Preparing for 2022 May elections

Can we together prepare enough and effectively to ensure clean and honest elections May next year?

Oh, certain prospective candidates have long been posting their faces in various public places so shamelessly eager to have themselves remembered and elected by voters. For sure, these candidates also have their well-funded machinery and networks busy to attain their goal- victory!

Deserving candidates, on the other hand, remain busy, continuing their present service to assist needy Filipinos adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their faith in God is very solid – if it is God’s will that they run, then with God’s grace and in God’s own time, these deserving candidates will share this new mission from the Lord with the Filipino people. Meanwhile, these deserving candidates are fulfilling their present mission to truly take care of and serve our needy people without any thought of elections as the reason for their service.

One major step to prepare for the 2022 May elections is to discern and then to support deserving candidates, genuine servant-leaders who agree to offer their voluntary and actual service to God and people.

Unlike the undeserving who are running for power, privilege, and prestige for themselves, voters can start this early to clarify for themselves and perhaps, dialogue and form groups to arrive at a consensus about the Philippines they all want to have in the future and about the leaders who can really bring our people and our nation to the country and future we all want to have.

Conscientious Filipino voters may want to draw up a local and national score card to rate candidates in terms of their past, actual and proposed service for our country and our people.

Responsible and patriotic voters can also organize to call out to other voters to confirm their registration so their vote will truly be honestly included and counted in the election of the next leaders by 2022.

Please be among those whose votes can make the needed difference and change, especially for the millions of poor and needy Filipinos.

Special shout out to our youth and our migrant workers! Please check Comelec registration dates and requirements soonest!

This early, let us all ensure as well that next year’s elections and all other elections thereafter will be clean and honest.

How to do that?

Again, all will need to come together, review the past elections, especially the unexplained glitch last experienced that could have been avoided and could have confirmed, without any trace of doubt, the real winners truly elected by the Filipino voters.

If automated election processing will be continued, more safeguards need to be installed and implemented. Electoral watchdogs, representing all political parties and candidates should be allowed to monitor the electoral processes and requirements before, during election day itself and after election.

The military/police should be posted where they cannot intimidate and influence the voters and the actual results of the elections.

A thorough multiparty, multisectoral review of past electoral exercises, policies and practices should have been done by now?

This careful, comprehensive, exhaustive review can pinpoint past strengths in the electoral processes that can be continued or past weaknesses to be avoided and replaced.

Special attention please to: 1) clear appointment/designation of point persons and teams of volunteers as well as paid electoral staff and team who carefully/exhaustively know their tasks and assignments, 2) resources especially related to voting and balloting (ballots, boxes, precincts, salaries/allowances, reliable, safe and protected communication networks, and more.

Comelec has to shape up even better than its previous performance and work.

The participation of the public and every Filipino, however, is crucial to having truly clean and honest elections next year and in the coming years!