I understand now why these elections would be the bloodiest of all. Folks from 2000 when GMA stole the presidency from Erap, and down to 2010, we have not really had any honest elections. There had always been cheating and cover-ups of the real scores. People were scared of confronting GMA of such issues until the Ampatuan massacre occurred in Maguindanao which rendered many people murdered including the wife of a candidate Mangundadatu. That incident showed the extent of embracing corruption to the fullest -- of freezing any attempt to dislodge the Ampatuans from power. It showed us the gravest acts that someone who is eager for power could ever do.
And so in this second wave of elections from 2010, candidates especially those who are vying for posts long held by corrupt officials are braver in facing the costs of running. They are more confrontational and do not mince words in calling a spade a spade. After all the essence of democratic elections is to justify why one is running for a post -- what changes in policies, programs and activities of both local and national positions will be made in order to bring about a society that is not poor, not corrupt and open to everyone to live peacefully and humanely.
The statistics are coming day by day and it seems that the presence of military and police authorities in hotspot areas is not bringing about any cowering for fear of the perpetrators of electoral crimes. Now, can we expect the people to protect their votes, to risk their lives to have their real choices win, and not some other who has manipulated the PCOS machines?
This will take a good kind of vigilance from all sectors -- the churches, the non-government organizations, the polwatchers, and many more. The people must feel that they are still protected even when questioning up to small details any electoral act that would subvert the results.
We live only once. Is it all right to risk our lives for a vote? Each one should have an answer to that.
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