Last Friday, leaders and representatives from the church, government, and civilian sectors signed a pledge of commitment for safe, secure, and peaceful national and local elections on May 9.
With over 216 barangays – almost half of Negros Oriental’s 557 barangays – classified by the Philippine National Police as possible election hotspots, this pledge is a welcome development, and is something to really hope for.
There have been a number of killings in Negros Oriental which the Church has condemned, calling them a “cycle of violence and vendetta. There were at least three killings in the recent weeks. While the local police have yet to tag the incidents as election-related, the victims were said to be supporters of a gubernatorial candidate.
Peaceful elections is everyone’s dream. And it will remain a dream unless we take steps to prevent or stop violence.
The Diocesan Electoral Board now has 15,000 volunteers who are being trained on poll-watching and other election-related activities. Hopefully, these volunteers could be a deterrent to people who plan to disrupt the peace.
It’s sad that the country has to go through this song-and-dance called the elections every three years. Many politicians spend millions – more than what they expect to earn — just to get elected to office. This is crazy, and a sure-fire formula for corruption.
A three-year term is just too short even for an honest politician to do something good for his community. And even those with good intentions could be lured by temptation just to recover the cost of running for a political post.
This temptation to stay in power, or to win the seat of power, could lead one to do violent activities. And that is how the cycle begins.
It may take some time for our voters to realize that we truly don’t have to vote for the candidate who has the most money. Aside from studying the candidate’s platform of governance, voters have to learn to look at her/his character, and intentions in running for office.
That is what voters’ education is about.
The Church has decided to be involved in politics, although the honorary chairman of the Diocesan Electoral Board, Bishop Lito Cortes, says the Church’s involvement in politics will be “in a non-partisan manner”.
We do hope they succeed in getting our voters to make sound decisions.
Peace, after all, is everyone’s dream. And it shouldn’t be just a dream.
