Written by Mark Wilson Vale
With the
drama-like situations, every Filipinos faced this pandemic; some of our
candidates in the upcoming 2022 National elections also made their version in
politics. Like previous elections, the substitution of candidates has been the
drama of some prominent politicians in filing their candidacy. And this
upcoming election, we have witnessed this drama on the national scene again.
Candidate substitution has been legal in our country, as stated in Section 77 of Batas Pambansa Bilang 881, also known as the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines. Under this law signed in 1995, the substitution of candidates is allowed only in cases of death, withdrawal, or disqualification of the original candidate. However, some aspiring candidates abused this practice for their interest every election. Hence, Congress and the senate should unite to amend this law so we do not witness this drama again in the next national election in 2028.
In the 2016 national elections, President Rodrigo Duterte was one example of a candidate substitution. Duterte first stated that he would not run for president. However, he later withdrew his candidacy for reelection as Davao City mayor. Instead, he joined the presidential race as a last-minute substitute for Martin Diño, who was the standard-bearer of the PDP-Laban party at the time.
Moreover, the Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte did the same tactics. Contrary to her claim that she would not run for national position, on Saturday, November 13, 2021, Mayor Sara filed her candidacy for vice president, replacing Lakas-CMD's candidate in the 2022 elections. She explains that her sudden change of mind is her way to meet her supporters halfway. Like father, like daughter, isn't it?
Despite the political dramas, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is one of the senators who believed the COMELEC should ban this political mockery. On October 25, 2021, Gatchalian pushed a bill to ban substitution when a candidate withdraws. The bill seeks to revise Section 77 of the Omnibus Election Code, allowing accredited political parties to substitute their candidates in cases of death, disqualification, or withdrawal. He even stated that the substitution of voluntarily withdrawn candidates had abused the system over the years. It even goes against the intent of the law to uphold orderly and transparent elections. He also said the practice had made a "mockery" of candidacy filing.
On the contrary, COMELEC spokesman James Jimenez emphasized that substitution for voluntary withdrawals "is still a necessary remedy, particularly for political parties." He said it brings "no damage" to the electoral system. However, he acknowledged a need for regulation and admitted that it's about time for lawmakers to add some rules to it, perhaps for the improvement.
The mockery is already in your eyes, so don't let politicians fool you anymore. Senator Gatchalian's bill is a great start to end this drama. However, it would be better if the bill would also consider strict evaluation of candidates while filing the certificate of candidacy (COC). First, the COMELEC should ban candidates from withdrawing their COCs, so that the political parties have no chance to replace someone on the candidacy. If they are unsure of their decisions, then they should think first. Second, COMELEC should also prohibit the acceptance of placeholders who only came out of nowhere. Most of the time, these placeholders are only nuisance candidates paid by the political parties to secure a place for their original bet. In this way, they cannot replace their candidates unless the candidate dies or the COMELEC disqualifies them. Moreover, these regulations would indeed remind every aspiring candidate to take the position they want seriously.
In conclusion, these political strategies only show the politician's disrespectfulness to the sanctity of the election process. An election is sacred; therefore, they should take it with the utmost respect. Thus, enacting a law banning candidate substitution for withdrawn candidates is what our country needs right now.
Candidate substitution has been legal in our country, as stated in Section 77 of Batas Pambansa Bilang 881, also known as the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines. Under this law signed in 1995, the substitution of candidates is allowed only in cases of death, withdrawal, or disqualification of the original candidate. However, some aspiring candidates abused this practice for their interest every election. Hence, Congress and the senate should unite to amend this law so we do not witness this drama again in the next national election in 2028.
In the 2016 national elections, President Rodrigo Duterte was one example of a candidate substitution. Duterte first stated that he would not run for president. However, he later withdrew his candidacy for reelection as Davao City mayor. Instead, he joined the presidential race as a last-minute substitute for Martin Diño, who was the standard-bearer of the PDP-Laban party at the time.
Moreover, the Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte did the same tactics. Contrary to her claim that she would not run for national position, on Saturday, November 13, 2021, Mayor Sara filed her candidacy for vice president, replacing Lakas-CMD's candidate in the 2022 elections. She explains that her sudden change of mind is her way to meet her supporters halfway. Like father, like daughter, isn't it?
Despite the political dramas, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is one of the senators who believed the COMELEC should ban this political mockery. On October 25, 2021, Gatchalian pushed a bill to ban substitution when a candidate withdraws. The bill seeks to revise Section 77 of the Omnibus Election Code, allowing accredited political parties to substitute their candidates in cases of death, disqualification, or withdrawal. He even stated that the substitution of voluntarily withdrawn candidates had abused the system over the years. It even goes against the intent of the law to uphold orderly and transparent elections. He also said the practice had made a "mockery" of candidacy filing.
On the contrary, COMELEC spokesman James Jimenez emphasized that substitution for voluntary withdrawals "is still a necessary remedy, particularly for political parties." He said it brings "no damage" to the electoral system. However, he acknowledged a need for regulation and admitted that it's about time for lawmakers to add some rules to it, perhaps for the improvement.
The mockery is already in your eyes, so don't let politicians fool you anymore. Senator Gatchalian's bill is a great start to end this drama. However, it would be better if the bill would also consider strict evaluation of candidates while filing the certificate of candidacy (COC). First, the COMELEC should ban candidates from withdrawing their COCs, so that the political parties have no chance to replace someone on the candidacy. If they are unsure of their decisions, then they should think first. Second, COMELEC should also prohibit the acceptance of placeholders who only came out of nowhere. Most of the time, these placeholders are only nuisance candidates paid by the political parties to secure a place for their original bet. In this way, they cannot replace their candidates unless the candidate dies or the COMELEC disqualifies them. Moreover, these regulations would indeed remind every aspiring candidate to take the position they want seriously.
In conclusion, these political strategies only show the politician's disrespectfulness to the sanctity of the election process. An election is sacred; therefore, they should take it with the utmost respect. Thus, enacting a law banning candidate substitution for withdrawn candidates is what our country needs right now.
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