2/16/2023 0 Comments Duly noted rpi![]() Self-righteous pundits who claim that this is an ethical matter of which Filipinos are suddenly taking the high road, may just be secretly giggling for effectively pulling our legs. The prevalence of cheating in Philippine elections is hardly the issue in question. As a recent cartoon on this paper on an indicted CEO explained, the executive’s crime was that she was caught, or, to be technically accurate, was apparently caught with the smoking gun. 8 during the last presidential elections is more than just sanctimonious. The outcry on Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s alleged violation of item No. It seems that in gauging the pulse and the choice of the vox populi, all is fair in blab and the election bar! From political wards on the Westside of Chicago to barangay voting booths in Cebu City, from the shores of Florida to the barrios of Manila, the practice of bending the rules on those eight bottlenecks is widespread and sophisticated. These do not include vote buying, registering the dead, and padding the ballot box itself. These are also eight areas where a candidate can cheat on an election. Eight, disseminate unadulterated tally to the public in timely manner. Seventh, report accurate count to Election Commission. ![]() Fourth, ensure ballots are available on Election Day. I learned eight critical bottlenecks to check when ensuring proper democratic procedures in a fair election. The merchants held the lawmaker to a favor, and passed on the cost of doing business to the consumers. The consumer goods were used to feed the throng of election supporters who came for job placement or recommendations others got appreciation baskets for efforts rendered during the campaign. I later learned that it was an honored tradition that was simply part of the business cycle. Everyone handed the young solon whatever he wanted, and though he went through the motions of offering payment, he knew it was going to be refused. All of the stores visited were foreign-owned, mostly Chinese with a spattering of south Asian Indian merchants and Middle Eastern traders. He shopped till he dropped, from one store to another. On this particular election, the day after the results were made known, the newly elected lawmaker took two of his campaign buses and went down capital town. A measure of his success was evident when his clients included four major geopolitcal contenders in the region. The Congressman would earn a reputation as an accomplished Machiavellian agent whose services would be made available to the highest bidder. ![]() The senator would go on to become President of the Republic. In eight grade, I lived with a maternal uncle who ran for a congressional seat being vacated by a young legislator vying for a seat in the Philippine Senate. I learned partisan politics and the conduct of democratic elections, Pee Eye style, at an early age.
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