Friday, December 12, 2014

Apolitically Speaking

Politics is supposed to gear towards the betterment of the citizens of a state. The word politics was derived from the Greek word “politica” which means affairs of the cities. And it is indubitable that those aspiring to join politics will do what it takes as well as the necessary measures to be elected in the position they desire.

Advertisement is one of the most utilized medium during campaign period of one who desires to be elected. It is extremely expensive to advertise and candidates for elections are disallowed to overspend. Fair Election Act provided for the authorized expenses of candidates and parties. However, in spite of this, there are still some candidates who spend beyond the ceiling amount during the campaign period.

On September 2013, COMELEC issued a resolution disqualifying Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito from holding the Office of the Provincial Governor of Laguna and ordered him to cease and desist from performing the functions of the same. He appealed to the Supreme Court but it was denied.

The said disqualification was because of overspending during the May 2013 elections. The petition to disqualify him was filed by his political rival. So, was it out of pure adherence to the Fair Election Act? But then, there is always a political motive, so I guess not.

I sympathize for Ejercito, but then again, he violated the law. The grounds for disqualification as stipulated in the Omnibus Election Code were crystal clear and one of which is overspending. Nevertheless, amongst all the candidates, it is very unlikely that he was the only one who overspent. COMELEC shall also audit the expenses of other winning candidates. It seems highly unfair to disqualify him when there are other elected candidates who likewise overspent and were not even scrutinized for the same.

One thing I understand with regard to politics is that when a candidate is elected, they obtain the power to rule. It follows why these candidates spend too much for election alone. But do they really need to be in a public office to help the people? They may have different plataforma de gobyerno but in sum, it is mainly to help the people.

It might be naive, but if the candidate is indeed deserving of the position, if the people certainly want him to be their leader, then regardless of the money he spends, he will be the leader no less.

To be fair, and in adherence to equal protection doctrine, all shall be scrutinized and have their expenses for elections audited. It might be given that there is a taint of dirt and inequality attached whenever politics is being talked about, be that as it may, it is still a great dismay to learn that politics remains as it is.


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