Risqué business

IT IS TRUE THAT OUR GOVERNMENT IS spending more than P11 billion of our tax (blood?) money for our first ever fully automated elections.

By all counts, the not-so-cheap automation project is a clear “go.” The Comelec answers every bit of criticism against the project rather passionately, careful to protect its credibility. Bet on it, the Comelec is dead serious this time on this risky business.

Well, it is said that the automation will make “cheating” (OK, wholesale fraud) at the precinct and city levels quite difficult. Some say it will be outright impossible. Our tax money goes to something good for once.

So how do the moneyed candidates—particularly those backed up by the billions of pesos thrown by the business sector into the political arena—use their cash to their advantage?

Source: Daily Inquirer
They can still buy votes, surely, but the flavor of the season seems to be the filing of disqualification cases before the Comelec. It is just a matter of getting the Comelec to disqualify your worthiest opponent, and voila, you win the elections easily.

Those political animals can really come up with new ways to cheat.

***

The issue came to light in media when a crusading lawyer took note of the “disqualification” trend. His name is Ferdinand Topacio, one of those who worked on the issuance of the arrest warrants for Sen. Panfilo Lacson and former Batangas Vice Governor Richard Recto. You know—big people!

The point is that this guy does not shy away from tough legal fights as long as he has the goods on those big guys.

Topacio happens to be the legal counsel for incumbent Palawan Governor Joel Reyes, who is running for a congressional seat in the same province.

Surprise—some moneyed groups filed a disqualification case against Reyes. Not only that, the same groups also filed disqualification case against Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra, who is running for governor. In short, a bit risqué!

Somebody must be out to control politics in the province. As everybody knows, this is the province that stands to get billions of pesos in royalty from the multibillion-dollar Malampaya natural gas find.

Questioned in the cases was supposedly the residency of both Mitra and Reyes. These are the men who have been the governor and the congressman of the province for the past nine years. You mean, they are not from Palawan?

Rumors go around in the business sector about the “cost” of disqualification cases, if you know what I mean.

And so Topacio relayed such unkind damaging talk to the reputation of the Comelec, even directing his concern to its official. For one, as Topacio pointed out, there was a marked increase in disqualification cases. Could the Comelec please look into it?

Now this is a lawyer who came out in the open regarding the issue. He did not hide behind the cloak “anonymity.” A lot of people thought the Comelec, like in the automation project, would take the issue seriously.

How did the Comelec react? Well, in a baffling defensive stance, the Comelec reportedly told the lawyer to prove it. There is a word for this—“cavalier.”

Again, regarding corruption involving the disqualification cases in the Comelec, nobody but nobody else—not even the Lola at the Palace—can ever have the wherewithal to find out the truth. Only the Comelec can.

But as it stands, “prove it” is the only answer we get from the guardian of the sanctity of our ballots.

***

Hiding behind anonymity this time is a “concerned citizen” who apparently wants to destroy the chances of Justice Antonio Carpio to become the next Chief Justice.

As everybody knows, media pitted Carpio against Justice Renato Corona to take the place of retiring Chief Justice Reynato Puno, with Corona supposedly the “boy” of this cute administration of Gloriaetta.

The business community is following the drama miniseries, because most of the cases in the Supreme Court had one way or another something to do with business. You know—contracts, deals and such.

The thing is, nobody can be sure that Carpio will be the choice of the next administration. It is nevertheless certain that he is not the choice of this cute administration.

Now, in a letter to the Judicial and Bar Council, which makes the shortlist of nominees to judicial postings, that “concerned citizen” accused Carpio of using his government position during the time of former President Fidel Ramos to favor Carpio’s wife.

The x-man said Carpio manipulated some government rules to qualify his wife, a Vietnamese by birth, to become a naturalized Filipino.

Carpio’s wife became a permanent resident of the Philippines way way back in 1974—or two years after they were married. In 1978, the Philippine government recognized her as a Filipino citizen when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued her a Philippine passport.

That was about 14 years before Carpio became the presidential legal adviser under the administration of Kuya Eddie.

No wonder, the accuser had to hide behind anonymity. The JBC could have also said, “prove it.” Instead, the JBC gave Mr. X the courtesy of a concrete step by forwarding the anonymous letter to Carpio, who—from what I heard—answered it convincingly point by point.

But on the issue of the sudden rush of disqualification cases in the Comelec, some lawyer risked his reputation—and perhaps even security—by coming out in the open.

I thought that the Comelec reaction ("prove it”) was a bit shifty.