Preview

WITH a number of high profile politicians entangled in controversies lately, political reform in the Philippines is hounded by higher public expectation.
Because of such pressure, every vote (from 54 million registered Filipino voters) has become more precious than ever.
Before we turn our attention to the 2016 presidential elections, let us focus on the grassroots — the barangay election.
On October 28, Filipino voters trooped clustered polling precincts across the country to cast their vote for the nationwide barangay elections.
More than 300,000 elective positions — from barangay chairman, to councilors and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) — were up for grabs.
As stated by the Local Government Code, barangay is expected to be the basic administrative unit in delivering basic health, social, and other government services — a forum where collective views of the people may be expressed, crystallized and considered, and where disputes may be amicably settled.
SK officials, on the other hand, are supposed to engage  the youth in community activities unique to them.
Commission on Elections  (COMELEC) Commissioner Luie Guia said the barangay is “where you can feel your government directly and how government affects your life.”
As of Wednesday, victors in more than 30,000 out of 42,028 barangays in the country have already been proclaimed.
According to the COMELEC and Philippine National Police (PNP), the electoral exercise (with a 76 percent voter turnout) went smoothly and was generally peaceful. COMELEC Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said the poll body received few reports of isolated cases of election-related violence.
Before the election ended on Monday, Brillantes said COMELEC only recorded 18 incidents in 42,000 barangays so far.
“So many contests involved, 18 out of 42,0000 is very minimal. Halos wala (almost none),” he assured.
But despite the success, the litmus test for the 2016 presidential elections was still tainted with the same lingering problems.
As soon as ballots began to be cast, reports of vote buying and selling, ballot snatching, flying voters, violations of gun and liquor bans, and other illegal campaign activities stormed headlines.
Since the election period on Sept. 28, PNP reported at least 30 individuals killed and 41 others wounded from election-related violence.
More or less 500 candidates are also facing disqualification on various offenses. COMELEC reported that 400 candidates failed to register as voters, 62 were found to be serving on their third term and others have been dismissed with finality by the Office of the Ombudsman.
These recurring problems are slowly turning into a cancer, where a cure remains elusive. Although deemed minor by governing bodies, this cancer has the tendency to spread.
If not cured, the growing cynicism in Philippine politics might result in further instability or more cases of violence.
In this charged atmosphere, concerned government agencies should find a remedy – to address these contentious issues in a transparent manner.
In 2016, the stakes are higher and the problems might be bigger. It is imperative to have empowered citizens, who are responsible for the votes they cast.
(AJPress)