It is not the system, it is the voter

Everybody in the Philippines is agog over poll automation, differing only in how they take it. Some Filipinos want to automate the polls in the hope of addressing the problem of cheating. Others fear it will only make cheating more difficult to address.

But because poll automation is inevitable, as in we have to go there someday, the government, through the Commission on Elections, began shopping around for somebody who can automate the polls for the country, Filipinos still not having the means to do it themselves.

There used to be a deal to that effect a few years back, but it had to be scrapped because, you know, even before the elections could come, some cheating was already done on the way to kicking in the automated system.

So the Philippines is now back to square one. The Comelec is trying to strike a deal with a consortium led by the Barbados-based (yes, Barbados, that tiny dot in the West Indies) Smartmatic International and its Philippine partner, Total Information Management Corporation.

But just as the Comelec was about to ink the deal, along comes the Philippine partner, TIMC, wanting out of the deal. The Comelec was in shock. And the Philippine media, always quick on conspiracy theories, began dishing out intrigue ill-disguised as news or fair comment.

They began seeking out political sources they know would readily bite every loaded and leading question thrown at their feet. Instead of digging deeper into what could have caused the sudden turn of events, as any responsible media would, they gave priority to conjecture.

And so, right now in the Philippines, with everybody all primed up for the election next year, rumors are beginning to swirl, fed by an irresponsible press, of course, that there was sabotage underneath the looming poll automation fiasco.

They have not even asked the question why, and now they are already providing the answers with what. Why are we already talking of sabotage when we have not even tried to find out anything about the whole thing in the first place.

But then again, there are big media entities in the Philippines that have a clear agenda on their calendars, and it shows no longer in a drift but in the swirling current of their daily news and commentary fare.

One giant tv network, for instance, has started drilling into the public consciousness the rumor that there is a smoldering military restiveness that is expected to explode under the code name “Operation August Moon.”

At every chance it gets, this network sneaks in some mention of “August Moon.” Even in interviews that have nothing to do with the subject, sources are asked about it. This is the reason why this network’s news and public affairs programs are losing out audiences.

But back to poll automation. Whether or not there is some hanky panky going on, whether or not we have it for the election next year or not, it is a phase in a process that Filipinos, whether they admit it or not, are unprepared to undertake in a mature and responsible way.

That is because Filipinos have not truly become conscientious and truthful voters. They still are dictated in their choices by a number of factors not of their doing. It therefore does not matter if there is no cheating in the election itself, whether automated or not.

For as long as the choices are made by others and not by the individual concerned, or dictated by circumstances not in his control, even the most secure and fool-proof automated system will never be capable of reflecting the true choice and sentiment of the Filipino voter.

If Juan de la Cruz likes Candidate A but votes for Candidate B because he sold his vote for a few kilos of rice, the election results will still be a sham even if no actual cheating takes place. So forget about the systems and the processes. The problem is with the person.