With Philippine elections having degenerated of late into choosing between the hopelessly incompetent and the incorrigibly corrupt, or between those aspiring for top national and local positions based on their popularity and glowing promises alone instead of offering a substantive program of governance, what’s the best move for the Filipino voter?
There’s an alternative to an outright boycott of the political exercise and forfeiting the citizen’s right of suffrage, according to the election watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections or Lente.
Their proposal is for the Commission on Elections to give voters a “none of the above” or NoTA option on ballots real power to influence election results.
Lente argues the NoTA option would prevent voter disengagement from being hidden in abstentions or invalid ballots, instead channeling it into “constructive feedback for the political system.”
The group is also calling on COMELEC, civil society organizations, and the media to educate voters on the value of the NoTA option, ensuring the public understands it as a “deliberate act of democratic participation” rather than apathy.
It’s an interesting development in Philippine electoral politics.
What Lente is actually pushing for is empowered voter choice as NoTA allows voters to express dissatisfaction with all available candidates, thus reinforcing democratic accountability.
We think NoTA is a form not only of political expression but also of dissent, or a way for citizens to reject inadequate options without abstaining from voting.
We support Lente’s stand that once adopted, the NoTA option can have a tangible impact on results. NoTA can influence election outcomes, especially if it garners a plurality or majority.
What is Lente asking the Comelec to do?
One, to intensify voter education around NoTA’s meaning and implications.
Two, to clarify how NoTA votes will be treated in the final tally.
And three, to consider reforms that would allow NoTA to have a real impact on election results.
This could be a pivotal moment for electoral transparency and voter empowerment in the Philippines. If NoTA gains traction, it might reshape how political accountability is expressed at the ballot box.
Lente is urging the inclusion and proper implementation of the NoTA option particularly in the BARMM parliamentary elections this October. But the Bangsamoro Electoral Office is uncertain on how to handle a scenario where the NoTA option gains a majority of votes in the first regular parliamentary polls in October.
Nonetheless, Lente’s NoTA proposal could turn out to be a legitimate and powerful expression of dissent that reflects public dissatisfaction with unpalatable choices offered in our elections.
