“As in, literally clean and eco-friendly.”
When we talk of NOT having clean elections in the Philippine context, we often refer to the 3 G’s, or ‘guns, goons and gold’ that traditional politicians or ‘trapos’ employ to ensure victory at all costs.
Perhaps we ought to add to that triad of evil another ingredient—a fourth G, if you will—which is ‘guile’, to refer to online trolls hiding behind a panoply of false identities to spread disinformation, character assassination and cyberlibel.
But how about making future elections really clean? As in literally clean, or eco-friendly?
That’s the novel proposal of Alan Peter Cayetano, former House Speaker and Foreign Affairs Secretary, who wants to return to the Senate via an eco-friendly election campaign this year.
How does he plan to do this?
He laments that candidates usually spend a lot of money for the printing and distribution of posters, tarpaulins and other paraphernalia that all end up in the garbage bin after the election.
Instead, Cayetano is shifting his campaign to the digital media using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and his alanpetercayetano.com page to woo voters this coming election.
Data gathered by the Cayetano camp indicate that in the 2016 election campaign, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) collected nearly 207 tons of campaign-related materials for the entire campaign season. This huge amount of trash was collected only in Metro Manila and does not yet include other regions.
During the May 2019 campaign period, the MMDA collected 169 tons of election paraphernalia, including those placed outside Comelec-designated areas during the campaign period. A day after the elections, the MMDA collected 23.42 tons more of campaign materials that filled up 7 dump trucks.
A huge volume of campaign materials that would end up in garbage dumps is likewise expected in this year’s elections, considering that over 18,000 national and local posts are being contested by over 45,000 candidates.
In previous elections, government agencies led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had been urging candidates to uphold the provisions of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act by either refraining from using wasteful campaign materials or volunteering to clean up their trash after Election Day.
Environmental groups such as the EcoWaste Coalition, Greenpeace and the Mother Earth Foundation have also urged the Comelec to make push for the conduct of “green” elections by issuing regulations on a ‘zero-waste’ policy in campaigning.
Cayetano’s eco-friendly election campaign is likely to earn him more ‘pogi points’ as the campaign progresses. He is already among the top choices for senator as reflected in the latest Pulse Asia survey.
Will the former House Speaker be able to convince his fellow candidates to adopt his eco-friendly campaign?
Or, for that matter, the public to support him in this new, modern, and ‘clean’ style of campaigning? We’re been informed by the Cayetano camp that he has taken his eco-friendly campaign another step further by doing away with motorcades that contribute to traffic congestion in major thoroughfares as well as to noise and air pollution.
He has also urged his supporters to stop printing and distributing posters, leaflets and other campaign materials that end up as waste, and to follow his example of using the Internet, through social media platforms such as Facebook, Tiktok, and Twitter, to vote for him in the May 2022 polls.
Looking beyond the elections, Cayetano has also called on his supporters to instead help plant more trees or turn to urban farming or green wall gardening to preserve the environment.
A recent Pulse Asia survey has shown that 63 percent of the population now have access to social media, which makes it possible to conduct a successful digital-based election campaign this year.
In the digital age, candidates for elective posts whether at the national or the local levels have to be environmentally responsible. They should be reminded that by leaving tons of campaign garbage after the elections, they directly contribute to environmental degradation.
Cayetano’s move to conduct a ‘clean and green’ campaign should prod other candidates not only to do the same but also to make environmental issues a key component of their political platforms, whether they are running for national or local positions.
After all, sustainable development, defined by the United Nations in the late 1980s as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”, remains a valid concern today amid climate change and global warming.
What is needed is strong political will to protect the environment to benefit present and future generations of Filipinos. And a good starting point, from where we sit, is how we conduct election campaigns to choose our future leaders. (Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)