Babe's Eye View article

With the economy "on a roll" as seen by the 6.9 percent growth surge in the first quarter, there is only one thing left to sustain the momentum, and that is to make sure the country remains politically stable. That's why now more than ever, the May elections must be perceived as credible since any ensuing political instability will affect investor confidence and derail our economic momentum, as the Makati Business Club correctly pointed out. While businesses may grow, they will not grow at a pace that would maximize their full potential. Financial experts have also been saying that all we need to achieve economic growth is the perception that the country has achieved political stability.

Historically, the economy's boom and bust cycles are closely tied with the elections. While we were hopeful that by this time we will no longer be talking about the elections, it is an issue that keeps lingering especially since it has become obvious that electoral reform is a critical factor in sustaining the country's economic growth. According to economists, a 7-8 percent growth rate can significantly cut down poverty, and it looks like we are almost there with this 6.9 percent expansion.

Yet, ever since the democratic system was restored in this country, there was never an election where the results are not questioned or put under suspicion. Even as far back as I can remember during the time of Quirino, there have always been candidates complaining that they were cheated.

We have had so many opportunities to automate the elections and follow other nations like India, which has been very successful with its large population of 1.1 billion and 650 million eligible voters. It was a gargantuan task, and yet India conducted fairly clean elections—held over four weeks with results known in just a matter of days after the last ballot was cast—because of automation. There's no doubt we need to automate and totally reform the electoral process in this country especially now that the economy is showing signs of an honest-to-goodness boom.

I would like to think that after the Garci controversy, GMA would be smart enough—being a magna cum laude graduate in economics at the Assumption College, with master's and doctorate degrees from Ateneo and UP, and a dean's lister at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.—not to repeat the same legitimacy problems. I'd like to believe she kept a safe distance from this last elections. Having said that, it is now incumbent upon her, being the president of this country, to make sure that reports of cheating in places where results are highly questioned and contested are properly and thoroughly investigated.

Electoral reform is something that has been talked about for years now. As the recent elections have shown, our demographics have really changed, with the growing number of the young coming into play. One can no longer fool these people who came out in droves to cast their ballot, utilizing modern technology and the power of the media to zealously guard their votes.

All these clearly prove that more than ever, we need to keep up with the trend of automation if we want elections to be credible. For instance, Botong Pinoy (conceptualized by computer wizard Raffy Garcia) uses biometric technology to deter flying voters, and can automatically count votes cast in a precinct, transmit them to a secure Internet website, and post tabulated results from the barangay to the national level after verification.

Of course, we have to accept the fact that we are also a country where no candidate ever accepts defeat, save for a very few exceptions. I must congratulate Mike Defensor for conceding early, humbly admitting it was numerically impossible for him to land in the Magic 12. I've always liked Mike—a young politician who just really wants to do his part for this country. Too bad he didn't make it, but his early concession will help defuse the tension brought about by all these charges and counter charges of vote padding and shaving.

In the case of Garci, his early acknowledgment of defeat is something else, and many think he just probably wanted to prove a point. But the bottom line is, electoral reform is really needed, and people in power—whether from the administration or the opposition—must push this as their number one priority.

First of all, the multi-party system is a disaster, and experts believe we should go back to the two-party system where issues and platforms can be clearly defined and established and resources maximized. Even if it is not perfect, at least it's one that could work better in this country.

Today's youth will eventually become the leaders of this country, and those who were voted in especially people like Ed Angara—whom we can now consider one of the senior senators—should guide the young winners who will take over in 2010, and test the country's electoral process.

Right now, our electoral system is all messed up and is hanging by just a thread. Unless we start with electoral reform now, then very likely we will have another disaster in 2010—with the stability of this country going up and down depending on the legitimacy and credibility of the president. The very basic thing about a democratic system is the conduct of honest elections. It's not going to be easy, but electoral reform is the only obstacle left for the Philippines to finally achieve true economic success and move up from its third world tag, and become a developed country.