Killing vote-buying

HAPPY WEEKEND

By Gina  Dizon  

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- Councilor candidate and  Kiltepan elder  Thomas Galbin  forcefully said in a presentation of  candidates rally in  Suyo that  vote buying should not be tolerated as this practice frustrates those who don’t  have money to vote buy,  but are sincere in serving the public.

Vote-buying is a most dreaded and disgusting practice among  politicians who want to ensure their stay in power or for those who are new candidates who want to be in power.  They give  money in hundreds and thousands of pesos to  voters with the intention of  buying  the voting public and their conscience.

With the  tendency of  Filipinos having utang na loob and doing  something in return for  what one gets, along goes  the money they receive  for the vote of the vote buying candidate.

Reports reached this writer that a top politician in Mountain Province is already buying votes in the eastern towns of the province this early. Vote-buying  kills  good governance. It kills initiatives and communities of  consultations and participative  community building  letting  communities get  beholden to a patron politician who  acts as if he is the  problem saver and all of a community.  

Vote-buying kills humanity. Reduced to a mere 200 or 500  peso  or 1,000  peso bill, there goes the value of  a person and his right to suffrage reduced to a mere pittance of money one can spend in a few minutes after  getting the money – if he receives the money.  

Congressional candidate Roy Manao said vote buying is being practiced in the eastern towns by a top political aspirant and urged people not to be influenced by candidates who do this practice.

Vote-buying  is usually done one day and in the eve of the  election day  with  200  to 1,500 pesos given to  voters and  households by followers of  political aspirants who  buy votes.   

While this has been the trend, a number of people including  provincial Comelec  supervisor  Nicasio Jacob say voters can get the money but not necessarily vote for the candidate whom the  money is intended for. 

And as noted in one posted  reminder,  “Pera sa bulsa, Jup sa Balota”.