A potent factor
ADMITTEDLY, extreme poverty is a potent factor that can derail efforts to stop vote-buying in impoverished Philippines, where regular elections are held every three years.
And everybody agrees that eradicating the problem is better said than done in this Southeast Asian nation teeming with jobless and underemployed people.
Truth is, many deserving but poor candidates, particularly in the countryside, really find it very hard to win during elections, according to well-meaning Filipinos.
“Talagang kawawa ang mga walang perang kandidato dahil ni wala silang mga lider at taga-sunod na umiikot sa mga barangay para mangampanya,” lamented a retired female teacher.
Certainly, nobody can blame those who act as rah-rah boys and girls of moneyed candidates. “Most of them are jobless and they need money to feed their loved ones,” she added.
Of course, other sectors said the Filipino people themselves, especially the electorate, are to blame for the victory of corrupt but filthy rich politicians during elections.
They certainly know the goings-on during elections: buying of votes, heavy financing of leaders and other political gimmicks. They realize that these candidates are violating election laws.
“Pero mukhang walang pakialam ang marami nating kababayan sa mga nangyayari tuwing may eleksyon, lalo na sa kanayunan.” decried a leader of a poor local politician.
Definitely, steps should be taken and drastic reforms be crafted and implemented to check the rising cost of seeking public office in this graft-prone Southeast Asian nation.
As one newspaper columnist once said: “A good record of public service is a very poor substitute for cash during elections.”
