About
Malayang Halalan—Hope for the future
Fellow Filipinos, welcome to Malayang Halalan. This is our blog, and this is our voice.
As citizens in the oldest democracy in Asia, voting is the definitive exercise of our democratic freedoms—free, clean and honest elections is a true mark of democracy and indication of an empowered citizenry.
Free elections establish the foundation for good governance and the grounds for a people-led political system that lives up to its original promise. But while Filipinos have for a long time now been casting votes for their chosen leaders, with national elections regularly held since September 15, 1935, the electoral process has had a problematic track record to say the least. From the very first national elections, when Manuel Luis Quezon won against revolutionary President Emilio Aguinaldo, our elections have been mired in valid accusations of fraud, violence, inefficiency and incompetence, with Quezon’s victory coming on the heels of accusations that Aguinaldo took bribes from the Spaniards during his Hong Kong exile.
Since then, elections in the Philippines have never been free of controversy. Indeed, one of the country’s proudest moments was in the toppling of a dictatorship after the failure of the elections to effect meaningful change. And while that moment stands as a milestone beyond all others in the country’s post-war political history, the revolution of 1986 also underscores the holes in our democratic processes, with allegations of widespread cheating ringing loudly throughout the country in every election since.
Sen. Richard Gordon, considered by many to be the father of election modernization in the Philippines and author of Republic Act (RA) 9369 once posted in his blog:
After 111 years of independence from colonial rule, we have yet to free our nation from the shackles of electoral fraud and cheating. We have yet to see honest, clean, speedy, and credible elections. (www.richardgordon.blogspot.com)
Yes, the Philippines is the oldest democracy in Asia—a distinction that countless of politicians have milked for all that it is worth—but our democratic institutions remain shaky, with the country’s long history of corruption as the main culprit.
A metastasized culture of graft and corruption has created to self-destructive political culture and an inept system of governance that has continues to fail our countrymen in innumerable aspects, as seen in the reports of such international studies like the World Bank measures of governance, Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, and Amnesty International’s reports of heightened abuses against human rights. This culture is also reflected in the disturbing trend chronicled by the International Federation of Journalists regarding freedom of the press and the unabated killing of journalists.
We may be Asia’s pioneer democracy, but now we cringe and recoil at being called its Sick Man. Pundits even go far as to label our political system as demo-crazy—and how can we blame them? Some say that Filipinos were simply given too much freedom, freedom that has long been misused and abused. This view is shared by the Philippine Center for Civic Education and Democracy in a report they made. (http://www.pcced.org.ph/)
The shortcomings of our democratic system are especially evident during elections, when the results often do not reflect the true will of the people. Tainted elections have long been a trend, with systemic cheating and a substantial voting population that is up for sale to the highest bidder.
In spite of all these obstacles to attaining true democracy, there are signs that things are changing rapidly. Because of the state of our economy, the alarming signs of environmental destruction, the proliferation of online communities, and the mushrooming of newly-politicized marginalized groups, Elections 2010 will prove to be a defining moment in our lives as citizens in an ideally democratic country. Now is the chance for our voice to be heard. Hope looms in the horizon.
There are strong signals that Filipinos have begun to move away from a long-ingrained state of apathy and indifference. The country’s coming together after the death of Pres. Cory Aquino is one demonstration of this. The active participation of hundreds and hundreds of volunteers from various demographics and sectors in the rescue and relief operations after Typhoon Ondoy is another.
We, the Filipino citizens have awakened; we have something to say. Thus, we see the need for an online Plaza Miranda—a place we hold dear in our history as the venue where ordinary citizens share their views, listen to the opinions of others, and get the right information. A place where the people can rally together to defend the sanctity of their ballots.
This is what this blog is all about. We support the electoral reform efforts of the COMELEC. We supplement the valiant efforts of such citizen-initiated election groups like the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV). We provide a forum for ordinary online citizens to air their views about significant issues and concerns directly related to Elections 2010.
Malayang Halalan is an initiative of the people, by the people and for the people. Through this online venture, we hope to use the power of the internet to enlighten Filipino citizens and make Elections 2010, free, clean, honest, and the best one we ever had.
We must not remain stuck in the tragedies and mistakes of the past. Rather, we must start making things right, actively—for it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
