Threats to Philippine Democracy

There are reasons why people feel fear and threatened right now. The very democracy which we so love hangs in the balance.

First, the very integrity of the constitutional and electional process is under threat. Second, an elitist Lower House continues to ignore public pleas to address more significant issues like agrarian reform while they waste public money discussing charter change. Third, attempts are underway to curtail the very individual freedoms we enjoy over the Internet.

How do you know expect the 2010 elections to be sweakingly clean when the very computer system that the COMELEC intends to use, is controlled by associates of the First Gentleman of Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo?

Wittingly or unwittingly, COMELEC played in the sinister plans of this administration. What is to prevent people behind this consortium to ensure the victories of their favored bets come 2010? Answer---nothing. Gus Lagman is right---the system is not infalliable. It can be manipulated. What are our safeguards? Nothing. We don't have any weapons to fight or counter fraud except collective expression of disgusts.

And despite public opposition against charter change, the Lower House continues to discuss this despicable issue in contempt of the 76% of the Filipino People who already expressed their anger against cha-cha. Who are the people being represented by these Congressmen? I thought they are representatives of the people. The people already decided this issue. Yet, they seem ignorant or they act like they don't hear the shouts of our people against this measure.

And people like Partylist Cong. Irwin Tieng seems like playing into the hands of these anti-democratic forces working fervently within government, using the Katrina Halili-Hayden Kho sex video scandal, to justify the passage of a Philippine Cyber Law. Nothing wrong with passing such a law yet it is the duty of Mr. Tieng to explain the rights to be curtailed by his law. Instead of playing into the emotions of people, Tieng should present the merits of his proposal before the Filipino net community. We are the stakeholders here and we should be informed correctly on the merits and demerits of such a measure.

We have been deprived of our voice in 2004. And we face the very prospect of a repeat of the same come 2010. Worst, other civil liberties like internet use etc. are being put into extreme jeopardy.

What are we to do about these threats? Are we to just be "silent" or we choose the right leader or just fight it out? You choose.