Not surprising

Why am I, along with most of my colleagues, not surprised by the testimony of Election Commissioner Ressureccion Borra at a recent Senate hearing? It could have made a big impact – with nonetheless a high-ranking official from Comelec admitting ‘massive’ irregularities in the 2004 polls. Yet, as the sound of how things are, it is being shrugged off as another dissenting ‘opinion’ against an already battered Malacañang.

It was the first time that a Commission Elections official acknowledged the fact that cheating had taken place during the balloting. As if adding insult to injury, Borra stressed that, “It was not done by one party or one candidate alone. It was endemic.”

Endemic is a word used to mean a disease that is constantly present to a greater or lesser degree in people of a certain class or in people living in a particular location. Used figuratively, it means the same thing. Fraud, dupery, cheating and sham are undesirable traits in a civilized society. To admit that cheating is endemic, by no less than a commissioner tasked with ensuring a clean and honest election, is and admittance of their failure to safeguard the integrity of the ballot boxes.

"Whether in the Comelec or political parties or candidates, even in our own citizens' arm, there are Judases," Borra further added at the hearing.

With this, Sen. Rodolfo Biazon countered, “If we follow that standard, do we have enough ropes?”

By which Borra retorted, “They can jump from tall buildings and drown themselves in the river.”

By following said line of thought, it seems that both are admitting that running after the culprits would not be that easy. If the perpetrators have some sort of conscience, the advice from the two is to just commit suicide for the arm of the law is not that long.

And these lead us again to the question of legitimacy by the present administration – or of Comelec for that matter. But as events have unfolded, fraud rested not solely at the hands of the commission of Malacañang but involved a web of graft, corruption and subversion. Several members of the armed forces were said to be involved, and so does other dirty hands eager and greedy to have their share of the dagdag-bawas pie.

With this at hand, it is safe to say that electoral reforms are indeed needed. It could be surmised, however, that even with the latest technology we have at hand, this would not prevent cheating. State-of-the-art tools for election is equal to state-of-the-art rigging of electoral results. Reform then, must be centered on the morals of those who are involved.

And why am I also not convinced with the announcement of Department of Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, Jr. stating that one of the changes that would take place would be the non-involvement of the military in the elections? Apolitical is such a common word nowadays. The truth of the matter is, the AFP would always belong to the upper echelons of power. Their influence, no matter how unsolicited, would still be a persuasive force albeit at the point of a gun. The president appoints generals, and allegiance to the republic sometimes runs contrary to the call of conscience and the mandate of the Constitution.

I would have loved to write down here that we are progressing no matter how slowpoke it may be. Comelec admitting its negligence or fault; the AFP training to be apolitical. But one sees all these empty promises of reform all the time. That is the reason why a ‘promising’ political figure is just that, full of promises. Hope is a word for the hoping, while indifference is a word for the tired, for the false expectations, and for false hope even.

Commissioner Borra was right in his rhetoric regarding our society being plagued an endemic. It is a question of honesty. The truth is equivalent to being legitimate and legitimacy equals lawfulness by virtue. Surprise! Surprise! One thing that may shock me at this time is for the truth to come out.