Nights of Disquiet

The Manila Today

THE MANILA TODAY

[OPINION] Let's be honest: Vote-buying is ingrained in our political culture

By Jess Hernandes

Published on April 9, 20XX

'As long as the government tolerates vote-buying, it will never end because of how much of its aftermath, which is poverty, incessantly rebirths in our country.'

A Filipino's vote can be bought easily by a politician at the sole amount of twenty to five thousand pesos. Poverty Action reported that during the 2010 election campaign, politicians offered money in exchange for votes to an estimated 30% of Filipinos.

Filipinos have split opinions about vote-buying every election season. The antis and pros. The anti-vote-buying people argue that no one should accept bribery or money from a politician in exchange for selling their vote, as it is against the law.

The first election offense (vote-buying and vote-selling) mentioned in the Omnibus Election Code (Article XXII of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) says that: Any person who gives, offers, or promises money or anything of value, gives or promises any office or employment, franchise or grant, public or private, or makes or offers to make an expenditure, directly or indirectly, or cause expenditure to be made to any person, association, corporation, entity, or community in order to induce anyone or the public, in general, to vote for or against any candidate or withholds his vote in the election, or to vote for or against any candidate or withholds his vote in the election, or to vote for or against any aspirant for the nomination or similar selection process of a political party.

The law is the law, and no one is exempt from it, but what happens when a politician offers money in exchange for votes to poor Filipinos?

Politicians get away from it. Poor Filipinos are to blame.

They will accept it abruptly and without hesitation. They need money to pay their bills and feed their families, not because they know the money came from their taxes. For seven years as a journalist, I saw many different sides of poverty.

One night, I saw a male officer near Rizal handing a white envelope to an elderly woman selling rugs and casually sitting on a monobloc chair beside a sunny road. When the officer passed her, I turned to the lady and asked her what she had received. She admitted that it was a five-hundred peso bill in exchange for voting for a politician running for mayor in their town. What surprised me the most was when she told me she was overjoyed because it was the fifth envelope she had received from local and national politicians.

I listened to her and bought some rugs while she told me about how politicians in their barangay solicited their votes. They offer scholarship programs, financial assistance, one basket of groceries, one sack of rice, and, of course, money.

"Pakiramdam ko po nanalo ako sa lotto. Ang daming biyaya. Hindi ko na rin poproblemahin ang budget ngayong linggo."

That's exactly what she said to me. It's burned into my memory. She was not the first person I had encountered and discussed vote-buying with. I was exposed to reality as a journalist.

For many, vote-buying is absurd, but for others, it's one of the few ways to fill their hungry stomachs.

And, while this may sound harsh from anti-vote-buying advocates, let's be honest. Our political culture is already ingrained with vote-buying. As long as the government tolerates vote-buying, it will never end because of how much of its aftermath, which is poverty, incessantly rebirths in our country. - The Manila Today

Jess Hernandes is an activist and a journalist of The Manila Today.