EDITORIAL - ‘Don’t reward bad behavior’

Emasculated by the Supreme Court in carrying out critical aspects of its mandate, such as curbing abuses in the party list and preventing premature campaigning, the Commission on Elections is hoping that voters can pursue the initiative instead. This week the Comelec urged voters not to reward the “bad behavior” of politicians – those who are already posting election campaign materials, for example.

Such misbehaving policitians are exploiting the loopholes effectively opened by rulings of the Supreme Court and engaging in activities that would constitute premature campaigning in the eyes of everyone except the SC.

Advocates of clean and fair elections in fact can go one step further and help raise public awareness about the power of the vote. There must be heightened public awareness of how informed choices in free elections can spell the difference between a better life and seeing the country revert to being the sick man, the basket case of Asia.

Such a public awareness campaign can stress the fact that everyone in this country, directly or indirectly, is a taxpayer and has a right to demand the judicious and efficient use of people’s money. Every taxpayer has a right to demand accountability and transparency from those in the payroll of Juan and Juana de la Cruz. These include those who are shamelessly using public funds for self-aggrandizement as the general elections approach.

Congress, where national interest often takes a back seat to personal interest, has resisted every effort to regulate campaign finance, rationalize the party-list system and curb dynasty building. The standard argument is that dynasties won’t survive without the imprimatur of voters. That imprimatur, however, can be obtained by those in power through harassment, inequitable delivery of basic services, armed threats and outright murder.

In a democracy, the vote is the ultimate exercise of people power. That power cannot be wielded fivorously. Elections offer hope for meaningful change, for raising the quality of life and making Filipinos proud of their country.