Start LASER-testing those candidates
With the campaign period formally on, senatorial and party-list candidates frequently will be in the news, ads, and social media. Before the local contenders join the fray in late March, strive to know the national ones. LASER-test them – to ensure your wise voting.
Featured in this space last year, the LASER test can help you gauge the candidates’ character and capabilities. LASER stands for Lifestyle, Actions, Supporters, Election practices, and Reputation. Voting by those standards, you can ensure better elective officials.
Grade the candidates, voter educators suggest:
5 points = Very Good
4 points = Good
3 point = Average
2 points = Fail
1 point = No Data Available
Following are 14 guide questions, beside each of which you can write down the grade:
Lifestyle
(1) Is the candidate’s lifestyle simple, not luxurious and lavish?
(2) Does the candidate’s family live simply, not extravagantly?
Actions
(3) Is the candidate a college graduate? If not, is he/she successful in his/her chosen career?
(4) When the candidate was a plain citizen, was he/she helping the farmers, fishermen, women, elderly, persons with disabilities, ethnic tribe folk, victims of injustice (like extrajudicial killings) with their problems?
(5) In public office, did the candidate help the farmers, fishermen, women, elderly, PWDs, ethnic tribe folk, victims of injustice (like EJKs) through projects or pro-poor legislation?
(6) Has the candidate not been sued for corruption, estafa (fraud), human-rights violation, and other crimes?
SUPPORTERS
(7) Are the candidate’s supporters and financiers decent persons and not involved in illegal activities?
Election practices
(8) Does the candidate and his/her supporters obey Comelec rules and regulations?
(9) Does the candidate and supporters not buy votes, cheat, or terrorize voters?
(10) Does the candidate not belong to any political dynasty, and has no relative presently in politics?
Reputation
(11) Is the candidate respected by his/her neighbors?
(12) Is the candidate respected by his/her workers?
(13) Is the candidate respected by members of his/her church?
(14) Is the candidate respected by his/her spouse and children?
Feel free to share with relatives and friends, neighbors and associates.
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The Sigma Kappa Pi Fraternity and Sigma Delta Pi Sorority present “REV” music festival to cap the annual UP Fair. Twelve hours of songs, skits, and relevant advocacies. Starting at 4 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 16, at the UP-Diliman Sunken Garden.
Performances by the bands, artists, and troupes: Haragan, 9 Scoops of Vanilla, Carmensita, Bottom Space, Room for Cielo, The Roomhoppers, Fire Underwater, Alarma, Balisong, Lupe, BTC Sounds, Tsinelas, Dong Abay, The General Strike, Marla Zuñiga, Rocky Deleste, UP Rep, Calix x BLKD x Skin x Bones, The Mothercampers, The Jerks, Bullet Dumas, Ultra Combo, Stellar Addition, Mr. Bones and the Boneyard Circus, Slapshock, Wilabaliw, Even, Saydie, and more.
Tickets: only P160 regular, P80 for UP, PUP, Kalayaan College students. Online: bit.ly/REV2019Platinum. Also at Dickies Stores: SM North EDSA, Annex Bldg. 1; SM Fairview, Ground Flr., Main Bldg.; or Ever Gotesco Commonwealth. For walk-ins: EKIT-EDIT Tambayan, Vinzons Hall, across the Sunken Garden venue, UP Diliman.
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Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., DWIZ (882-AM).
Gotcha archives on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jarius-Bondoc/1376602159218459, or The STAR website https://beta.philstar.com/columns/134276/gotcha
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