Many times, I am asked if I have political ambitions – meaning, if I entertain the idea of running for public office.  My answer has always been a consistent Big NO!  I am perhaps traumatized by the rampant fraud and violence that characterize the elections in my birthplace – Lanao del Sur.

       Every election season, a different type of terror besets Lanao del Sur.  The COMELEC never fails to declare the province as an election hotspot – where incidents of election-related violence and fraud are prevalent. 

            One is left to guess how this problem ever started and why it seems to be getting worse.  Consider the following contributing factors:

• Presence of the opportunity to commit fraud due to bribery and tolerance of, if not connivance with, the authorities (COMELEC officials, AFP, PNP, Treasurer, DepEd officials).  Many of these officials make so much money to the tune of millions of pesos during the elections;
• Laxity in the implementation of the law – nobody is penalized yet on election bribery, vote-buying, ballot box snatching, flying voting, canvassing fraud/dagdag-bawas, etc; 
• Over-enthusiasm of the candidates due to the scarcity of job opportunities in the Muslim communities – the elective positions do not require high educational qualifications, technical skills/expertise, long work experience or good references.  Anybody can apply for the job!  The attachment of the title of HONORABLE, etc is a plus factor to ex-convicts, drug lords, CD pirates and the like who would like to get tacit approval of their illegal activities even if this means shelling out a big fortune of P50M to be elected as a Municipal Mayor; 
• Gaining acceptability of Election Fraud as a normal part of the electoral process since everybody is doing it anyway (from Aparri to Jolo, from the National officials to the barangay officials, from the top echelons of the bureaucracy down to the lowest levels of the hierarchy); 
• Proliferation of arms and presence of armed groups in the communities which are not checked by the PNP/AFP authorities – private armies abound everywhere; 
• Prevailing belief in the communities that “might is right” – before one files his/her candidacy, his/her 3G’s (Gold, Guns and Goons) are ascertained before the whole family supports him/her (the going rate for vote-buying in Lanao is P1,000 to P20,000 per voter); 
• The non-existence of infrastructure (good roads, bridges, etc.) makes the communities inaccessible to the PNP/AFP for more effective and efficient checking of the fraud and violence happening during election day;
• Subservience of the ordinary folks to the desire of the Powerful but corrupt leader for fear for their lives (The Muslims in Mindanao still practice “blood revenge”);
• Costly and slow litigation of election cases.  How can non-moneyed candidates expect to win in their protest against the more affluent questionable “winners” and risk losing millions of pesos when many electoral cases drag on for several years, even beyond the 3-year term of the “winning” candidate? (Even Loren Legarda decided to run for Senator when she felt that her protest against the Vice-President would drag on for several more years!); and
• Poverty of the people which makes them easy preys of the political vultures.

            What then can the government do to curb Election Fraud and Violence?

• Conduct Special Advance Elections for Lanao and the other Provinces which are perennial “hotspots” like Abra, Masbate, Batangas, Sulu, Basilan, Maguindanao, etc. (such advance schedule is now done with the OFW’s and the AFP personnel assigned in various places);
• Reshuffle staff/officials of PNP, AFP, COMELEC, Treasurer, Supt/DepEd officials barely two (2) days before the special elections (This is to prevent such officials to have cordial relations with the candidates who intend to bribe them during the elections);
• Implement the law strictly and make election bribery/vote buying/fly voting heinous crimes (This will send a chilling message to the Election Criminals);
• Check the lifestyles of the COMELEC officials (many of them are actually richer than many BIR, DPWH, BOC officials who have pending cases with the Ombudsman);
• Ban any private vehicles going out of the municipalities on the day of the elections to prevent/reduce flying voters; and
• NO ELECTIONS in the local government units to avoid a repeat of the killings, bribery, arson, fraud, vote-buying, and all other detestable acts happening during this “democratic” process.  In some progressive countries like Malaysia, Thailand, etc. the positions of Mayor and Governor are appointed by the Government.  Such appointive officials assume their positions without violence and vote-buying, and they therefore perform their jobs like any other professional civil servants!