The question foremost in the minds of many Filipinos is this: After all his vulgarity, lack of decency and moral values, especially when he spoke about the Australian lay missionary who had been raped and killed in 1989, can Rodrigo Du-Dirty still win the elections?
My only answer is that with God’s grace, I hope not.
My answer is based on what I see as a journalist and opinion writer, on what I read as result of poll surveys where Du-Dirty is surging ahead. It does seem that people are mesmerized by what Du-Dirty has been promising as “real change.” He promises to kill all those who are engaged in corruption, criminality and trafficking of illegal drugs.
It’s like Satan in my tale of the man who voted for hell instead of heaven. Before the man chose where to go, the devil gave him a tour of hell with naked girls, feasts and all things earthly. He then chose hell. The next day, after he had voted, he saw a different place altogether. Lucifer said: “Yesterday, we were campaigning. Today, you voted. Welcome to hell.”
I’m actually alarmed that poll surveys show Du-Dirty pulling ahead of everybody else. It is like jumping from the frying pan to the fire. God help us!
A psychiatrist described Duterte as conceited, remorseless, ready to condemn others, selfish and impulsive. I don’t think will ever change.
Clearly, he is not only a dangerous man, but a big liar as well. He said he was born in a poor neighborhood, hence he is vulgar. This is an insult to the poor who are not vulgar.
But was he really poor? Du-Dirty’s father was a lawyer, who had served as governor of Davao, while his mother was a school teacher and a civic leader. He went to the best schools, and finished his secondary education at the Holy Cross Academy in Digos after being expelled for misconduct from previous schools, including Ateneo de Davao.
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With 18 more days to go until Election Day, we will soon find out who among the four presidential candidates—administration candidate Mar Roxas, Vice President Jojo Binay, Mrs. Llamanzares and Du-Dirty— will make it.
In all presidential and vice presidential elections as well as for the Senate and even for Congress and local elections, the bottomline is funding or money. Ask politicians and they will tell you that funding spells the difference between losing and winning.
Reliance on funding to win in the polls is actually a threat to our democratic system. But it’s a fact in the Philippines.
It’s actually a vicious cycle of political patronage leading to corruption. Contributors expect some form of payback when their candidates win. Santa Banana, do you think that taipans part with their millions just because they love the face of a candidate? Of course not!
That’s why I believe corruption in government will stay on unless we change the system of electing people to lead us. Did BS Aquino expect corruption to stop just because of his “Daang Matuwid” and “Kung Walang Kurap, Walang Mahirap” mantra? My gulay, corruption even worsened in the Aquino government!
Even Du-Dirty admitted he can’t withdraw from the presidential race because of the many contributions given him, mostly from Chinese businessmen from Davao.
The reason why taipans along Ayala Avenue want to maintain the status quo is that they has been lording it all. They are even against amending the Constitution to allow foreigners to compete with them.
So long as poverty stalks the land, and so long as the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen, money will always be the foremost consideration between winning and losing an election.
As I have been saying, so long as the poor need food on the table, clothes to wear and shelter to live in, money will continue to be the bottomline.
Only grassroots political machinery and funding will determine the winners. Wanna bet?
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Vote buying is the name of the game not only in the province, but right here in Metro Manila where a vote now costs as much as P400 to P500, depending where.
As early as a month ago, drivers of buses, jeepneys and tricycles have already been contracted by local politicians to ferry voters from their homes to precincts. Do you think voters from the barrios would walk several kilometers just to vote? Never. They wait for politicians to ferry them, and they expect something, like money, in return. A local politician told me that even motorcycles have been contracted to enable voters to “ride in tandem” to precincts.
Candidates have already pinpointed local leaders who will get their votes for them. And they have been paid partially; the rest of the money will be given after election day —if they win.
As I said, even here in Metro Manila, vote buying becomes rampant during election day. In the past years, whenever I voted at San Lorenzo Village, I always saw a long line of people waiting to vote late. When I asked who were they, I was told that they were waiting for some people for this or that candidate to give them sample ballots.
If it can happen right here in Makati, so much more in the provinces. That’s election day, Philippine style.
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My worry on Election Day is not only who will win, but whether we will at all have clean, honest and fair elections. Just as I have doubts on the credibility on the use of the Smartmatic Precinct Count Optical Scan machines and the administration’s propensity to cheat as in the 2010 and 2013 polls, cheating could happen again.
With so much at stake for President Aquino, who will surely be charged with so many counts of criminal and civil offenses, I worry about the credibility of the May polls. Santa Banana, that’s precisely the reason why BS Aquino has two candidates—his anointed Mar Roxas, and his “Manchurian Candidate,” Mrs. Llamanzares.
With so much at stake on May 9, do you believe that BS Aquino will just allow things to happen without lifting a finger? It would be the height of naiveté if the polls were completely clean, honest and fair.
My gulay, if the website of the Comelec can be hacked, compromising the biometrics of 1.5 million voters, the Smartmatic PCOS can also be hacked to frustrate the will of the people. The Comelec has assured us this would not happen, but there remain many “Little Garcis” out there.