Transparency and good governance

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 8) – The COMELEC (Commission on Elections) proposes that the election returns should be posted in their official website. This is to show the transparency of the election that can be monitored by public. Can this prove the transparency of our election? So what if we have access to that, how sure are we that this information is accurate?

The Filipino citizens were not born yesterday. Our generation is too smart to be misguided with old fashioned techniques from people with power.

The media has a vital role as a major source of information by providing the updates during election. Broadcast stations make way for special shows that showcase candidates and their advocacies. These shows will educate voters about the candidate’s campaign. Sadly, we cannot test honesty and the candidate’s intention but at least, we have these shows. Shows like this should be responsible to be unbiased and critical. “Media, malasakit naman para sa bayan, please!”

The people don’t need to monitor the election, how sure are we that this election is a hundred percent truth? What will it change? According to Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago’s blog site ,”There are still scientific doubts on the accuracy of the voting machines that we started to use in the last elections”. It wouldn’t help because the voting is done. Oftentimes, the mistake lies in prevention. We keep on learning from mistakes rather than preventing it. Paano tayo uusad nyan?. What we need to monitor is the process that starts when the candidates proclaimed their candidacy.

The Republic Act no. 6646 is an act introducing additional reforms in the electoral systems and for other purposes. In this act, sections 12, 13 and 14 mandates that the election should have the official watchers, the board of inspectors and even the per diem of inspectors and other personnel. If these people are responsible and honest enough to be the witnesses for the election then we don’t have to worry and demand for a transparency.

We have enough laws to prevent the fraud of the election. The COMELEC has to identify the real problem. The country survived many elections without people monitoring the results.  So what if the results were posted online? So what if the public can have access to it? Our election doesn’t have to be posted online; it doesn’t have to be in public. What it needs is honesty. It needs honest people who are dedicated to the country. Prinsipyo ang kailangan dito.

References:

http://miriam.com.ph/newsblog/2012/11/23/the-problem-with-elections/

http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1988/ra_6646_1988.html

(written by Karen Llacuna, edited by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Lovely Ann Cruz)