It’s heartening to see the enthusiasm of people not involved with the campaign of any of the candidates in the forthcoming polls in making sure that the May 2010 elections be honest, peaceful, and credible.
Since it was launched last March 8, VOTE 2010, an election monitoring project of VERA Files with 17 civil society organizations, eight community newspapers, three media-related institutions and a number of individuals, has been steadily getting reports from citizen-journalists, which are not reported in mainstream media.
Immediately after the first part of our two-weekend seminar-workshop on citizen journalism at the Holy Angel University in Angeles city, one of the participants, Joel Ocampo , who is active in the Social Action Center of the Holy Rosary Parish, took pictures of posters of candidates nailed on trees which is a illegal.
Section 22 of Comelec Resolution 8758, which implements the Fair Election Act (Republic Act 9006) provides that political posters can only be displayed in Comelec-designated areas. It also clearly states that “A common poster area does not refer to a post, a tree, the wall of a building or an existing public structure that is in active use, but a structure that is temporarily set up by the candidates or political parties for the exclusive purpose of displaying their campaign posters.”
Joel’s pictures showed several trees covered with posters of Lakas-Kampi presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro, Partido ng Masang candidate Joseph Estrada and his vice president Jejomar Binay, senatorial candidates Silvestre Bello and Joey de Venecia.
There were also posters by local candidates, a number of them belonging to the Liberal Party.
If these candidates show no respect to the law when they are just courting the people for their votes, you can just imagine how would it be when they would be in power.
Another story we got was from Danny Sabino who attended the seminar-workshop on citizen journalism VERA Files conducted in Clark last January.
Danny, based in General Santos City, reported about the peace pact signed by persons involved in the May elections.
Danny’s story read in part: “At least three areas in Central Mindanao will be free from guns, goons and gold this May elections, as long as candidates who pledged to do so honor their promise.
“About a hundred officials vying for elective positions in South Cotabato, Sarangani and General Santos City signed a peace covenant with the Commission on Elections, Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police on Wednesday. The signing was held at the Lagao Gym here during the Region 12 command conference for the 2010 elections.
“The candidates committed to refrain from the use of violent and fraudulent means to win the election. The officials who pledged belong to various political parties and affiliations.
“’We shall uphold the Constitution, faithfully comply with the election laws and regulations, conduct ourselves honorably at all times, campaign on issues proper and relative only to election matters and to refrain from attacking our opponents on matters not related to political advocacy,’ the covenant read.”
Speaking of peace pacts, Carol Arguillas of Mindanews, one of Vote 2010 partners, has a comprehensive report on the government’s peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Carol’s article says, “ The ‘all out peace’ and ‘primacy of the peace process’ policy statements notwithstanding, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ends her nine-year Presidency with peace as elusive as it was under predecessor Joseph Estrada, the man who declared ‘all out war’ against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on March 21, 2000.
Carol said despite Arroyo’s announcement in her 2005 State of the Nation Address that “permanent peace in Mindanao is within reach,” peace remains a dream to those caught in the government-MILF conflict.
Carol quotes MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal as saying that the major lesson learned in the last 10 years has been that the government is “not serious.”
More of that report in VERA Files Vote 2010 and Mindanews.
Kawawang puno.
Sana kung si Ronnie Puno okay lang.
Padalhan kaya natin itong mga kandidatong lapastangan sa mga trees ng poem ni Joyce Kilmer.
Last Election, we noticed a candidate for MP from of Sri-Lanka Origin posted lawn sign along our street without permission and we promptly complain to the news media..he can’t be bothered to get back and undo the lawn sign, so we all just pull them out and dump them in the Garbage.
In here only portable lawn sign can be posted on Private Properties with the permission of the owners and be taken off within two days after the polls. all other properties are off limits. very easy to enforce since the names are on the signs.
This is what I want to suggest to the next president..
I suggest to the next president Why don’t we lessen the teaching of any foreign language in our schools teach them only basic english but it will be limited to a few years our students can’t write in our national language or their local language, and also the teachers should be allowed to use the local language they want to use in teaching except doon sa subject na national language….
Magtataka ka dito pag dumaan ka sa Buendia Ave. Sa Pasay side may mga poster si Junjun Binay (makati candidate for Mayor) at sa Makati side may mga poster si Onie Bayona (Pasay Vice Mayoralty candidate). Sa malapit sa boundary, magkasama sila sa isang poster.
Gulo ‘no?