The Journey-ist: May 2013

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Mayoral candidate seeks vote recount to resolve tie

By Madonna T. Virola
Inquirer Southern Luzon

7:27 pm | Friday, May 24th, 2013

CALAPAN CITY, Philippines—The candidate who tied with his opponent for the mayoral post in the town of San Teodoro but lost in a coin toss to resolve the deadlock is now demanding a recount.
Losing mayoral candidate Salvador Py, through lawyer Romulo Peig, filed an election protest case Friday morning and demanded a recount of votes in a petition filed at office of the clerk of court of Oriental Mindoro’s Regional Trial Court.
Py (Nacionalista Party) and opponent Marvic Feraren (Liberal Party) both got 3,236 votes at the end of the canvassing of votes last May 13. To break the tie, the municipal board of canvassers resorted to the tossing of a coin, which they claimed was also a way of “drawing lots,” a system approved by the Commission of Elections as a means of breaking a tie.
Feraren was declared winner over Py when the coin landed “heads” three times out of five tosses.
Py said he decided to file a protest after watching election lawyer Romeo Macalintal saying on television that the loser in the drawing of lots has still has a right to file a protest and ask for a recount.
Reny Pagilagan, the election officer of San Teodoro, said in an earlier telephone interview that Comelec Resolution 9648 provides for a “drawing of lots” in case of ties.
He said a member of the municipal board of canvassers, which he chaired, solicited suggestions in an open session on how to break the tie.
“There was no objection to the toss-up of a coin as a way of drawing lots, so we proceeded,” he said, noting that such method had been employed in the past.
Py, however said he only agreed to resolve the tie through a toss of a coin because the local Comelec officer who suggested it was “a person in authority,” referring to Pagilagan.

Coin toss breaks tie in mayoral race in Oriental Mindoro town

By Madonna Virola
Inquirer Southern Luzon

11:46 am | Thursday, May 16th, 2013

24 684 358

CALAPAN CITY, Philippines—Heads, you win; tails, you lose.
In San Teodoro, a fourth-class municipality in the north of Oriental Mindoro, election officers resorted to the tossing of a coin to break a tie between two candidates in the mayoral race who each garnered 3,236 votes.
Marvic Feraren of the Liberal Party was declared winner over rival Salvador Py of the Nationalista Party when the coin landed “heads” three times out of five tosses.
Rene Pagilagan, the local election officer, said in a telephone phone interview that Comelec Resolution 9648 provides for a “drawing of lots” in case of ties. He said canvass officials solicited suggestions in an open session on how to break the tie. “There was no objection to the toss up of a coin as a way of drawing lots, so we proceeded.”
Pagilagan recalled that in a previous electoral exercise in Puerto Galera town, when manual counting was still the norm, a tie was broken by the tossing of a coin.
Feraren is the brother of incumbent San Teodoro Mayor Apollo Feraren, who ran for the Provincial Board representing the province’s first district.

Coin toss breaks tie in mayoral race in Oriental Mindoro town

By Madonna Virola
Inquirer Southern Luzon

11:46 am | Thursday, May 16th, 2013

24 684 358

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Philippines Campaign Urges Politicians to Put Children First

Written by Madonna T. Virola
Tue,14 May 2013 | 11:10
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http://www.portalkbr.com/asiacalling/english/southeastasia/2629429_5000.html

Philippines Campaign Urges Politicians to Put Children First

Members of BATA MUNA (Children First) perform in a concert urging politicians to put children first. (Photo: Madonna T. Virola)

Filipinos will go to the polls this month for the midterm elections.

But critics say that the issue of children’s rights is missing from the political agenda.

Bata Muna or “Children First” is a nationwide network of 30 children’s organisations that has been campaigning across the country to educate voters on the importance of child welfare.

Their campaign seeks to put children at the center of the up-coming elections.

The campaign ended with a musical concert in Cubao, Quezon City.

At least 1,000 children are here for the concert, which includes bands and dances, as well as children’s talk shows.

On stage, young artists dressed as super heroes, are dancing and playing songs about children’s issues.

16-year-old Geralyn Tapere from the group ‘Children Talk to Children’ is on stage, reading out a list of issues affecting young people.

“Corporal punishment, child labor, early pregnancy, malnutrition, truancy, poverty, lack of consultation with children, dangerous environments, disaster and conflict, child trafficking, poor education and children with disabilities.”

According to the international NGO Save the Children, nearly half of the Filipino population are children.

But political candidates rarely include them as part of their electoral manifestos. Out of 36 Manila-based politicians running in the up-coming election who were invited to the event, only 9 showed up.

This is the first time that such an event has been held, says Rowena Cordero from Save the Children.

“This is just the beginning because previous elections rarely include issues of children. Candidates would probably use children, kiss babies, or have children in their posters, or say that they are for children, but in actuality those are just words or gimmicks or part of their propaganda.”

Most of the children at the concert are not yet eligible to vote. But Geralyn promises to pass on the message to her parents at home.

“I will tell my parents to choose candidates with a platform for children. And to the candidates, I hope they aren’t empty promises. Since I was small, I’ve seen lots of promises being made on TV, but so far nothing has changed. Some children are still very poor, they can’t go to school... so I don’t trust the politicians.”

Rowena Cordero from Save the Children urges politicians to put child welfare on their agenda... and asks voters to scrutinize their candidates’ track record and hold them to account.

“So we hope that in the coming months after the elections and even after the years, we will be able to again engage those who have won political seats and monitor their track record in terms of how they are performing their responsibilities and how they are also integrating issues of children in their own programs and in their agenda. I think that’s where change will matter most for children.”

After the concert, 20-year-old Jessica Oraya says she’s now ready for her first election.

She will support candidates who are not corrupt and who have concrete plans for children, especially those from poor communities.

“I will also check their family background and research what they have done in the past for children. So it now depends on the candidates, whether or not they listen to us. If they can’t be responsible for children when elected, what will happen to us, the next generation?”