a look at the automated election process

Actually this is mainly a reaction to a whole section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer from March 1 (check section H1-H4). Hopefully Inquirer.net will put up relevant features of this section some time soon.

Top features of this section include:

-A step-by-step description flow of the automated election process: from the time the Board of Election Inspectors opens the PCOS machines up to the sending and processing of results (article by Kristine Alave)

-An article (by Marlon Ramos) about the views of an IT expert Gus Lagman on this scenario: what if the queues on May 10, 2010 prove to be so long that by 6:00pm, a lot of people have not yet voted. Would there be a contingency for this scenario? Or will this mean mass disenfranchisement?

-An article (by Kristine Alave) featuring more IT experts Jaime Garchitorena (of Youthvote Philippines) as well as Jun Lozada, discussing the fears of possible manipulations and bugaboos in the IT program being used for the election.

-A contribution by Winston A. Marbella about the use of surveys in campaigns, and why surveys can end up making the electoral process seem like a horse race (betting on the top runner) as opposed to a matter of dealing with issues.

This section is definitely one for us young voters to consider. For first-timers like me, we happen to be experiencing a double-whammy: first time automated elections during a crucial point (the ending of a 10-year regime). The implications of this scenario are massive

Here follow my reactions, one by one per article

On "Election in the Time of Automation" by Alave : Suddenly this makes the "May bilog na hugis itlog" ad sound so inadequate to describe the electoral process. There are tons of steps before and after the actual shading; all of which will take more than the 2-3 minutes supposedly being allocated per voter. And that is assuming that everyone knows what to do. Perhaps the COMELEC can do a lot more than just mailing sample ballots to the voters; providing better flow of the crowd during election day, or having a manual backup would be a good idea.

Another implication in this article is in the new role of pollwatchers in the automated scenarios. Traditionally, pollwatchers kept track of the tallies ongoing in classrooms and canvassing centers, guarded ballot boxes and made sure that they were delivered safely to the COMELEC authorities. They also kept a lookout for flying voters and other possible dirty tricks in precincts. In an automated scenario, where all the counting and canvassing is done digitally, pollwatchers will have to find other ways to keep up their quick counts. They will have to change the way they watch over the precincts, particularly in their manner of working with the other personnel manning the process. Pollwatchers as of now cannot do much about possible electoral fraud---the possibilities range from hidden programming in the machines, all the way to outright mechanical destruction by dirtying ballots. Pollwatching groups ought to train their volunteers to spot these tricks, without violating the secrecy of the individual ballots.

On "1000 voters to 1 machine in 11 hours not enough"by Ramos and "What Can Go Wrong" by Alave: These articles explore fears regarding several "bangungot"-worthy possibilities come election day, such as mass disenfranchisement, and manipulation of results. Jun Lozada makes a valid point by citing the lack of a system of receipts issued to voters after they put their ballots in the machine. How is anyone to really know that his or her vote was the one truly counted in the machine? Receipts could also be a way to safeguard against flying voters or other possible shenanigans in the precinct. It is surprising that the COMELEC hasn't thought of this yet.

The scenario though of voters not being accommodated by 6pm is even scarier. Now I do wonder if the COMELEC can have a way of monitoring the flow of people in different precincts so as to make any necessary adjustments to allow maximum voter coverage. Otherwise, things could go awry (possible scenarios range from riots among the voters to election results protests). Ideally people would go early to the precinct to get their votes in, but there's no guaranteeing this.

On "When Horse Races Surpass Issues" by Marbella: Ah those surveys: currently a bone of contention even among the intelligentsia. A good friend of mine (an Advertising major) made a good point in saying that surveys should NOT be published during campaign season, since the bandwagon that surveys cause can seriously be manipulated by any campaign-savvy individual to sway the vote. Anyone who's ever done his or her own statistics can enumerate ways to get "desirable" figures: surveying only certain populations, adjusting error levels, skewing distributions, outright elimination of data, etc. And yet our media and campaign personnel STILL insist on using surveys. I agree with Marbella's statement that surveys can reduce the electoral process into being a horse race. It becomes so much easier to back the perceived winning candidates than to back the candidates who will really run the country.

I had a particularly educational evening/cup of coffee while reading this set of articles. Food for thought for the first-timers, as well as seasoned voters. The automated election system have opened up a terra incognita for the Philippine electorate; a land that may just as well be as full of pitfalls as the process we are used to.

Party List Candidates

FYI to my fellow first time voters:

-Apart from picking your district representative (your congressman/congresswoman), you are also entitled to pick ONE party-list group for Congress.

-What is a party-list? A party list is basically a large interest group representing different causes and sectors in society (labor groups, youth, women, LGBT, environment, etc). Party list winners are given a seat in the Lower House to be among the representatives for legislation, etc. Basically party-list representatives do not stand for areas, but rather for groups.

-The full list of Party List candidates can be found in the COMELEC website, or follow this link:
The Party List page

Victor Hugo had some good ideas

One of my favorite books of all time is "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo. While he wrote the book partly to depict and admonish his fellow citizens in 19th century France, his ideas are somehow applicable even to our present situation. To further illustrate his point, I have taken the liberty of translating one chapter of the novel into Filipino. If we put our hearts and wills into change (not necessarily necessitating bloodshed), we can "realize the ideal". I have posted the Filipino version before the English. Note the parts I put in bold lettering. Text taken from Project Gutenberg and the MacAfee-Fahnestock translations.

Ang Kinabukasan Na Makikita Mula sa Tuktok ng Barikada

Ang mga pangyayari sa nasabing mapanganib na oras at ang mismong walang awang lugar ay mismong sanhi at wakas sa mapanglaw na kalooban ni Enjolras.

Na kay Enjolras ang galaw ng rebolusyon, ngunit siya ay may pagkukulang, ang pagkukulang na nakikita sas masyadong mga lubos. Mas nakikita si Saint-Just sa kanyang katauhan, at kulang naman yung kay Anacharsis Cloots. Pero sa kanyang pananaw, ang samahan ng mga Kaibigan ng mga ABC ay nagtatapos sa pagkakaroon ng isang paglalawak mula sa mga paniniwala ni Combeferre. Sa mga nagdaang mga panahon, dahan-dahan siyang lumilisan sa makitid na landas ng dogma at lalong pumapanig naman sa mas malawak na impluensya ng kaunlaran. Tanggap na niya bilang bahagi ng isang dakilang ebolusyon ang pagsulong mula sa Kahanga-hangang Republika ng Pranses sa mas malaking republiko ng sangkatauhan. Pag dating naman sa pinakakailangan na paraan na mamahagi sa karahasan, gusto niya na tumuloy sa pakikibaka. Sa punto na yon, di siya nagbago at kasapi pa rin siya sa magiting at matatag na pananaw na mabubod sa salitang “Eighty-Three”. Nakatayo si Enjolras sa hagdanan na gawa sa mga bato, pinapatong ang isa niyang siko sa hawakan ng kanyang baril. Malalim ang kanyang pagmuni-muni, at siya ay nanginig, parang may nahulaan. Ang lugar na panay kamatayan ay may ganitong epekto ng mga tripod. May isang nanahimik na alab sa kanyang mga mata na parang tumitingin paloob. Maya-maya, tumaas ang kanyang noo, at ang kanyang gintuang buhok ay nagmistulang sa buhok ng mga anghel. Siya ay nagbigkas:

“Mga mamamayan, ang inyong kinabukasan ba inyong minamasdan? Ang lansagan ng ating mga lungsod ay puno ng liwanag, mga luntiang sanga sa bahay-bahay, magkakapatid ang mga bansa, makatarungan mga tao, ang mga matatanda binibiyayaan mga bata, ang nakaraan nagmamahal sa kasalukuyan, may kalayaan sa pagiisip, ang mga nananampalataya pantay-pantay, ang rehilyon ay langit, Diyos ang siyang pari, konsensya ng tao ay banal, wala nang alitan, ang kapatiran ng mga trabaho at paaralan, katanyagan ang nagiisang parusa at gantimpala, trabaho para sa lahat, karapatan para sa lahat, kapayapaan para sa lahat, wala nang pagdanak ng dugo, wala nang digmaan, at masasayang mga ina! Ang paglupig sa mga bagay-bagay ay ang unang hakbang lamang, ang pangalawa naman ay ang pagsakatuparan ng nararapat.Balikan ang mga nagawa ng pagsulong. Dati, takot ang mga sinaunang tao na minamasdan ang hydra, ang kanyang hininga sa katubigan, ang dragon na nagsusuka ng apoy, ang griffin na dambuhala ng himpapawid, at lumilipad na may pakpak ng agila at paa ng tigre, mga nakakatakot na hayop na nanghahari sa tao. Pero ang tao ay gumawa ng bitag hango sa kanyang katalinuhan, at naamo niya itong mga dambuhala. Tinalo natin ang hydra, at ang tawag natin sa kanya ay tren. Matatalo rin natin ang griffin, hawak na natin at ipinangalan na natin na lobo. Sa panahon na natapos natin itong gawain na nararapat kay Prometheus, at ang tao ay ganap na naisingkaw ang tatluhang Chimaera ng nakaraan, ang hydra, dragon, at griffin, siya na ang amo ng tubig, apoy, at hangin, at para sa mga ibang kumikilos na nilikha, siya ang magiging kung ano sa kanya dati ang mga naglaho na mga poon. Tibayin natin mga loob at sulong pa!

"Mga mamamayan, saan ba tayo tutungo? Papunta sa agham na naging pamahalaan, ang mismong pwersa ng mga bagay-bagay ang siyang tumutulak sa publiko , sa natural na batas na may likas na batayan at parusa na pinapatibay pa ng ebidensya, at sa bukang-liwayway ng katotohanan na katumbas na rin sa bukang-liwayway ng araw. Sumusulong tayo patungo sa pagiisang-dibdib mga lahi, umaasenso tayo patungo sa pagkakaisa ng sangkatauhan. Ang mga sibilisasyon ay magpupulong una sa tuktok ng Europa, tapos rin sa gitna ng mga kontinento, isang malawak na parliamento ng mga isip. Dati may nangyari na parang ganito. Dalawang beses sa isang taon nagpupulong ang mga amphictyon, una sa Delphos na trono ng mga poon, at yung pangalawa sa Thermopylae, dambana ng mga bayani. Magkakaroon ng mga amphictyon ang Europa, ang buong mundo ay magkakaroon ng kanya-kanyang mga amphictyon. Itong mataas na kinabukasan ay nasa dibdib na ng Pransya. Ito na ang pagbubuo ng ikalabin-siyam na siglo. Ang ginawang balangkas ng Griceo ay karapat-dapat na tapusin ng Pransya. Pakinggan mo ako, lalo na ikaw Feuilly, matapang na mangagagawa, tao ng sambayanan. Saludo ako sa iyo. Malinaw ang tingin mo sa kinabukasan. Nawalan ka ng ama at ina, Feuilly, pero naituring mo ang sangkatuhan na ina at ang katuwiran bilang ama. Mamatay ka dito, pero masasabi rin itong tagumpay. Mamamayan, anuman mangyari dito, sa ating pagkatalo maging rin sa pagtagumpay, ang nililikha natin ay isang rebolusyon. Ang pagaalsa ay nagiging liwanag sa mga lungsod, at sa parehong paraan rin ay ang rebolusyon ay nagiging liwanag sa buong sangkatauhan. Anong uri ng rebolusyon ang ililikha natin? Nasabi ko na, ang Rebolusyon ng Katuwiran. Mula sa pananaw ng pulitika, may isa lamang prinsipyo: ang kasarinlan ng bawat tao sa kanyang sarili. Ang kasarinlan ko sa sarili ko ay tinatawag na Kalayaan. Pag pinagsama ang dalawa o tatlong ganitong kasarinlan, doon nagsisimula ang estado. Ngunit sa bawat kasarinlan walang pagtitiwalag sa sarili, sapagkat bahagi lamang ng bawat kasarinlan ay isusuko upang mabuo ang pangkaraniwan na karapatan. Pare-pareho ang isusuko nating lahat. Nitong pagsusuko na ginagawa ng bawat isa para sa lahat ay tinuturing Kapantayan. Ang pangkaraniwang karapatan ay ang paggalang sa lahat na nakasalalay sa karapatan ng isa’t isa. Ang paggalang ng lahat sa bawat isa ay tinatawag na Kapatiran. Ang punto kung saan nagsasama-sama ang lahat ng binuo mga kasarinlan ay Lipunan. Itong pagsasama ay salikop, at ang punto ay buhol. Kaya ito tinatawag na kasunduang panlipunan. May nagsasabing kontratang panlipunan, at pareho na rin, dahil ang salitang kontrata ay may pinagmulan sa ideya na may kasunduan. Intindhin muna natin ang Kapantayan, dahil kung ang tuktok ay Kalayaan, Kapantayan naman ang pundasyon. Ang Kapantayan, mga mamamayan, ay hindi ang pagkakapareho ng mga halaman, ang mga matatangkad na damo katabi ng mga pinaliit na puno, magkakasamang inggitan na nagwawalang-bisa sa isa’t isa. Ngunit sa sibil na larangan, lahat ng kakayahan ay may parehong pagkakataon, sa pulitika naman lahat ng boto ay may parehong bisa, at sa rehilyon naman, lahat ng konsensya may parehong katuwiran. Ang kapantayan ay may daanan: walang bayad at panlahat na edukasyon. Ang karapatan na magamit ang alpabeto, doon tayo magsisimula. Ang mababang paaralan ay obligasyon para sa lahat, at ang mataas na paaralan ay bukas para sa lahat, dapat iyon ang batas. Mula sa pantay-pantay na edukasyon magsusulong ang kapantayan sa lipunan. Oo, edukasyon! Liwanag! Liwanag! Sa liwanag lahat nagsisimula at babalik rin ang lahat sa liwanag. Mga mamamayan, dakila ang ika-labingsiyam na siglo, pero ang ikadalawampung siglo ay magiging mapayapa."

"Hindi na mauulit ang kasaysayan ng dati, hindi na mangyayari na parang sa kasalukuyan, pangamba dahil sa pagsasakop at paglulupig, ang pag-agaw sa kapangyarihan, ang pagiging karibal mga bansa na hawak ng sandata, ang panggulo ng sibilisasyon dahil sa pag-aasawa ng mga kaharian, o ang pagsilang sa minamanang mga tyranismo, o ang paghati ng mga tao dahil sa isang kongreso, o ang pagwawatak dahil sa pagbagsak ng isang pamilya, ang paglaban ng dalawang naghaharapan na rehilyon, parang dalawang usa sa dilim, sa tulay ng walang hanggan. Hindi na tayo matatakot sa paggutom, pagkakalayo para magtrabaho, prostitusyon dahil sa karalitan, poot mula sa pagkawalan ng trabaho at pagkaroon ng pagbitay, karahasan, laban, at ang walang-bahalang kilos ng tadhana sa gubat ng mga panahon. May magsasabi na wala nang mga pangyayari. Lahat naman tayo ay mapayapa. Matutupad ng sangkatauhan ang kanyang batas sa paraan na tinutupad nitong mundo ang sarili niyang batas, babalik ang pagkakatugunan ng kaluluwa sa mga tala, lalapit ang kaluluwa sa katotohahan tila ang planeta na umiiikot sa liwanag. Mga kaibigan, nitong panahon na inilalaan ko ang mga ito ay isang malubhang panahon, pero ito ang nakakatakot na halaga ng ating kinabukasan. Ang rebolusyon ay mabigat na alay. O, ililigtas ang sangkatauhan, itataas, at mahihilom! Itinataguyod natin ito sa ating barikada. Saan pa ba manggagaling nitong sigaw ng pagmamahal, kung hindi mula sa kataasan ng pagsasakripisyo? Aking mga kapatid, ito na ang punto ng pagbabago, para sa mga may malay at para sa mga naghihirap; itong barikada ay hindi gawa sa mga bato, o mga kahoy, o mga pirasong bakal. Ito ay binuo ng dalawang tumpok: tumpok ng mga kaisipan, at tumpok ng pagdurusa. Dito nagkikita ang pagluluksa sa nararapat. Niyayakap ng araw ang gabi at nagsasabi, ‘Ako ay papanaw, at ikaw ay sabay ko ulit na masisilang’. Mula sa yakap ng pagdadalamahati ay lumulusong naman ang panananampalataya. Dito dinadala ng mga pagdurusa ang kanilang mga hinagpis, at mga ideya naman ang kanilang walang-hangganan na buhay. Magsasama pa lang itong hinagpis at walang-hangganan na buhay para mabuo ang ating pagpapanaw. Mga kapatid, ang sinuman mamatay dito ay papanaw sa liwanag ng kinabukasan, at papasok tayo sa puntod na puno naman ng bukang-liwayway.”

Napahinto si Enjolras sa halip ng nanahimik. Gumagalaw pa rin ang kanyang mga labi parang nagpapahayag sa kanyang sarili, at siya ay minamasdan ng lahat para marinig kung ano pang ang kanyang sinasabi. Walang pumalakpak, pero matagal sila nagbulong-bulungan. Kung ang pagsalita ay parang hininga, ang pagkaluskos ng malay ay tila kaluskos ng mga dahon.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

The situation of all in that fatal hour and that pitiless place, had as result and culminating point Enjolras' supreme melancholy.

Enjolras bore within him the plenitude of the revolution; he was incomplete, however, so far as the absolute can be so; he had too much of Saint-Just about him, and not enough of Anacharsis Cloots; still, his mind, in the society of the Friends of the A B C, had ended by undergoing a certain polarization from Combeferre's ideas; for some time past, he had been gradually emerging from the narrow form of dogma, and had allowed himself to incline to the broadening influence of progress, and he had come to accept, as a definitive and magnificent evolution, the transformation of the great French Republic, into the immense human republic. As far as the immediate means were concerned, a violent situation being given, he wished to be violent; on that point, he never varied; and he remained of that epic and redoubtable school which is summed up in the words: "Eighty-three." Enjolras was standing erect on the staircase of paving-stones, one elbow resting on the stock of his gun. He was engaged in thought; he quivered, as at the passage of prophetic breaths; places where death is have these effects of tripods. A sort of stifled fire darted from his eyes, which were filled with an inward look. All at once he threw back his head, his blond locks fell back like those of an angel on the sombre quadriga made of stars, they were like the mane of a startled lion in the flaming of an halo, and Enjolras cried:

"Citizens, do you picture the future to yourselves? The streets of cities inundated with light, green branches on the thresholds, nations sisters, men just, old men blessing children, the past loving the present, thinkers entirely at liberty, believers on terms of full equality, for religion heaven, God the direct priest, human conscience become an altar, no more hatreds, the fraternity of the workshop and the school, for sole penalty and recompense fame, work for all, right for all, peace over all, no more bloodshed, no more wars, happy mothers! To conquer matter is the first step; to realize the ideal is the second. Reflect on what progress has already accomplished. Formerly, the first human races beheld with terror the hydra pass before their eyes, breathing on the waters, the dragon which vomited flame, the griffin who was the monster of the air, and who flew with the wings of an eagle and the talons of a tiger; fearful beasts which were above man. Man, nevertheless, spread his snares, consecrated by intelligence, and finally conquered these monsters. We have vanquished the hydra, and it is called the locomotive; we are on the point of vanquishing the griffin, we already grasp it, and it is called the balloon. On the day when this Promethean task shall be accomplished, and when man shall have definitely harnessed to his will the triple Chimaera of antiquity, the hydra, the dragon and the griffin, he will be the master of water, fire, and of air, and he will be for the rest of animated creation that which the ancient gods formerly were to him. Courage, and onward"

"Citizens, whither are we going? To science made government, to the force of things become the sole public force, to the natural law, having in itself its sanction and its penalty and promulgating itself by evidence, to a dawn of truth corresponding to a dawn of day. We are advancing to the union of peoples; we are advancing to the unity of man. No more fictions; no more parasites. The real governed by the true, that is the goal. Civilization will hold its assizes at the summit of Europe, and, later on, at the centre of continents, in a grand parliament of the intelligence. Something similar has already been seen. The amphictyons had two sittings a year, one at Delphos the seat of the gods, the other at Thermopylae, the place of heroes. Europe will have her amphictyons; the globe will have its amphictyons. France bears this sublime future in her breast. This is the gestation of the nineteenth century. That which Greece sketched out is worthy of being finished by France. Listen to me, you, Feuilly, valiant artisan, man of the people. I revere you. Yes, you clearly behold the future, yes, you are right. You had neither father nor mother, Feuilly; you adopted humanity for your mother and right for your father. You are about to die, that is to say to triumph, here. Citizens, whatever happens to-day, through our defeat as well as through our victory, it is a revolution that we are about to create. As conflagrations light up a whole city, so revolutions illuminate the whole human race. And what is the revolution that we shall cause? I have just told you, the Revolution of the True. From a political point of view, there is but a single principle; the sovereignty of man over himself. This sovereignty of myself over myself is called Liberty. Where two or three of these sovereignties are combined, the state begins. But in that association there is no abdication. Each sovereignty concedes a certain quantity of itself, for the purpose of forming the common right. This quantity is the same for all of us. This identity of concession which each makes to all, is called Equality. Common right is nothing else than the protection of all beaming on the right of each. This protection of all over each is called Fraternity. The point of intersection of all these assembled sovereignties is called society. This intersection being a junction, this point is a knot. Hence what is called the social bond. Some say social contract; which is the same thing, the word contract being etymologically formed with the idea of a bond. Let us come to an understanding about equality; for, if liberty is the summit, equality is the base. Equality, citizens, is not wholly a surface vegetation, a society of great blades of grass and tiny oaks; a proximity of jealousies which render each other null and void; legally speaking, it is all aptitudes possessed of the same opportunity; politically, it is all votes possessed of the same weight; religiously, it is all consciences possessed of the same right. Equality has an organ: gratuitous and obligatory instruction. The right to the alphabet, that is where the beginning must be made. The primary school imposed on all, the secondary school offered to all, that is the law. From an identical school, an identical society will spring. Yes, instruction! light! light! everything comes from light, and to it everything returns. Citizens, the nineteenth century is great, but the twentieth century will be happy."

"Then, there will be nothing more like the history of old, we shall no longer, as to-day, have to fear a conquest, an invasion, a usurpation, a rivalry of nations, arms in hand, an interruption of civilization depending on a marriage of kings, on a birth in hereditary tyrannies, a partition of peoples by a congress, a dismemberment because of the failure of a dynasty, a combat of two religions meeting face to face, like two bucks in the dark, on the bridge of the infinite; we shall no longer have to fear famine, farming out, prostitution arising from distress, misery from the failure of work and the scaffold and the sword, and battles and the ruffianism of chance in the forest of events. One might almost say: There will be no more events. We shall be happy. The human race will accomplish its law, as the terrestrial globe accomplishes its law; harmony will be re-established between the soul and the star; the soul will gravitate around the truth, as the planet around the light. Friends, the present hour in which I am addressing you, is a gloomy hour; but these are terrible purchases of the future. A revolution is a toll. Oh! the human race will be delivered, raised up, consoled! We affirm it on this barrier. Whence should proceed that cry of love, if not from the heights of sacrifice? Oh my brothers, this is the point of junction, of those who think and of those who suffer; this barricade is not made of paving-stones, nor of joists, nor of bits of iron; it is made of two heaps, a heap of ideas, and a heap of woes. Here misery meets the ideal. The day embraces the night, and says to it: `I am about to die, and thou shalt be born again with me.' From the embrace of all desolations faith leaps forth. Sufferings bring hither their agony and ideas their immortality. This agony and this immortality are about to join and constitute our death. Brothers, he who dies here dies in the radiance of the future, and we are entering a tomb all flooded with the dawn."

Enjolras paused rather than became silent; his lips continued to move silently, as though he were talking to himself, which caused them all to gaze attentively at him, in the endeavor to hear more. There was no applause; but they whispered together for a long time. Speech being a breath, the rustling of intelligences resembles the rustling of leaves.

Candidate Personals Ad

WANTED FOR THE COUNTRY: A CANDIDATE WHO HAS THE MEANS AND THE HEART TO ADDRESS:

1. Educational Reform: Implementing standards for achievement tests--and requiring our schools and students to meet these standards. Making primary education compulsory. Offering incentives to keep children in school. Adding an extra year to our educational system to bring our standards up to international requirements. Improving technical-vocational education options to pursuing university education. Improving the qualifications of our public school teachers. Making sure that textbooks meet international standards!

2. Health System Reform: Accessibility to basic medical services in rural areas. Educating communities in basic health care. Giving incentives (continuing development, better hospitals, etc) to make the best of our young doctors and nurses stay in the Philippines! Licensing and monitoring our health service providers. Promoting natural/herbal medicines (and research on these substances) in lieu of resorting constantly to synthetic drugs.

3. Proper approaches to reproductive health issues: Promoting natural family planning instead of contraceptives. Educating the masses about natural family planning and the need to properly space/plan births. Getting it straight that we do not have a population problem, but rather we have a density problem in the cities---thus furthering the drive to improve rural areas so as to decongest urban neighborhoods. Revising the approach to sex education: emphasis on values and personal development instead of focusing solely on contraceptives, anatomy, and the sex act.

4. Promotion of mental wellbeing: Promoting awareness and understanding of psychological conditions in order to foster understanding and support in communities. Offering opportunities for people with learning impairments and other mental disorders to be able to cope with the effects of their conditions and enhance their potentials. Using the Sanggunian Kabataan as a force to implement more structured, holistic activities for youth development. Advocating wider and more comprehensive support systems for the elderly. Employing mental health practitioners more in the field, particularly in handling crisis cases, disaster management, familial support, and community planning.

5. Agricultural Reform: Not land reform, but rather the improvement of agricultural technology and practice in the rural areas. Updating existing technology and teaching the farmers to use these innovations. Promoting agricultural research. Realigning agricultural goals to be able to cope with climate change.

POSITIONS OPEN:

PRESIDENT
VICE-PRESIDENT
12 SENATORS
1 CONGRESSMAN (per district)
1 PARTY-LIST REPRESENTATIVE
1 GOVERNOR (in the provinces)
1 MAYOR
1 VICE-MAYOR

COUNCILORS

APPLICATION PERIOD: February 9-May 9 2010
DELIBERATIONS: May 10, 2010 (7am to 6pm)

INTEGRITY, PRINCIPLES, CREDIBLE TRACK RECORDS, LOVE FOR THE FILIPINO PEOPLE and a FEASIBLE POLITICAL PLAN are a MUST. Parties who are out for personal vindication, to amass more wealth, or who have no set plan for the next 6 years are strongly discouraged from pursuing their applications.

Campaign Day 1

Dateline: 7:20 am
Place: EDSA, corner Estrella, Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City
Violation: Motorcade using 4 ambulances with sirens/wang-wang. Ambulances have Red Cross insignia and name of candidate:
Candidate in question: Dick Gordon

STRIKE ONE! And that's not even eight hours after the campaign period officially opened.

About hijacked lyrics

Of course there are advantages to using songs for one’s campaign infomercials. This practice helps ensure that a candidate’s projected image will stick in the minds of the electorate, thanks to that phenomenon called “Last Song Syndrome”. It is difficult to forget the faces that come to mind when humming a certain jingle, “Nakaligo ka na ba….” It’s all the more endearing (in its own strange way) if the tune is something thoroughly original, something that can be directly and solely associated with the candidate concerned.

However, “endearing” is not the attribute I would dare use for the practice of using already familiar songs in campaigning for a person. Just yesterday, my siblings left the television on. From where I was working, I could hear the familiar strains of a song “Pilipinas Kong Mahal.”, originally by Francisco Santiago That sound brought back great memories of the “Sandaan” compilation of historically significant ballads, as well as flag retreat back in my alma mater. This idyll was shattered though when my sister shouted, “Hey! Guess who used this song?!” Imagine my disappointment when I rushed to the TV and found the overly familiar face of a candidate juxtaposed with the song.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had a perfectly good, patriotic song ruined by a personal agenda. I can’t even listen to “Posible” anymore without recalling the face of another candidate, and the furor caused by the song’s original creator for the unauthorized use of it. I can only wonder how many anthems will go the same way in the next few months. Sure, it seems like common sense to use uplifting, stirring lyrics that can raise national consciousness towards lofty ideals, as some of our music is wont to do. It’s not that there’s anything illegal or morally wrong with it. However it does seem like a quite selfish, almost presumptuous thing to take a well-loved, otherwise uplifting work and reinterpret it for political purposes.

For one thing, this practice smacks of laziness; it would be just as profitable for candidates to commission good songwriters to create a wholly new jingle for their purposes, instead of borrowing already existing lyrics. One needs to pay songwriters for the rights to even use the song; surely paying a little extra for a completely original work would not be a problem for some of our future leaders. It’s been done. And it works.

Another problem with “politicizing” idealistic lyrics is in matching the spirit of the songs to the image of the person borrowing them. This wouldn’t be such an issue if our candidates all had good track records and unstained characters, or if they were all as patriotic as the songs make then out to be. However there just seems to be something ironic, if not wrong with using such positive lyrics to describe a candidate who leaves so much to be desired, or who has no intention of espousing these ideals once in office. It is a serious musical, if not literary injustice.

A third issue I have with suddenly “hijacked” music is the guilty by association factor. Before a song gets tagged by a candidate, it is the people’s property, something to be enjoyed by the multitude barring only differences in genre. Once a song gets used for campaigns, suddenly it becomes difficult for a few months (or worse, for a few years) to sing a suddenly politicized song in public, lest one be mistaken as supporting a politician’s campaign or agenda. Sure, one can say, “I just like the song, okay?” but the damage has already been done. Good music cannot carry a message for everyone anymore; it has to be sold by someone. Whatever happened to ideas for ideas’ sake? Why do we need faces to market our principles?

Oh yes, that’s politics for you.

I earnestly pray and hope that our candidates will stop hijacking our already abused musical repertoire in order to win a few more votes. If they must give us Last Song Syndrome, let it be with something created specifically for that purpose. If this is done, our good music can be left in peace while candidates can stop forcing badly rhyming achievements and twisted meters into our eardrums. We can stop deleting songs from our playlists, and we can freely teach these lyrics to our children without them getting too politicized. We want to create citizens of the Philippines, not citizens for ___(insert name of candidate here). After all, there is a reason why “Noypi” was touted as a “second national anthem” for some time, and not as the anthem of so-and-so.

Youth2010 forum!

DLSU students are no strangers to long lines: adjustment, basketball tickets, and the occasional large event. None of these queues though ever measured up to the sheer length and breadth of the line to get into the Youth2010 Presidential forum. Considering the touted apathy of the youth today, it was almost surreal to see a whole line of students stretching all the way from the elevators in Yuchengco building....to around the Velasco Building. (Note that it's about a hundred meters or so from point a to point b).

People were camping out as early as before 8am just to get into the Yuchengco auditorium. For those who couldn't get in, they had the option of watching the event broadcast in the classrooms in the SJ building. Watching at home was also an option, since ABS-CBN televised the event. A good number of my friends (including my sister) resorted to this, completing their forum experience with loads of snacks. As for me, I did end up sitting right on the steps of the 8th floor balcony. It wasn't the most comfortable place to be, but at least the view was great.

So here's the rundown on the major players in today's auditorium:

The panelists (students from DLSU-Manila, other DLSU campuses, Benilde, UA&P, and St. Scholastica) : Kudos to the students for coming up with good questions for the forum. It was great to hear queries that were not run-of-the-mill or generic, but rather specific for each candidate's known platform and campaign situation.

The audience: Quite responsive, and varied too---in contrast to what I remember of most presidential forums. Though of course sometimes there were lapses in decorum. I also love how eager some people were to rush up to Gibo and Noynoy after the forum. Mga Lasalyano talaga!

Ted Failon: Maybe he's not everyone's first choice for a host in a political forum, but at least he did his job. And tried to keep a straight face throughout most of it. It was good that he was able to remind some of the candidates to answer the questions properly, or to clarify their points. Kudos to him for trying to extend the students' attention span as well.

Now for the Presidentiables (in order of seating arrangement!)

Noynoy Aquino: For a man who has a fair chance at being the hero of the hour, he was considerably less than stellar today, especially when compared to other candidates. All of a sudden his position on the RH bill somehow changed (consider this in the light of his defending it on more than one occasion in 2009). He was considerably defensive with regard to questions regarding his accomplishments, such as in the arena of fighting graft and corruption. Although he is clear on his position about holding the current administration accountable for his deeds, he still shows a clear lack of a concrete platform as well as the "ground" knowledge to properly explain his stand.

JC De los Reyes: A considerably pro-life, pro-Catholic, moral stance, actually. At least he had enough evidence to explain his views regarding population and more. As a slightly conservative writer, I agree with some of his views. What I don't agree with is his stance about sex education---I do not think that "sapat na ang natural na kaalaman". Now the truth is that a lot of Filipino parents are not comfortable with their kids discussing questions about sex. I believe that schools have a very important role in sex education, particularly in the scenario when one or both parents is unwilling or worse, unavailable about the topic. The objection though to the modules about sex ed is well-founded however: too much emphasis on acts regarding sex, and not enough character formation or teaching about maturity with regard to this intimate topic.

Dick Gordon: Ever the crowd-pleaser, apparently. Maybe it's because of his confidence: "They are ready for Dick Gordon". Or maybe it's his very expressive way of talking. His "manner" (as we used to say in debate parlance) is great. I am not so sure about the "matter" or content aspect. Although his suggestion of raising teachers' salaries to 40,000 was much applauded, his idea of giving the Kindle e-book device to schools may not be so feasible. It's much too expensive to procure, much more maintain in our public school system.

Jamby Madrigal: If there was someone who knew how to ride on the emotions of the crowd, it was her. Unfortunately a lot of her speeches became tirades against big institutions like multinationals, and worse yet, slightly pointed attacks against her opponents. So much for "konting personalan" She did mention a point about bringing resources straight to those who need it, like farmers and small and medium industries. She didn't say how she'd do it though.

Joseph Estrada (who should have taken center seat): Story has it he was filming his infomercial today, so he deigned not to show up for the forum. Now while this saved him from the potential risk of becoming today's comic relief (admittedly a number of LaSallians turned up in hopes of watching him struggle through the forum), this might have serious adverse ratings on his campaign. Especially as he was pointed out to be the only candidate not to make an appearance.

Nick Perlas: Unfortunately this man suffers from a case of obscurity in the eyes of many young voters. Still he did raise a few points such as the need to conduct language education for children in an age-dependent manner (first the vernacular, then Filipino, then English). He ended up beating around the bush though with the question about call centers, preferring to expound on his knowledge of the agricultural sector before bringing it in a roundabout connection to the call center industry issue. Not a good move.

Gibo Teodoro: Clearly he was quite confident in this forum (and not just because it was on home turf). Although he did rankle a good many students with his safe answer about President Arroyo's accountability post-election, he did have a point in saying that he would be unable to answer the question fairly at this time. Even if Jamby Madrigal and the others ganged up on him (which was not fair). Despite this, he demonstrated a thorough knowledge of legislation, government procedures and other aspects of leadership. And he had the support of all of his fans (who nearly whisked away my camera in their enthusiasm). If he continues to display a growing backbone and make the right steps, he might stand a chance of winning the votes of even the non-university crowds.

Eddie Villanueva: Word for the day in his vocabulary: moral bankruptcy. While of course many Filipinos do appreciate and share his stance regarding credible leadership, the same may not always be said for his penchant for quoting from the Bible. He also quite failed to address the more practical points of governance (or maybe because no one asked him much about these things) And by the way, he ought to check some of his quotes. Quezon said, "My loyalty to my party ends where my DUTY to my country begins." And it's LaSallians, not LaSallites.

Manny Villar: First time he showed up in a forum. And maybe if today's experience was unnerving enough, it might be a cause for him to reconsider any further appearances. If ever, he did receive quite a number of catcalls from the crowd. He also unfortunately acquitted himself quite poorly in some of the questions, particularly the one about his platform for the rich and middle-class voters. "High tide...low tide?" What did have to do with anything? Clearly he underestimated the DLSU audience.

Analysis

Of course it is easy for the candidates to come up with answers for fora. Usually the questions are easily anticipated (unless one is caught off-guard the way that Villar was). The best way that one can use political fora as a means for gauging candidates is to check for matter and consistency. Do candidates actually expound on their points or resort to motherhood statements? Do they insult or degrade their opponents instead of pitching themselves well? Do they have a consistent stance on issues? Is their platform feasible?

Gordon definitely wins in terms of charm and appeal to the crowd. In terms of matter though, I'd have to go with Gibo. Admittedly he argues his points concisely, without resorting to technical terms or defensive measures. In terms of "below the belt factor", referring to meanness on stage, Jamby gets my vote. She spent a lot more time putting down institutions or individuals as opposed to making a case for her presidency. Noynoy lost a good bit of shine today--more than I've ever seen compared to the other fora I've followed. How far can Cory magic get him?

This forum is all well and good for LaSallians, but I do wonder how (or even if) it can impact the majority of the electorate. Sure, Gibo is the choice of a good many of my schoolmates. But outside campus, a different story holds. Green sure isn't the color of the electorate...it could be yellow, or both shades of orange.

Still, if there had been a polling machine in DLSU today, it would have been a hard race between Gibo, Gordon, and Noynoy. And if a backhoe and several tons of refuse were allowed on campus, some open space might have been dug up for some candidates to contemplate, or stay in till the storm passed.