PS 121: Introduction to Philippine Politics & Governance

March 9, 2022

1. Read the article below;

2. Prepare a two – page reaction paper using the recommended format;
3. Use short – sized bond, double spaced, New Times Roman 12;
4. Submit on or before Friday, March 11, 2022.
_____________________________________________

Is the Philippine election process broken?

By BusinessMirror Editorial, November 30, 2015

The 2016 Philippine presidential election is fast becoming a complicated telenovela that, if you
miss an episode or two, the plot has changed.  Although we might normally think that an election
is simply a person who qualifies for office, campaigns for that office  and, eventually, voters go
to the ballot box to make their choice. Students learn at an early age that this is the way the
election process works in a representative political system. But that is not true any longer.

We have always known that the vote-counting process involved many steps and so many hands.
A vote for a particular candidate in a far-flung precinct could “evolve” and be tallied for a
completely different person. That is bad enough. But now, about 160 days from Election Day,
Filipinos do not have any idea who will eventually be on the ballot.

Of course, there is plenty of time, since the official campaign season for the presidential race
does not begin until February 9, 2016. All those television “paid advertisements” that we are
seeing featuring certain public figures are not in support of their run for Malacañang. These are
merely reminders of who might be a candidate in 2016.

Philippine elections come under the authority and mandate of the constitutionally created
Commission on Elections (Comelec). The Comelec is supposed to function as a body completely
independent of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government. Article IX,
Paragraph C, Section 2 reads that the Comelec shall “Enforce and administer all laws and
regulations relative to the conduct of an election, plebiscite, initiative, referendum and recall.”
Further, the Comelec shall “Exercise exclusive original jurisdiction over all contests relating to
the elections,” except for the race for President and Vice President.

While the intent of the Constitution with the creation of the Comelec may have been to remove
elections from the power and influence of government, when it comes to the presidential race,
everyone is able to get involved.

The Senate Electoral Tribunal is supposed to handle Senate election protests, but now has
partially become a de facto judge on the eligibility of Grace Poe to run for president. Because of
the multiple interpretations of what a substitute candidate means, Rodrigo R. Duterte’s candidacy
will probably be determined in the courts.

Section 69 of the Omnibus Election Code regarding “nuisance candidates,” perhaps, shows how
flawed the Philippine election process really is. We may have missed it, but we can find no other
country where virtually any adult citizen can file his or her candidacy for President by simply
filling out a form and paying a P15 fee for the documentary stamp.

It requires more paperwork, requirements and costs more to get a Philippine driver’s license.

This is not an indication of a vibrant democracy. This is the result of the election process being
in chaos. The 1985 Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines includes 283 sections, and is
supplemented with no less than nine other major laws affecting the voting process.

This is the 21st century, and it is time for the Philippine legislature to go to work and write a
single, comprehensive and realistic election code. Enough of this foolishness that makes a
mockery of free and fair elections.