of 60-30-10. He said AES Watch wants to study the numbers down to the precinct level to test Muga's claim. IT security expert LitoAveria, also with AES Watch, agreed with Celis that it's too early to make conclusions without examining the votes in the different levels. If possible, an analysis in the precinct level should be in order if this reflects any national trend, he said.
Celis and Averia said AES Watch is withholding its own interpretation of election results pending further analysis. “We want to expand the analysis to the precinct level. If the results in the precinct level show there was a pattern, then the possibility for the 60-30-10 is there,” Celis said. True or not this serves as a red flag to look further and engage into a deeper study in strengthening and making the election system cheat proof.
As the 2013 Philippine midterm elections closed, we stood witness to what our collective action has produced, to what our very own brand of democracy has to offer; a social machine constantly churning out the same old brand of politicians people have somewhat gotten used to. Politicians who governed our country into disarray as we see today, and will continue to do so as sanctioned by our right to suffrage. Politicians who twist elections into a grotesque game; a game of whose kin rules the longest. Politicians who are plenty of charisma yet perfectly devoid of substance. Politicians who turned civil processes into a market of names and faces.
 |
| RyanEricSongCanlas.Wordpress.com |
We call it traditional politics. We call them traditional politicians -- TraPos. Don’t we find it insulting that we as a society have reached a consensus accepting that incompetence, corruption and nepotism are part of our tradition? That such traits so unbecoming of public servants are accepted to constitute our culture and heritage? Of course not. We are so absorbed by the antics and catchy jingles and advertisements our political candidates never fail to supply us to be even bothered by such moral scrutiny. We are so preoccupied with exercising this democracy of choosing politicians whose names and commercials we remember to even give such trivialities a thought. We are so, so deep down in the mud we call conformity and normality that we have accepted such atrocities as a part of our daily lives. Electing the same names into office unflinchingly is the norm. Having the sons and daughters of old timers in politics lead us, to be replaced in turn by their own sons and daughters is tradition. It is our system. It is our culture. It is right.
For this system, no matter how uncomfortable it may be for some, has become commonplace. The numbing idiocy that pervades the air of our nation has intoxicated inquisitive minds into docility, and perhaps killed any possibility of their resurgence. The embrace of corrupted normality has provided the people with comfort. We know they might as well be like their fathers or mothers, but at least we know what will happen. We already see what is coming. We experience it all the time. There is no longer room for surprises. And that, perhaps, would be for the best.The rampant ignorance, the seemingly endless intellectual exploitation, withering economics, deteriorating human relations; all of these, counter-intuitively, have given Juan a sense of security. Ironically, the evils that breed in our society have granted him peace.
Peace without change. Peace to watch a soap opera in the guise of politics. Peace to continue conforming and normalizing to whatever moral-social mutation our country has produced in its submersion in media and political propaganda walking hand in hand. Peace to continue admiring aristocrats starring in TV programs, showcasing their children, luxuries and private lives to the toiling masses, as if telling us to strive to be like them. Peace in enduring pain. Peace nonetheless!
Peace nonetheless, indeed! And so, to the perpetuation of peace, we once again turn on the social machine. Churn out more of those politicians we have come to accept, flaws and flaws and flaws and flaws and all. Admire their charisma. Vote them into office. And the peace prolongs. Long live democracy! Change is too foreign, too radical. It shakes the thorny cradles we have grown so accustomed to. Change is too brutal, too heedless of our plight for normality. It does not wait for us to catch up. Change is intolerant of tradition. It is beyond the system. Unjust. Wrong. Long live democracy! Change is overrated anyway. Besides, the ones elected today look kind. They have funny commercials, and I easily remember their names. They might not be so bad. Long live democracy!
We stand in a timeless ground. Unceasing propagation of mediocrity in our unchanging society. Blatant indifference. Minds unmindful. Hearts unfeeling. Souls unflinching. It happens over and over again; a time loop.
Perhaps, change has no place here. Perhaps, in our collective, dazed, masochism, we have embraced with open arms that which continue to chain us to the dullness of unthinking. Resisting is uncomfortable. Change is uncomfortable. It is beyond the system. Unjust. Wrong.
Long live democracy.
0 comments:
Post a Comment