Miriam will push for law vs political mudslinging if reelected

TANZA, Cavite—Pausing from her own campaign effort at the Nacionalista Party’s mini-rally at barangay Julagan in this coastal town, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on Friday could not help but reflect on how the election campaign was turning ugly this early, and wear again her legislator's hat. Apparently fed up with the spate of dirty politicking, Santiago vowed to file a bill that will stop political mudslinging by empowering the Commission on Elections to penalize the practice, particularly during the campaign season. "Ang mga hindi makataong paninira ay hindi dapat payagan kapag kampanya. Wala nang disenteng taong tatakbo kung ganyan palang pwedeng kahit maski, kahit anong kasinungaling ibabato (Uncivilized slander should not be allowed during campaigns. No decent person will run any more if this is allowed to continue, where any falsity can be thrown at you)," the senator said in a chance interview after her speech at the mini-rally of NP, which is carrying her as a guest candidate. She said the bill, which she will file if she is reelected, will define mudslinging, and those who commit this wrongdoing will face administrative charges, disqualification and imprisonment. “There should be a moratorium on the filing of complaints against candidates when an election period approaches, and those who file complaints should be made responsible. Campaigns should not be conducted that way. Whoever is close to the masses and can convince the masses that they can go into government, those are the ones we should vote into office, and not merely because a candidate has money to slander another candidate," Santiago said in Tagalog, in her trademark rapidfire style. She admitted that hate campaigns become really prevalent during election season and she wants to change this. "Only the Comelec can initiate and undertake this kind of initiative. Kasi pag-iisip ngayon, basta mangangampanya ka bilang presidente, dapat meron ka talagang dirty tricks operation para siraan mo ang kapwa mo, para magantihan mo ang mga naninira sa iyo (The thinking now is that, if you’re campaigning for the presidency, you should engage in dirty tricks operations to slander others, and to get back at those who slander you)," the senator said. "I hope we can complete in the realm of creativity of our ideas, in political science, or in projects that will truly help the people, so as to become the basis for electing the president, vice president, senators. Those dirty tricks departments should really be abolished," she added.—Amita O. Legaspi/JV, GMANews.TV