BEFORE anything else, I would like to thank all my dear colleagues, friends and extended family from the Manila City Hall Reporters’ Association (MACHRA) for the successful holding of the second anniversary of our ‘MACHRA Balitaan sa Harbor View,’ the news forum that we happen to mount every month.
We were glad and fortunate to have had Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia as our solo guest during our anniversary edition.
For this, we do not only thank the good Lord and chair Garcia but also our profuse gratitude to our ever-supportive adviser City Administrator Bernie ‘Yantao’ Ang, his right hand Ms. Kakai ‘Sunshine’ Lat, our sound wizard Shintaro Santos and the staff and management of the Harbor View Restaurant led by managers BJ Ang and Garrey Garduque and of course to our media colleagues who have covered all our fora.
Special thanks to our good friend Mr. Richie Laurel and Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco who helped us with Chairman Garcia’s guesting in our forum. It was also Richie who helped us the first time that we had Chairman Garcia shortly after his appointment.
As expected, our ‘MACHRA Balitaan’ was once again highly insightful, as the brainy Comelec chair discussed a wide-ranging array of topics related to the forthcoming 2025 elections.
Firstly, he assured everyone that there won’t be any form of manipulation in the coming elections, stressing that all such rumors of gaining a favorable result are just products of wild imagination.
Garcia vehemently denied rumors that one can win if he has contact with the chairman, the poll body’s IT or the Miru system. He notes that the said kind of rumors have been going around since 2010 but not even a single precinct had been proven to have had results that were the product of any manipulation.
The poll body chair assured that the machines up for use would produce 99.5 percent accuracy, as he warned the public against falling prey to sweet-talkers who would offer favorable election results in exchange for hefty fees.
In fact, he appealed to the public to help the Comelec put behind bars such unscrupulous individuals after his office received information that they offer favorable results within five to ten minutes and that as such, a candidate need no longer campaign. The fees, according to Chairman Garcia, go as high as P50 million minimum if the candidate concerned is a mayor and up to P100 or even P200 million or more, for those in higher posts, with ‘advance payment’ of course.
Regarding the perennial issue of vote-buying, there is an agreement with GCash and PayMaya who have vowed not to allow their platforms to be used for vote-buying.
He admitted though, that no one has ever been convicted for vote-buying due to a lack of witnesses or complainants willing to see the cases through, especially once the elections are over and the vote buyer has won. At times, the witnesses are paid to back out.
Chair Garcia also warned candidates against using funds from illegal sources, saying there are only three kinds of illegals they are looking at, namely narco-politics, jueteng or POGO politics.
The Comelec chair said voters should junk candidates involved in such illegal activities, as well as those who take undue advantage of the technicalities by engaging in premature campaigning, noting that this early, the social media is already abuzz with posts that take the form of campaigning which is supposed to officially start next year yet.
He also noted the number of tarps and other materials scattered all over aimed at promoting certain candidates.
Well, in Manila alone, it is also a known fact that one candidate had been giving away money to barangay officials like there is no tomorrow, in an apparent bid to woo their support.
Chair Garcia says these are the kinds of candidates that the public should not vote for.
I agree… totally. If a certain candidate is already campaigning even before the official campaign period begins, this is one form of cheating and it shows his utter lack of respect for what is right and just, as he knowingly violates the set regulations.
A cheater will never be a great leader.
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