No to No-El! Overhaul the Comelec!

When we toyed with the idea of having charter changes we never thought for a single moment that it would lead to the suggestion of "No-Elections or No-el" which virtually incensed the entire nation. The "No-El" proponents have valid reasons why we shouldn't have any elections as a transition to a new system of government, but whether we like it or not, a basic of any democracy is the holding of elections for elective officials. Any extension of their powers is simply asking too much. It is for this very reason why we abhorred the idea of postponing the elections for our barangay officials because of the sorry reason that we lack money!

While the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is tackling this issue and preparing to come up with their official statement about this issue, perhaps they should go further and find out why this country is running out of money to fund elections. Perhaps they should even dig deeper into the question why we cannot modernize the holding of elections in this country, something that I hope that newly appointed former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. ought to tackle.

Forgive me for my suspicions, but I suspect that there is a conspiracy to prevent the modernization of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the simple reason that, if the elections were held today and tomorrow the winning party will already be known to the public, there would be no time to cheat and make "Dag-dag Bawas". Too many politicians would no longer be able to hold their posts and perhaps finally, the real voice of the Filipino electorate would surface. Let's throw way the No-El scenario and hold elections in 2007… but only after the Comelec is overhauled!

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Just when we thought things were getting better for the media profession especially with the news of the conviction of Edgar Belandres for the murder of The FREEMAN and Banat News photographer Allan Dizon, here's another media advisory from the National Union of Journalists: "The Philippines has once again proved that it is the most dangerous country in Asia-Pacific for journalists, as 10 of them were killed in 2005. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in a report released today, pointed out that the Philippines is next only to Iraq in terms of media deaths. Impunity in the killing of journalists remains the intolerable scandal of our times that can no longer be ignored by the international community," said IFJ general secretary Aidan White.

In just one week, two Filipino journalists have been killed. On Jan. 20, Rolly Canete, a freelance broadcaster in Pagadian City, was gunned down. The next day, Graciano Aquino, a columnist in Bataan and a former DZRH correspondent, was also killed. Mind you, this is just the beginning of the year and already two from our profession have been murdered. I just hope that year 2006 will not surpass the record of year 2005 which has been dubbed "The most dangerous year yet for Asia- Pacific journalists." International Federation of Journalists' (IFJ) Pres. Christopher Warren said, "2005 was a year of tragedy and the targeting of journalists in the Asia-Pacific region where a grim total of 150 journalists and media workers were killed in 2005, some 36 were from the Asia-Pacific region."

What's even more disturbing is what the IFJ report says, "that more than 90 percent of these cases do not result in serious investigations by authorities with only a handful of the killers are ever brought to trial. A combination of police corruption, judicial incompetence and political indifference creates a culture of neglect when it comes to media deaths." That means, the conviction of Belandres for the murder of Allan Dizon is considered the exception, rather than the rule! My suggestion to our fellow media practitioners is either to pack a piece and learn how to shoot it or put your faith that the Lord will keep you safe from harm. I chose the latter.

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Today, Jan.27, 2006, the only organization actively promoting the saving of endangered languages called Save our Languages through Federalism (SOLFED) will be having a Roundtable Discussion on Federalism and Charter Changes at the Mango Park Hotel along Gen. Maxilom Ave. (Mango Ave.) Cebu City starting at 9AM. The meeting will map out various approaches to send to Congress and the Senate for a Federalist agenda, especially on the proposed "People's Initiative" through the barangay level. Let me point out clearly that this is the only concerted effort I know that is independent of Malacañang and independent of the Consultative Commission (Concom). Our group believes that only through Federalism can this country grow. But alas, Malacañang is moving towards a Parliamentary form without Federalism.

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