Beyond the polls

So your candidate/s didn’t win, and the ones you didn’t want to, did. Now what? I offer a simple suggestion­ – roll up your sleeves and dig in! We have to keep on pushing with the drive to level the playing field for this and other coming elections.

A lot of reforms really changed the way this year’s elections were conducted, in a significant way, if not entirely. These include changes that can take root and even encourage more competent and credible candidates to run in future elections. That is, if the people really take up the responsibility to push these changes beyond the polling precincts.

I find it quite strange and a bit amusing that in this time and age, we still need watchdogs guarding our vote (yes, you read that right, we have watchdogs, plural). This only proves how distrustful we are of our voting system. Other countries have no need for poll watchers because they have faith in their electoral system. Besides, the resources that go into mobilizing an army of poll watchers could very well have been spent for other things such as voter education and the like.

It’s time to put an end to a culture that only perpetuates distrust and endless bickering and tirades of “I did not lose, I got cheated!” This is not something our future voting generations deserve to still experience – we can act on it now, and I believe the time is right to institutionalize those changes and make them take root.

Facing up to the challenge

We should determine the right course our nation is taking by taking up the responsibility of governing this country, not just by voting the right people into office, but holding all winning candidates accountable to the people (yes, even those we didn’t vote).

This is even if the politicians we did not like to win were able to clinch those positions we didn’t want them to have. It falls upon us, the electorate, to be vigilant in making these public officials behave and follow the rules at the minimum, and even change for the better if we provide the right environment for them to behave ethically.

The Comelec tried to issue new policies like the money ban, extended liquor ban, airtime limits for political campaign ads and qualifications of party-list groups which were all shot down by the Supreme Court. Those new rules were meant to undermine the advantage of traditional politicians or “trapos” who are already experts in manipulating the system that they know will favor them.

Changing the rules catches them off guard and makes them think long and hard about which path they should take to make them win at the polls. Fortunately, the Comelec is not alone in this fight.

Let me run through some of the things that will make it difficult for “trapos” to pull a fast one this time around:

• Bantay.ph (www.bantay.ph) – portal where easily understandable information materials on Republic Act 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) and other ARTA-related projects can be obtained for dissemination.

• Contact Center ng Bayan (www.contactcenterngbayan.gov.ph) – a virtual government-wide contact center linked to several frontline agencies that serves as a two-way platform that will allow the public to provide feedback and complaints about  the quality of frontline public service delivery. Violations of the Code of Ethics for public officials can be reported on this site.

• Budget ng Bayan (www.budgetngbayan.com) – for 3 years straight the present administration has been able to work on a lean and timely budget, minimizing opportunities for insertions and misappropriations. The public can now do its duty in guarding and tracking public funds by knowing how they are allocated and spent.

• i-Kwenta (www.i-kwenta.com) – a project of the Commission on Audit of the (coa.gov.ph) and ANSA-EAP (ansa-eap.net) for getting citizens’ feedback and quick access to audit reports.

• US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and UK Bribery Act – these two foreign laws are making a big impact on global corruption and it’s only a matter of time until they reach our shores. In a nutshell, these two laws require US and UK companies to perform audits on ALL their potential business partners, making it difficult for them to engage in unethical business practices such as bribery and anti-competitive behavior.

• Coalition Against Corruption (www. cac.org.ph) – a network of NGOs and CSOs monitoring the delivery of public goods and services by deploying volunteer observers in public bids, among others.

These initiatives are all game changers that will force government officials to seriously reconsider doing something illegal or unethical – especially since they are now more open to public scrutiny. Where once they had all the weapons at their disposal to continue corrupting people and plundering public coffers, the tide is now being turned to favor those who will prevent them from doing so.

Securing a better future

I, for one, am not willing to perpetuate that old system that lets “trapos” win. I will see to it that the rules are changed to favor those who are willing to fight clean and fair, and even lose in the same manner.

I have had enough of people saying that it can’t be done because it CAN be done. With enough people clamoring for it and acting on that conviction, I believe the tipping point can be made to go against prevailing corrupt practices.

This is the legacy that I want future Filipino voters to enjoy in the future – one in which our children need not watch their votes closely at the precinct anymore but watch how the ones they voted or didn’t vote for are performing their duties. The change won’t happen overnight but it must start today. With us. – Rappler.com

Jose Solomon Cortez is a Project Officer for the Integrity Initiative, a private-sector led campaign to combat corruption by promoting ethical business practices.