By all accounts, the recently concluded elections remains a farce and reflects the moribund and decaying political system.

BY FELIPE LEVY GELLE, JR.
Secretary-General, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Negros
Posted by Bulatlat
Democratic Space
Vol. VII, No. 17 June 3-9, 2007

By all accounts, the recently concluded election remains a farce and reflects the moribund and decaying political system.
Elective positions remain in the hands of the traditional elite who are assured of continuing control over political power and economic resources.
The use of the most foul and dirtiest methods to win the election is widespread. There was disenfranchisement, vote buying, “flying voters” and election violence including the harassment and intimidation of poll officials and voters.
The people’s issues which should have been discussed and debated by the candidates are relegated to the sidelines as mudslinging becomes their preoccupation. A few candidates who dared to present well-meaning reforms were defeated.
Massive vote-buying
The elections are far from being “clean and honest”. Those who can buy votes can also sustain their political machinery from the start of the campaign until election day. The moneyed elite, those who are from the traditional landed families, the big business and their political protégé, have the built-in advantage of money, private armies and media visibility. Moreso if they are the incumbent officials who can use to their advantage the resources of the government.
Local politicians who are allied with the Arroyo administration have clear-cut advantage over their rivals. They were bribed with campaign funds if they would campaign for Team Unity (TU) senatorial candidates and assured of projects if they could deliver the 12-0 in favor of TU senatorial candidates during the election. Even baranggay (village) officials were given P5,000 ($108.51, based on an exchange rate of P46.08 per US dollar) before the election and another P5,000 ($108.51) after the election aside from the million-peso reward.
One could easily identify candidates who spent millions of peso during the election through the quality and quantity of the campaign materials, and the number of political sorties conducted.
Even in Bacolod City there is rampant vote-buying. Both the camps of Rep. Monico Puentebella and Mayor Evelio Leonardia engaged in vote-buying.
Entrenched political dynasties
Political dynasties persist. Members of the same families are fielded to multiple elective positions simultaneously.
In fact, the traditional political elite in the province have made a comeback such as the Montillas, Gastuslaos, Benedictos and Gustillos. Nevertheless, Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco lorded over through the United Negros Alliance-Nationalist People’s Coalition (UNA-NPC).
Furthermore, the Arroyos are slowly etching themselves in local politics — a development that could shape the 2010 election showdown as Marañon ends his third and last term. The UNA-NPC already made a declaration that it is preparing for the next election one year ahead.
The Arroyo clan is one of the biggest gainers in this year’s election. Her two sons won congressional seats — Rep. Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo in the 1st district of Camarines Sur and Rep. Mikey Arroyo in the 2nd District of Pampanga. Her brother-in-law Rep. Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo was reelected in the 5th District of Negros Occidental.
The most glaring and revolting situations were those of Sipalay, Cauayan, Escalante City, Don Salvador Benedicto where father-son and mother-son tandems exist. This is not a simple act of passing the elective position to a member of the same family. They are controlling both the executive and the legislative positions.
In Sipalay City, for example, Mayor Oscar Montilla, Jr. ran for vice mayor unopposed while his mother, City Administrator Soledad Montilla, replaced him as the mayor.
In Escalante City, the current Mayor Santiago Escalante ran for vice mayor while his wife ran for mayor but was was defeated.
In Cauayan, both the son and the father won the mayoralty and the vice mayoralty race.
Violent rivalry
The elective positions are now not just worth spending for but also killing for. Intense political rivalries among the politicians have resulted in escalation of election violence in the province.
Recently, Atty. Magdaleno Peña, the mayor-elect of Pulupandan was ambushed and his two bodyguards were killed. He identified defeated candidate Samson Mondia as the mastermind.
Peña’s campaign for the mayoralty is a classic example of the so-called “vote or gabut” when he would threaten residents of his lands with eviction if they refuse to support him. Since the start of the campaign more than 200 residents were imprisoned based on trumped-up charges.
Election-related violence was also reported in Escalante City, Candoni, Moises Padilla and Silay.
Armed goons of some local politicians roam without being apprehended. There are numerous complaints from the people, yet no one was caught. Only a few of these cases were reported to the media.
In one particular case, members of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB) terrorized residents of several haciendas in Brgys. Tanza and EB Magalona that resulted in massive disenfranchisement of voters. The night before the election, the RPA-ABB put indelible ink on the fingers of the residents to prevent them from voting.
In the 5th district, the RPA-ABB serves as the armed goons of Rep. Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo. Reports reaching the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance) showed that the RPA-ABB harassed and intimidated several baranggay captains of La Castellana who are known supporters of defeated congressional candidate John Lozada.
The RPA-ABB has taken advantage of the “peace agreement” to commit terrorism and crimes without being caught. Although they are not exempted from gun ban, they are displaying their guns without being apprehended. One concrete example is the arrest of Russel Porras and Rudy Bahin in Paglaum village, Brgy. Mansilingan. They were ordered released by Supt. Ronilo Quebrar despite the statement made by the Comelec that they are not exempted from gun ban.
Bayan believes that the competition to maintain or seize political power has become almost uncontrollably violent. These conflicts are rooted in the drive to preserve a politician’s economic base amidst the worsening social and economic crisis.
Partisan military and police
The military played an active role in the elections, violating the 1987 Constitution.
In the guise of voter education, members of the Special Operation Teams (SOT) of the Philippine Army conducted “community meetings and assemblies,” urging the people not to vote for progressive party-list groups and vilifying and harassing their members and leaders.
In particular, members of the SOT belonging to the 61st Infantry Battalion stayed in specific communities in Brgys. Oringao, Orong and Hilamonan, all in Kabankalan City. They conducted house-to-house visits in the guise of census and interrogating residents what organizations exist in the communities and identifying the leaders of the progressive party-list groups. Once these leaders were identified, the soldiers summon them to report to their barracks. These soldiers have used the baranggay halls and centers as temporary barracks.
A few days before the elections, alleged members of the military placed posters along the main streets of Bacolod City with the inscribed words: “Vote! Ang partylist ng masa Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela, Kabataan Atun ini — NPA – New People’s Army.” The posters are not only meant to confuse the voters, but are actually vilifying the progressive party-list groups.
The soldiers have even threatened candidates who have linked up with progressive party-list groups with “treason” just to thwart their victories.
Sabotage of the party-list system
The fielding of the government-sponsored party-list groups in the 2007 elections further weakens the party-list law and undermines the chances of the legitimate party-list organizations. We were informed that some 22 party-list groups were created or have links with Malacañang and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
In a confidential memorandum dated Oct. 16, 2006 from the Office of External Affairs (OEA), an office directly under the supervision of the Office of the President revealed an official requesting for budget amounting to some P 600 Million. There are five to eight party-list groups that the OEA Special Operation Group will support, among them the Lypad (League of Youth for Peace and Development), Agbiag! Timpuyog Ilocano, Babae Ka (Babae para sa Kaunlaran or Women for Development), and Kalahi Overseas Advocates.
The confidential memorandum specifically stated its objectives of campaigning to “substantially lower the number of votes of left-leaning party-list organizations and in the process lower the seats of these anti-administration parties”.
In Negros, the front-runner was Ang Kasangga partylist whose nominee Malou Arroyo is the sister-in-law of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. As a compromise between Iggy Arroyo and Governor Marañon, the partylist Ang Kasangga was carried by all UNA-NPC and Lakas-Kampi candidates in their official ballots.
Some party-list groups do not represent the marginalized sectors. Malou Arroyo came from the landed Tuazon and Arroyo families. They own hundreds of hectares of sugar farms in central Negros. By explicit prohibitions against them, the Comelec should have investigated or have stricken out Ang Kasangga among the party-list groups.
Dagdag-bawas
Negros is not free from the vote-shaving and vote padding machinations. Task Force Poll Watch has documented several cases of glaring vote-padding and vote-shaving.
In Silay City, Bayan Muna (People First) garnered 1,909 votes yet the board of canvassers (BoC) wrote only 819 votes. It was through vigilance of the poll watchers that the entry was corrected.
In Bago City, Bayan Muna garnered 1,557 votes in the official Certificate of Canvass but the provincial BoC wrote only 1,157 votes.
In Cadiz City, the party-list group Abono gained 200 more votes in the provincial canvassing while the certificate of canvass it recorded only 5 votes.
Some of the Certificates of Canvass have erroneous entries for the total number of party-list votes. These do not correspond to the total number of votes gained by all party-list groups. This also shows that vote shaving or vote padding is done.
Conclusions
Bayan maintains its view that the recently-concluded election conjures only the illusions of democracy. Basically, it remains a contest among the political elites. We cannot expect the election to bring out changes, or even to institute reforms in a crisis-stricken society.
Winning candidates have already expressed their programs for the next three years. Rep. Iggy Arroyo for example would fight for the non-extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) to prevent the eventual coverage of their sugar farms in Central Negros. It is also a preparation for the entry of his pet project biofuel plant to be established here in Negros.
The masses should dismiss the argument that elections would bring about the democratization of Philippine society. What should be done is to further strengthen the organized ranks and organizations, and through mass movement achieve concrete gains.
The attempts against the progressive party-list groups are still there as they face disqualification before the Comelec. There is therefore the danger of not being proclaimed. The people must remain vigilant. Posted by(Bulatlat.com)

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