'No sweat' for over 400 bets running unopposed in May polls

As political analysts like to say, central to democracy is the capacity of the people to periodically choose their leaders in a clean and fair exercise of the universal right to vote. But for a significant number of localities in the country, the upcoming May elections will just be a formality. The reason: a number of candidates are unopposed in running for key positions. The May elections will be a no-sweat affair for over 400 candidates whose bids are unchallenged. Of this number, more than half are from the administration party Lakas-Kampi-CMD, A survey of data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) by GMA News Research showed that as of March 15, there are 468 candidates who are running without rivals, mostly for local positions. These include 14 for Lower House seats, four for governor, nine for city mayor, and over a hundred for municipal mayor. (See Table 1) Table1. Unopposed candidates, by position Source: GMA News Research A quick sampling of a few candidates will show that if you are a member or close ally of an established political dynasty, you enjoy an edge that may well result in other aspiring politicians not even daring to run against you in an election:

• Joseph Victor “JV" Ejercito, two-term San Juan City mayor and son of former president Joseph Estrada is running unopposed for the city’s lone Congressional seat.
• Also running unopposed is Arthur Yap, former agriculture secretary under the Arroyo administration, seeking a House seat to represent Bohol.
• Mylyn Cayabyab Pineda’s bid for mayor of Lubao town in the province of Pampanga is likewise unchallenged. Mylyn is the daughter of former provincial board member Lilia Pineda, who was later declared by the Comelec the duly elected governor of the province following the ouster of Gov. Ed Panlilio.
• The Tiangco brothers John Reynald and Tobias Reynald, running for mayor and lone representative respectively of Navotas City, do not have any rivals.

Of the unopposed candidates, 267 are from Lakas, 64 are running as independent candidates while 58 are under Nacionalista Party. These candidates are already sure of clinching the position, since the country’s election rules require only one vote in their favor to be elected. 18 municipalities with full tickets unopposed Data gathered by GMA News Research also showed that there are 18 municipalities where practically no elections will be held as the whole local government slate – from mayor down to municipal councilors – are running unopposed. (See Table 2) Table 2. Municipalities with unopposed local slates Source: GMA News Research Of special concern is the fact that eight of these municipalities are in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), mostly in Maguindanao, where past elections have acquired a reputation for gross anomalies. Maguindanao was mentioned in the “Hello Garci" recordings, where a male voice, believed to be then Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano’s, was heard assuring a woman, believed to be President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, that the region would not be “much of a problem" in the 2004 presidential elections. True enough, Arroyo handily won in Maguindanao over popular action star Fernando Poe Jr. In the 2007 elections, allegations of massive cheating again hounded the region, where all 12 administration-backed senatorial candidates won. Apart from Maguindanao, the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte and Abra were also declared hotspots by Comelec, in light of high incidence of election-related violence recorded in those areas. The proverbial guns, goons and gold According to political analysts, there are several factors that enable politicians to run unopposed. Foremost of these are the well-oiled machinery of the candidates’ parties and the threat of violence in these localities. “One aspect of elections in the Philippines is that one way of assuring that you will win, especially if you are moneyed, all you need to do is buy out your rivals," said Prof. Bobby Tuazon, director for policy studies of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG). Tuazon said the existence of traditional turfs and political clans discourage other candidates from running against members of well-entrenched families. “The power of clans is omnipotent and overarching. To run against them is a futile exercise," he explained. This is all the more true in provinces like Abra and Maguindanao, known to be areas where warlords and private armies are prevalent, and where physical violence and threats have become part of the electoral landscape. The advantage of the incumbent In many areas, the incumbent has consolidated his bailiwick for a long and to a great extent that even without the obvious display of guns and goods, he still enjoys additional leverage in resources and local machinery, Tuazon said. Re-electionists Eustaquio Bersamin and Michael Fariñas, for example, are running unopposed as Abra governor and Laoag City Mayor respectively. Both are set to take on their second term. Also running unopposed are incumbent Reps. Anthony Floirendo Lagdameo Jr. of the second district of Davao del Norte; Nelson Dayanghirang of the first district of Davao Oriental and Simeon Datumanong of the 2nd district of Maguindanao. All three are members of Lakas-Kampi-CMD. “It’s a source of major concern, because we chose democracy. One hallmark of democracy is the right to change leaders," says another political analyst Dr. Clarita Carlos in a QTV Channel 11 newscast. Elections in the country have become expensive, she said, that prospective candidates genuinely and fervently interested in public service would hesitate mainly because of lack of money. Limiting the people’s choices At any rate, the phenomenon of candidates running unchallenged signifies a flawed election system and an unhealthy democracy for the country, because it limits the people's choices who their next set of leaders would be, according to Prof. Simeon Ilago, director of the University of the Philippines-based Center for Local and Regional Governance. “Winning the elections is not synonymous to good governance. Whatever is the kind of performance of the unopposed candidate, the people will have no other choice but to accept it," Ilago explained. For Ilago, one possible policy gap is that the state does not provide incentives to encourage competition in elections. He cited the case of state subsidy for political campaigns as one possible incentive, currently prevalent in European countries, where the government would fund part of the election expenses of political parties. In the US for example, public funding at the federal level is provided, albeit only for presidential candidates of just the major political parties. Similar bills have been filed in the Philippines, according to Tuazon. In 2002, Sen. Edgardo Angara filed a campaign reform finance bill supposedly to remove the financial clutches on political campaigns of big businesses, oligarchic families and other groups with vested interests. Ilago, however, is himself doubtful of whether this could be realized here, given the current political structure. Tuazon adds that these bills are mere “uphill battles" as current members of both chambers of Congress come from elite families who will not allow that their political clout be undermined. Some legislators and groups have also expressed opposition to the proposal, saying this would mean another burden to the already overtaxed citizens, and that this could yet be another avenue for corruption. “The current structure favors those with personal resources, so that chances are reduced for potential candidates who may be qualified to serve," he said.—JV, GMANews.TV