WHILE our attention, less than a month before the May 9 elections, is on who will become the next president, vice president and the next batch of senators, we should not forget that the bigger problem is whether or not we will have clean, fair and honest elections.
I say this in the wake of the recent hacking of the Comelec’s website. Information on some 1.5 million registered voters, whose biometrics are in the Comelec’s website, may already have been compromised.
Santa Banana, add this problem to the fact that there’s still so much doubt about the credibility of Precinct Count Optical Scan machines of Smartmatic, given the allegations of fraud during the 2010 and 2013 elections.
We should not discount the impact of cheating on May 9. If the people’s will is frustrated, that may just explode into something we cannot imagine.
Even if the Comelec assures us that hacking of the results on May 9 is not possible, we are still worried. We know that hackers can get into the websites of governments’ security institutions. Cybercrime is a real global threat.
The possibility of fraud during election day is something that the nation should be forewarned about. And the only one that has that capability is the Aquino administration itself. Imagine if his anointed one, Mar Roxas, and his Manchurian Candidate, Grace Poe Llamanzares, both lose. He may just find himself in jail!
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Reports have it that Llamanzares, Roxas and their running mates Senator Chiz Escudero and Rep. Leni Robredo are seeking the support of the Iglesia ni Cristo. Obviously, they are unaware of the fact that the Iglesia cannot just support a presidential or vice presidential candidate so easily.
Through the years, the Iglesia has learned to know where its bread is buttered. Recall that in 1992, the Iglesia threw its support behind San Miguel top honcho Danding Cojuangco who lost. Since then, the Iglesia has had its own poll surveys on who will win come election day.
They conduct house-to-house and face-to-face surveys by the Iglesia “deakonos” or deacons in their own jurisdiction nationwide. The result of this survey is submitted in what they call a “samba” where all the INC ministers and council are assembled. This is done within days before Election Day, after which a circular is issued to all Iglesia members numbering some 2.5 million voters.
I know this because the late Ka Imon Cuevas, an Iglesia stalwart and close associate of the late Iglesia Supreme Ka Erano Manalo, told me that the Iglesia went for former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo according to their poll surveys against very popular movie icon Fernando Poe Jr. in the 2004 polls. I was also told that the Iglesia has become more realistic—“segurista” in the vernacular—after it had burned in 1992 when it threw their support behind Cojuangco.
The Iglesia has high stakes in supporting the winner of presidential and vice presidential elections. They want their members appointed to sensitive positions in government, especially the PNP Chief of Police and other positions. That’s why we find Iglesia members not only in the executive, but in the judiciary. After all, they also have business interests to protect.
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I may be sticking my neck when I say that the May 9 elections will ultimately be a fight between Vice President Jojo Binay and administration candidate Mar Roxas. But I say it anyway. Why?
Of all the five presidential candidates, only Binay and the administration candidate Roxas have what they call grassroots political machinery which can deliver the votes on Election Day. While Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Du-Dirty and Mrs. Llamanzares may be leading in poll surveys because of popularity, it’s just that, popularity. It does not necessarily translate to votes.
I know for a fact, having gone with presidential candidates in the past in their sorties nationwide, that popularity is not all there is to it in winning.
Since he became mayor of Makati and through his family who also got elected after him, the Vice President has had this grassroots machinery intact. He had that in 2010 when he won against Mar, and he has enhanced it for his presidential bid.
I think it will be a Binay-Bongbong Marcos come election day.
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A good question is: Why is Du-Dirty surpassing Mrs. Llamanzares in all poll surveys? One reason is that many people are deluded by Du-Dirty’s promise for real change if he gets elected, like solving corruption, criminality and illegal drugs problems within three to six months of his term. Can you believe that since to solve these problems will need a dictator, which is next to impossible if you read Article VII, Section 18 of the Constitution.
I would even say that only idiots would believe Du-Dirty’s promises, and there are no doubts are many of them as shown in poll surveys.
First of all, Du-Dirty will have to rely on police intelligence to know the criminals and the illegal drug dens. The problem is that even the police and politicians are involved in illegal drug trafficking. It is a multi-billion peso enterprise. What do we expect Du-Dirty to do, kill all suspected criminals? If he can find them in the first place.
Du-Dirty forgets that in both Mexico and Colombia, where there are so many drug cartels, drug trafficking continues to exist even if the United States DEA or Drug Enforcement Agency intervenes.
As for corruption, only idiots will believe that it can be stopped overnight. Du-Dirty claims that he will institute federalism nationwide to solve even the separatist movement in Mindanao. This can only be achieved by amending the Constitution. This cannot be done within three or even six months since that would need the help of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Why then are people gravitating to Du-Dirty? I am guessing for entertainment.
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Notice to all 365 club members: Beginning April 16, the 365 Club of which I am chairman emeritus, being the only living founder since 1972 when it started, will have its official address at Dusit Thani Hotel coffee shop seven days a week.
Our temporary quarters have been at Holiday Inn Suites Hotel in Makati after the 365 club ended its home at the defunct Hotel Intercontinental for the past 43 years. We were actually invited to stay temporarily at Holiday Inn, a subsidiary of Hotel Intercon.
We thank Danish Khan, director of Food and Beverage, and Cora Aguisenda, restaurant manager, for welcoming the 365 Club in its new venue.