This article, which was posted days before the Presidential election on 2010, is still timely and applicable and certainly will be a common practice in this coming election (May 13 2013) in the land of my birth: the Philippines.
Vote buying is killing my country. And if I would become a President, or a legislator, which both has a zero possibility; I will legislate a law that would make vote buying a heinous crime that is punishable by death or lifetime imprisonment. But in this country, making a law and imposing that law are two different things. As some of our laws can be compared to the sex organ of a "vasectomies" man that ejaculates but has no potency, like a gun with blank bullets that fires but could not kill.
Vote buying in this country is not a curable disease anymore. It is now a widespread contagious malignant cancer infecting everyone and endangering the future of a nation. To cure it, we may have to undergone a severe type of therapy; up to the point where we have to drink a poisonous cure, or cut off the infected part of our body to stop the spread of infection.
Election Day is near, national and local election in one voting day, May 10, 2010. The National candidates (“Presidentiables”, “vice presidentiables” and “senatoriables” as we like to call them) saturate the radio, T. V. and the newspaper by their campaign ads and sorties. Their debates, slogans, jingles and criticism to each other provide entertainment, a topic to discuss to if not to hope for for the "weary public’’. However, for the majority of the Filipinos, especially in rural areas, the local candidates are more important because they are the ones who deliver the goodies. Unlike the national candidates who give them hope and promises, the local aspirants give them what they want. And they give it even before they are elected; even though they only have a 50-50 or even less chance of winning; and even though they are not 100 percent sure whether the voters will vote for them or not. I cannot help to feel sorry for politicians who have to pass through such ordeal in order to serve (?) his country. Nevertheless, it's their choice; a path that no man in his right frame of mind would dare thread, especially with the kind of voters that we have.
Judas Iscariot sold his teacher, the son of God, for 30 pieces of silver. If we add one zero and change the pieces of silver to peso, we will get 300 pesos. In my Barangay (Barrio), this is more or less the amount of money that a voter receives from his candidate for Municipal Mayor during election. Of course, there is no comparison between 30 pieces of silver and 300 pesos considering the floating rate status of our money, which is approximately 45 pesos to a dollar. But the Pharisee of the past had to deal with only one Judas during their time, whereas the Pharisee of this generation has to deal with hundreds even thousands of Judas-like voters who are all willing to sell their god-given rights for three hundred pesos. If we have to consider that a local candidate serves for a term of three years, a voter sells his vote for 100 pesos a year, or, for 27 centavos a day. Equivalent to "6 dollars and 66" cents in U. S. currency for three years. 666! Oh! I love figures. Is there any more bidder from the West?
Was it worth it? Well, if a voter is lucky, cunningly wise, totally unprincipled, hard-faced and real greedy; he could get another 300 pesos from the other candidate aside from 200 pesos that he will receive from a congressional representative aspirant. He can also double-up this amount if he is that greedy. However, majority of the voters were not that greedy, that is why the maximum amount that they usually get is 500 pesos. Too bad they will have to wait for another three years, for them to see the face of their candidates who will banish after the election; and who will only show up on the next election period to court them for their votes again and to give them the same amount.
If an electorate has connections, or if he is the eldest member of a family with six voters or more; he can be a leader or a coordinator. A leader receives 300 pesos, while the coordinator receives 500 pesos every meeting, which happens every week or twice a month prior to the Election Day. There is no doubt that the ‘’overall coordinator’’, which is usually a job assigned to Barangay Captains and influential entities of the village is the highest paid among these three election employees. However, as of now, I do not know the exact amount of their earnings.
In a Baranggay with four thousand voters, where a mayoralty candidate has to pay approximately 3,000 voters, 300 leaders, 10 coordinators and 1 overall coordinator; a candidate needs more than a million pesos. This amount does not include the transportation and food allowances, the salaries of the bodyguards, drivers, roadies, the campaign materials such as jingles, posters, cards, caps, T-shirts, and other give-aways. Just imagine how much amount of money is required when there are more number of voters or when a city or municipality is bigger. Moreover, what more if the candidates have to pay a higher amount for every voter. From what I heard, in some places, the minimum amount is five hundred pesos a vote.
I am not sure where on earth this big amount of money are coming from, especially if the candidate is a new aspirant; but what I am quite sure is where and how a candidate will get it back if he wins. No wonder why, generally, infrastructures and developments are are slow if not void in places where vote buying are rampant. Corruption has a root. Studies show that we are one of the most corrupt nations of the world; the sick man of Asia. And one of the roots of that corruption, and I believe is the most potent, is vote buying. It's an evil practice, a natural occurrence during election day in this country, which I loved and I call Motherland.
NOTE; Was it a coincidence, or was it a way of Providence to test or mock me? Because just after I posted this entry, on my way home, a man gave me an opened mail envelope with names and cash in it. The amount is minimal, it was even less than what I had mentioned. But, it was enough for a hungry man to live for a couple of days; and it was enough for me. Sat., April 17, 2010 04:20 PM
Sunday; May 12, 2013; Mother's Day, a day before the election. As expected, the Philippines is submerge in "Blood Flood"; many of her children are exuding the blood of their Motherland for amount of money.
Stop Smoking Mr. President (NoyAquino), this May 13, 2013 Election is a failure. Your bias Anti Corruption Campaign is a failure. You are a failure for you busied yourself with campaigning for your lame candidates instead of addressing the real problem of your country. You have done nothing to pass into law the much needed anti corruption Freedom of Information Bill.
