Dysfunctional

Our electoral system is dysfunctional. Deep inside, we know that, although we are reluctant to examine why it failed and why it can no longer be redeemed. We go through the motions of holding elections even if we realize they will not save us.

Some tragedies are so utterly irredeemable it has become pointless to even speak about them. The 1987 Constitution that so corrupted our version of electoral democracy also makes constitutional reforms impossible. An irremediable charter is itself a form of tyranny our people bear.

Nor can we rely on our legislative process to rescue electoral democracy for us. The pattern of district representation we maintained since we became a republic is responsible for inhibiting our modernization. All national budgets are designed to break up our already scarce funds for capital expenditure and distribute the monies to little kingdoms maintained by political lords.

We cannot expect our Congress to enact strong legislation against political dynasties. This branch of government is entirely under the control of dynasts.

Nor can we expect to design the Senate out of existence. This chamber has become a zoo. But it will fight any effort at redesigning the way we do government.

Nevertheless, there are enough wild-eyed idealists who choose to hope against the odds. They think small reforms could be won through the electoral process. Those of us who have observed too many elections in this country are convinced voting changes nothing.

In one of the discussion groups I participate in, I was informed about how Singapore came around to choosing Lawrence Wong as the fourth prime minister of this wealthy city-state.

Mr. Wong was chosen by colleagues who examined both his competence and his character. The intensive selection process took all of four years.

He holds a double university degree and has a PhD in economics from Harvard. He was selected after he received the highest score in Character, Performance, Integrity, Quality and the key performance indicators in the jobs he held.

Mr. Wong scored zero in the following categories: public complaints, police traffic summons, public summons, racial hatred statements, corruption and bribery, legal court cases, tax fraud, abuse of power and in FBI/CIA/Interpol checks. In a word, he is completely clean.

Singapore, benefitting from competent governance, has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world even if it has no land and no natural resources. Government executives are better paid than their less talented counterparts in the private sector. It is among the least corrupt states in the world.

With the qualifications of their fourth prime minister, we are sure the city-state will continue to outperform the rest of the region. Meanwhile, we go through the senseless ritual of electing clowns to power.

Vote-buying

If our voters are not swayed by the song-and-dance numbers of those trying to get elected, there is always vote-buying as a method for getting the votes.

I have observed areas where, on the eve of voting, people line the streets waiting for cash to be distributed. I have seen electoral operatives knock on doors, count the number of voters in the household and pull lumps of cash from bulging bags.

Some wit once tried to justify vote-buying during elections as a means for redistributing the wealth. That is not so. Taxpayer money is commandeered by politicians to basically buy votes.

Vote-buying adjusted to modern technology and semantics. With advances in finance technologies, digital means are now available to more efficiently buy votes. You basically get your money through the phone.

The Comelec promised to fight digital vote-buying. But this is even harder to crack than manual cash distribution. Selling barangay databases with voter phone numbers to politicians has become a lucrative racket for village officials.

The national budget pads cash aid in various forms. Although poll authorities banned politicians from participating in the distribution of cash assistance, the most shameless hand the cash themselves. See all the pictures spreading on social media.

The Parish-Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) notes that vote-buying has progressed from individual transactions to wholesale deals. This means voters are being bought in bulk through various intermediary groups. Middlemen now broker corrupt elections.

Some effort is being exerted by the Comelec through its Kontra-Bigay Committee which monitors vote-buying patterns and studies means to counter the use of finance technologies to do mass vote-buying. But Comelec does not have the manpower to fight vote-buying everywhere. Remember that vote-buying is normally a retail operation funded by those seeking local office.

We need a grassroots campaign to counter vote-buying. A group called the Las Piñeros Movement for Change (LPMFC) might offer us a functional model for making the campaign against vote-buying a truly community-based effort.

Leonilo Mende, chair of LPMFC, says his group is organizing groups of 10 people each to every barangay in the town of Las Piñas. These will form “strike force” teams identifying locations where vote-buying is happening. They are supporting the Comelec proposal to allow “warrantless arrests” of vote-buyers. These teams will work closely with law enforcers to achieve their goal of zero vote-buying in this town.

Some voters might actually welcome the opportunity to commercialize their right to vote. But vote-buying, obviously, enables to dynasties to entrench themselves even more and therefore widen the economic inequalities that persist. The poor will be poorer.