We have just celebrated the longest Christmas season in the world. Christians around the world celebrate Christmas only in December but we Filipinos love to stretch it beginning in September and ending with the Three Kings in January.
Now starting today, we start a new season–election season. Today marks the start of the campaign period for national positions–president, vice-president, senators.
The Comelec will be strictly implementing the gun ban, as well as other prohibited acts like new government construction projects, hiring and transfer of government personnel.
There’s a good reason for the Comelec to be strict in the enforcement of the law against such prohibited acts during this season as elections in Negros Oriental are hotly-contested. Even before the start of the campaign period, some candidates had been on the receiving end of death threats.
In previous campaign periods prior to the elections, some political leaders in the barangays were shot dead.
Lest we get dragged into electoral violence, it would be good to remember that most of the victims of electoral violence happen to be the cheerleaders or the campaigners.
The candidates maintain a civil posture, and would usually become friends after the elections.
In the case of the local media, the drumbeaters of candidates end up fighting each other. One particular broadcaster learned his lesson the hard way when he got convicted for libel. And that’s just one case out of the many more cases he is facing, all because of his political views.
So the rule of thumb for campaigners this season should be to relax: leave the fighting to the candidates, because they know better how to behave after the elections.
Or so we hope.
