Posted April 11, 2007 03:17:00(Mla Time)
Winston A. Marbella
(Last of three parts)
MANILA, Philippines — If Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos were to have his way, clean and credible elections would be just a text message away on May 14.
Announcing the Comelec’s “voters’ info-text service,” Abalos trumpeted, “Essential election information such as the national, local and party-list candidates and election results may be just a text message away with this service.”
Abalos said the new service will be available nationwide and allow the public to report electoral fraud and complaints, bringing “immense benefit to the electorate and encouraging them to take a more active role in safeguarding the elections.”
The service will also provide information on voting precincts when the Comelec comes out with the final list of voters. A unified number for the service is to be announced shortly, Abalos said.
The Comelec has accredited the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) as its quick count organization for May 14. Working together with the hundreds of thousands of volunteers for the Comelec’s official watchdog organization, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), the Namfrel could do a better job than its previous quick count, which ground to a halt with 80 percent of the vote because of problems with text messaging.
With the Comelec’s info-text service, many are hoping the Namfrel and PPCRV can put the high-tech bugs behind them.
Additionally, many information technology firms have volunteered to put computers at the service of both Namfrel and PPCRV.
The Philippine Council for Evangelical Churches (PCEC) and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters ng Pilipinas are cooperating in a mass media-based voter education campaign together with the Comelec, the Department of Education and the Philippine National Police.
Among their noteworthy efforts are making the official list of registered voters available at least two weeks before elections in barangay halls and churches. Combined with the efforts of the Genuine Opposition (GO) to guard the results, the May 14 elections may yet become the most credible in recent memory.
Newspapers’ critical role
Addressing a group of newspaper publishers recently, Chief Justice Reynato Puno of the Supreme Court warned that “an election that lacks credibility for any reason whatsoever will further tear asunder our unity.”
Citing the critical influence of the newspapers in helping voters decide which candidates to elect, Puno said: “The media have more eyes that see better, more ears that hear better, more loquacious tongues that speak the truth more clearly.”
Speaking to a graduating class later, Puno rallied the youth to “make a decisive difference on the outcome of the coming elections.” He noted that of the 49.2 million voters, over 18 million, or more than a third, are between the ages 18 and 29.
Eye-opening surveys
Two surveys commissioned by Ateneo de Manila University — done two elections apart — can provide the first glimmer of a maturing electorate if read with scholarly care and insightful analysis.
The first survey was done before the 2004 presidential election. It sought to measure definitively the attitudes of the youth on a host of issues that concerned them most, including their views on politics, politicians and political institutions.
The second survey, done in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation last November, measured voter attitudes toward political parties and political turncoats.
Analyzed separately, the surveys provided eye-opening results. Taken together, they provide the first glimmerings of a maturing electorate whose growth could be accelerated by other trends — silent but profound — that are transforming Philippine politics today.
The first survey, conducted among the youth, becomes doubly significant when taken in the context of the following facts: More than half of the population is below 20; consequently, more than half of the voters are in the 18-39 age bracket; and practically all of the 1,200 youths surveyed are qualified to vote in the elections in May.
The findings of what has now come to be known more popularly as the Ateneo Youth Survey erased many of the stereotypes we had heretofore held about the youth:
• A total of 73 percent said they actually “liked school a lot!”
• Twenty-seven percent considered pollution and other environmental concerns as “major issues.” (Could this be the secret of former Sen. Loren Legarda’s popularity with the youth?)
• Sixty-nine percent desired changes in their family life, 28 percent focusing on economic improvement.
• About 92-96 percent had exposure to radio and TV, but only 62 percent watched movies occasionally, while 16 percent did not watch at all.
• Seventy percent said their trust in politicians ranged from “uncertain” to “very small” (not surprising) but 40 percent were “uncertain” (which means there is hope!).
• Fifty-nine percent expressed “little trust” in the government, but 41 percent said their trust was “big to very big.”
Mature expectations
The respondents also expressed relatively mature expectations of what a leader should be:
• Sixty-one percent said a leader should “work for the good of all.”
• Fifty-eight percent said leaders should be “sincere.”
• Fifty-seven percent said they should “deliver on promises.”
• Fifty-five percent said leaders should have “a good family life.”
• Forty-seven percent said leaders should be “religious and God-fearing.”
• Forty-six percent said a leader should “work hard.”
All told — considering that the youth vote would be a significant chunk in the coming elections if they would only care to vote — candidates would do well to shift their campaign strategies from old politics of personalities to the new politics of substance.
The candidates who can motivate the youth to actively participate in the elections will decisively have an edge in this voting segment.
But a get-out-and-vote campaign among the youth will need the organizational and logistical resources of political parties.
This is where the findings of the Ateneo-Adenauer study can have a significant role in advancing the maturity of the electorate.
The survey found that two out of three voters believed that “no political party truly promotes their welfare,” while almost one in three identified at least one party that did promote the people’s welfare.
The respondents chose Lakas, followed by the Liberal Party and Bayan Muna, as a political party that “does many things to benefit the citizens,” “has noble leaders,” “has realistic platforms,” “recruits candidates who are truly qualified,” “interacts with many sectors,” and is “faithful to the true will of the party members.”
The country representative of the Adenauer Foundation, Klaus Preschle, said the survey results showed that political parties in the Philippines should be strengthened and work harder on their political profile and recruitment strategies.
In his analysis of the survey results, the associate dean of the Ateneo School of Government, Dennis Gonzalez, suggested that political parties take note of the findings that showed the most preferred reason for party membership is the opportunity for political education (35 percent).
Another significant finding was that the negative opinion about party-switching among politicians was highest in the Visayas (43 percent), in the socioeconomic classes ABC (42 percent), and among college graduates (43 percent).
Surprisingly, one of every three Class D respondents shared the same negative perception about party-switching. Of those who found party-switching was bad, three out of four believed turncoats should either be fined or removed from office.
Another major finding showed that party-shifting by politicians after elections was widely accepted by almost half of the respondents. One-third said this was bad practice, while only 15 percent said this was right practice.
When asked about the relative importance of the candidate and the party in the voting decision, the respondents said both mattered equally, whether voting for congressman or mayor.
In summary, the survey found that much remains to be done to improve voter maturity, but a significant number of voters (one in three) expressed interest in joining political parties “to learn more about politics.”
Explained Gonzalez: “It is probable that insufficient party discipline and the propensity of many politicians to switch parties lessen party ability to persuade and inspire citizens to support party visions and policies. But in turn the high plurality of citizens (49 percent) who are neutral or indifferent to party switching does not encourage political leaders to strengthen party discipline.”
Glimmer of hope
Classic chicken-or-egg situation. We can only look to the earlier Youth Survey to catch a glimmer of hope.
In that survey, the youth expressed very clear expectations of what a leader should be, while at the same time expressing massive distrust in both politicians and government. But more than half of the population is below age 20, and the profile of voters will increasingly grow younger as more youth enter voting age.
Now, if only the young could be persuaded not to waste their youth and get involved in the electoral process.
A good first step is to get them enthused about getting out the vote, starting with their own. As a popular church song goes, “It only takes a spark to get the fire going…”
Perhaps, the PPCRV, Namfrel, PCEC, Comelec and other groups whose acronyms defy memory, can derive some inspiration from this passage. But it will take more than inspiration to ensure free elections, and take the electoral process another rung up the ladder of maturity.
The consequence of failure is dire. But there may be hope — if the people and their leaders work hard at it.
Subtle but significant changes are indeed sweeping the country. Some are hardly perceptible unless one looks hard enough — like the emerging political maturity of the young.
Others are more perceptible — like the powerful influence of the mass media in communicating directly to the people.
Still others are revolutionary, like the pervasive influence of communication technologies on the way we live and work.
All these are trends — indeed megatrends — could converge in ways that could accelerate the maturity of our electoral processes — and in turn bring about a stronger democracy. Or they could hasten the demise of our fledgling democracy through internecine politics.
The road to political maturity is by no means safe — or secure. A fourth element is needed to make it all happen — protecting and preserving the sovereign will of the people.
If indeed the voice of the people is the voice of God, no task can be more sacred — or more daunting — than preserving its sanctity.
(The author is the founding CEO of the Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies. For comments, e-mail mibc2006@gmail.com.)
Civilization of Love 