The race has started?

There are now officially two candidates for President in next year's elections. Soon, we will know the final candidates. This early, however, already the heat is on, with both candidates trying to make themselves visible to the voters, with their supporters just as busy as they are.

The netizens are very actively participating, a number creatively posting either useful or negative information about the candidates. We still have to learn about concrete platforms and programs each candidate will pursue. So far, it seems to be a matuwid na daan or its opposite that is projected in various media. There is also the contrast about one candidate being elite and the other, masa. Expect more positive and negative postings and information as election time gets nearer.

There is still no official announcement about who will run for the vice presidency. Future survey results will confirm whether Grace Poe is still a contender either for the presidency or the vice-presidency.  A Poe-Escudero tandem has been talked about. Recently, a Roxas-Robredo team has also been touted in the social media network. There was also the Binay-Duterte or Binay-Marcos team mentioned.  Of course, all Filipinos are interested to know who will be the final official candidates, for national and local posts.

We wonder what the COMELEC is doing to prepare for the election campaign period and the actual election day and canvassing as well. It is a sad but known fact that vote-buying is still very common in this country. Whoever is able to control or buy out the votes will be proclaimed winners. The winners may not necessarily be the genuine choices of the people but they emerge victorious anyway. What is being done to ensure that the genuine choices will be the ones proclaimed as real winners?

COMELEC must already, by now, understand how cheating is done through various stages of the electoral and canvassing processes. With the help of volunteers from all sectors, this year and the next election year can mark the beginning of an honest to goodness genuine electoral process, IF we all unite and start now.

Already, there are groups now actively holding meetings and recruitment campaigns for clean and honest elections. Try to check how you can help create and install that beautiful process of clean honest elections!

There is also a need to reach out to all our kababayans, especially those in the distant areas, not to sell their votes . There is also a need for all to be adequately and correctly informed about the candidates, their actual performance, especially in terms of good, honest governance. There is also room for prayer groups to daily offer prayers that God will allow true, genuine, and honest public servants to run and be elected by our people.

For those among you with family members, relatives, and friends who are overseas, please also remind them to register and vote. Please also do the same campaign to all in your household, neighborhood, schools, offices, churches to register on time and vote. Voting is a sacred right of every one. Let us pray and continue to campaign that all qualified voters will exercise this right and vote genuine, honest public servants in the next election!

They say Filipinos love politics so much, they talk, they eat, they even will kill for politics. This time around, let us campaign and pray hard that the 3 Gs, guns, goons, and gold will not dominate this present electoral exercise.

Again, so much to do for all of us.

Not only the candidates and their supporters should get busy. All those who treasure freedom and the right of suffrage and our people's right to good governance and a better society for all should now start to gather together, first for continuing prayers for the right leaders and genuine good and honest governance for our land, and then, for united efforts and initiatives to ensure that this year's elections will usher genuine, honest elections for the good of our people and our country.