EDITORIAL - Punish the cheaters

Evidence to bolster allegations of poll cheating was finally presented yesterday — not just by the opposition Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino, which fears that its standard-bearer is being cheated of victory, but also by the administration Koalisyon ng Karanasan at Katapatan para sa Kinabukasan.

The allegations could prolong the wait for the proclamation of the next president and vice president, but there could be a silver lining here. With rival camps bent on proving poll fraud, the nation might finally see enough people being punished for participating in cheating. This could make those who have gotten used to manipulating poll results think twice about cheating again in the next elections.

Filipinos have gotten so used to cheating in every electoral exercise than when candidates cry fraud, people automatically make a distinction between massive cheating and the less blatant cases of vote padding and shaving. If the cheating is not massive, protesters are expected to just shut up and try their luck in the next elections. The brave – or Quixotic – candidate who pursues an electoral protest finds himself waiting until the term for the position he is seeking is almost over before his complaint is resolved with finality.

Because people see that cheaters are amply rewarded for their crime, vote manipulation has marred every electoral exercise in this country. Public servants who allow themselves to be used for fraud are emboldened by the failure of the State to punish cheaters.

Now both the opposition and administration camps are claiming to have evidence of fraud. Those implicated in the cheating must be identified, prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law. Investigators should determine how high the culpability must go. The incoming Congress must also move to increase penalties for cheating in elections. Only when a strong message is sent that crime does not pay can the nation hope to end a deeply entrenched culture of poll fraud.