We have truly gone to the dogs. This I say because as people we are easily deceived at the spectacle of seeing our supposed candidates for the highest office clowning around like trained animals, performing tricks to divert our attention from the real issues we face in our daily struggle for survival. Routinely, we are treated by our government to watch a political circus, even at times requiring us to participate as if to authenticate that we have a truly vibrant democracy.
Such a deteriorated level of political system reflects much on how our presidential candidates assess the issues that have direct bearing to the office they are aspiring. What many of us do not know is that elections are determinative of our future as a nation. The truism to what I am saying is most visible on how our presidential candidates tackle the issues on what our people want to be clarified and resolved.
Take the case of Grace Poe. The oligarchy and the mainstream media created an image of her as some kind of a wonder woman who keeps on mouthing the usual motherhood statements that make no sense. She refuses to concede that she has already reached the end of the line in her misplaced ambition. Her irresponsible statement and that of her funders from the oligarchy, a retired justice who ludicrously would prefer to quote the bible than the Constitution, and some lawyers who would rather interpret the law based on what they are being paid, now hark the line of “letting the people decide” on her candidacy.
If these people truly understand what the Commission on Elections stated in its ruling disqualifying her—that she made “material misrepresentations” in the documents she submitted, it was the most civil way in telling her that she committed falsification and possibly tampered the documents she presented. The logic of these people is unheard of. She now insists on running, hoping that by being elected, her criminal liability of committing “material misrepresentations” will be forgotten and forgiven, for accordingly the people have already spoken to elect a non-qualified candidate.
These people ignore the truth that this present dispensation is under obligation to file criminal charges against her based on the decision of the Comelec for falsification and for usurpation of public office knowing she is not qualified, and for receiving salaries, emoluments, including pork barrel allocations, that run to millions of pesos to which she is not entitled. Lest it be misunderstood, even ordinary persons who falsify their residence certificates can criminally be held liable, and is Poe above the law to be treated otherwise?
Another candidate who continues to steer controversy is Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte who sharply reacted to the statement made by Liberal Party candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas who said that the latter’s claim of peace and order in Davao City was a myth. Duterte reacted by saying that should if they meet, he would slap Roxas. Roxas dared him to come to Cubao, and challenged him instead to a fistfight. Duterte responded demanding instead a gun duel to impress the voting public by his bravado. Notably, since Duterte launched his candidacy, he has been making ruffian statements completely unbecoming of a man running for the highest office. He brags about killing more than 1,700 persons. Even Stalin, the man whom the West tagged as the most fearsome and ruthless dictator, never admitted killing a person, including the assassination of Leon Trotsky.
Duterte who wants to project a macho image of himself is also basking with arrogance after the Comelec ruled by a vote of 6-1 accepting his substitution of a certain Martin Diño who ran for the position of mayor of Pasay under the banner of Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption. But the acceptance of his substitution is a ministerial duty for the Comelec, much that if it should refuse to accept such substitution, it would deprive Duterte of his right to due process of law.
It was the certificate of substitution, not the substitution itself, that was accepted by the Comelec. Besides, it is not for Duterte to explain it, but Diño. Had Diño expected that Duterte would substitute for him, Comelec should reject his bid for there was no basis to substitute Diño, there being no perfect, valid and effective Certificate of Candidacy that was filed by Diño.
On the matter of substitution itself, it is for Duterte to explain why he wants to substitute for Diño. As the one aspiring to become president, he should be responsible enough to know that his duty is to personally file his Certificate of Candidacy. To allow him to substitute another would result in a situation where candidates could offer their Certificate of Candidacy to anybody who makes a last-minute change of mind to go for the presidency.
Duterte fully knows that the Comelec has set the date for the filing of candidacy from Oct. 12 to 16, 2015, and substitution would be allowed up to Dec. 10. Although he filed his certificate of substitution on Dec. 8, he should explain why his prayer to substitute Diño should be allowed. Everybody knows he was in Manila on the supposed deadline, was not sick or was incapacitated at that time to physically prevent him from filing his own Certificate of Candidacy. Rather, it was his fickle-mindedness that created a problem for him. He should not be allowed to make a fun of the law, as if a reserve seat awaits him.
On the other hand, Manuel “Mar” Roxas keeps on holding aloft the banner that he is above board. Being the candidate of the administration, he should know that his claim is eroding his credibility. He has become the butt of jokes. His plan to pursue the “tuwid na daan” of the administration is more of an insult to himself, much that he is a party of this administration that has earned the distinction of being the most corrupt, having spent no less than P10.5 trillion with no tangible accomplishment to leave as legacy.
Whatever projects that have been accomplished by this administration were awarded to private contractors that were paid from the budget allocated for that specific purpose. Worse, the people would still be paying them by way of toll fees once made available for public use, which means that the government cannot claim them as public service or welfare in lieu of the tax being collected from them. This government in effect collects from us in exchange for nothing.
Worse, Roxas entangled himself to an issue that revolves on the issue of honesty when he claimed to be a graduate of Wharton. According to Duterte, he is merely a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, not Wharton, because the latter is a division of the University that offers a masteral degree in any of its business courses, like economics, business administration or finance, and he did not pursue any of those.
rpkapunan@gmail.com