When the price is right

More often than not, everything appears to have a price, just as true that for every action, there is a reaction.

Even the betrayal of Jesus Christ had its price of 30 pieces of silver. And, for the redemption of the sins of mankind, it took the supreme sacrifice of the death of Jesus as a price, no less.

Well, coming down to earth, such truism is more pronounced wherein everything has its commensurate return or price, if not more. Narrowing down further, in Philippine setting, specifically in government transactions, the price is often tainted in corruption. These are of varied forms: horse-trading among “trapos” themselves, or wheeling-dealing maneuvers; under-the-table grease money for smalltime bureaucrats; 20% or more for contracts or concessions; 50% cut for business/real property and other tax reductions, but official receipts for much lesser for kick-back allowance; and, even selling a woman’s body to land a job or a contract or deal.

Narrowing down further what in Philippine scenario reflects the verity of everything for a price, is its politics and the inseparable scourge, the elections involving any public office. From the lofty post of president to the lowest barrio councilman, winning is a matter of buying, to put it bluntly. Without the wherewithal to run a campaign, organize field operations, and the eventual vote-buying, no candidate could get elected. And so, winning or losing is for a price, the bigger the price paid, the better the chance of victory.

Qualifications of candidates are of no moment. Any dense moron with the minimum qualifications but with ample logistics can beat the brightest and most qualified foe.

And so, there are no conceding losers, but only whiners for being cheated, or out-funded, outgunned and out-gooned, ad infinitum. Even before that, the candidates exhaust all possible avenues to ensure their winning chances. One is to let someone with a similar name as his principal foe file a certificate of candidacy. Another is to file disqualification case against one’s opponent. After the elections, come varying election protests against the winners.

Other than election contests involving the president and vice president, or senators and congressmen that are justiciable by the appropriate electoral tribunal, are those involving the LGUs who often resort to pre-election suits against opponents. In every election exercise, the Comelec is often swamped with disqualification cases that end up with its law department.

   Recently, the Comelec legal department suffered the assassination of its former head in November, 2007, Atty. Alioden Dalaig, and his successor Atty. Wynne Asdala on March 24 this year. News reports hinted that the two killings were related to the Shariff Kabunsuan gubernatorial race between Bimbo Sinsuat and Tucao Mastura. Few days ago, a suspect named Bashir Ampatuan was arrested, but so far has not owned the killings and, for what price…

To recall, an unidentified whistleblower on TV had cited that P700T advanced payment for a candidate’s disqualification didn’t materialize and, to have been finalized with a couple of millions later, as the alleged cause of the Asdala killing. This angle seemed plausible since the Comelec chairman, former SC Justice Jose Melo who had to take oath and assume office in haste on account of Asdala’s assassination, also intimated that there must be something illegal in the Comelec law department that triggered the shootings.

It’s evident that something fishy intervenes in resolving electoral cases. Such turn of events appear going on for long, or could it have been a backlash and influence of the “Garci” antics? What a price to pay for the sanctity of the right of suffrage!