Campaign Period

It’s almost 70 days before the 2010 Philippine Presidential elections. The campaign period started a couple of weeks ago although candidates have been bombarding the public with their campaign or “infomercials” on TV and radio since last year.

I initially thought that once the official campaign period has started, they will be able to enforce the Fair Elections Act and level the playing field, so to speak, since the Commission on Elections or COMELEC can now monitor the number of times a candidate`s advertisements were shown or aired on TV. Candidates who have billions of money to spend will need to limit their spending spree. But then again, this is easier said than done. With only a few months away from election, the election body has yet to show muscle in implementing the law. Streamers of national candidates are still scattered everywhere, even on public transport especially on buses. There were candidates who suddenly became generous and started giving so many things including scholarships to people during campaign sorties which is not only unfair but a clear violation of election laws.

Ensuring the success of this proceeding is imperative if the country wants to attain national solidarity and progress. A clean election can easily restore investor confidence for the country. But first, the people in charge should take their responsibilities seriously.

Ultimately, the voice of the people should prevail. I earnestly hope that the winner will get a clean mandate from the people. Every Filipino is dreaming for a clean and honest election. Let’s all work on making that dream a reality.