Election period brings new hope to some in different point of view The start of election campaign in the Philippines makes many Filipinos happy, hopeful and excited. Many consider election period as the start of many privileges for Filipino voters. Why not? For business people, election means “Business As Usual Again” as bulk of printing orders for campaign materials such as T-shirts, flyers, tarpaulins and postcards significantly soar high. Election period also provides home-based entrepreneurs the opportunity to gain extra income for accepting conceptualizing, lay-outing, printing jobs of campaign flyers, and other materials. But there are other reasons why some Filipino voters are feeling excited about election period: Election means traveling to distant resort, in guise of seminars or conventions, all expenses paid, and sometimes with matching pabaon or cash allowances sponsored by the congressmen or the city/ municipal mayors who are running for reelection. And the most exciting part is the vote-buying and vote-selling, distributing assistance (ayuda, even without calamity or disaster) courtesy of the politicos who wanted to win reelection in office. For many politicians, staying in power means staying in business. Vote-buying during election (true or not) is a common topic in Philippine politics which is allegedly privately and illegally practiced as underground activities by political candidates who utilize it as a political strategy. Normally, a few days before the Election Day. Why Vote Buying? Comelec explained that vote buying is done as an effort to persuade anyone or the general public to vote for or against any candidate or to withhold his vote in an election. Withholding one’s vote is done by not going to the voting precinct to vote. Usually, the voter may receive bills ranging from P50, P150, P200, P300, P500, P1,000, P3,000, and P5,000 depending on the position of the seller in the community. Comelec warned that under Batas Pambansa Bilang 881, vote buying and/ or selling is punishable “with imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years and shall not be subject to probation. In addition, the guilty party shall be sentenced to suffer disqualification to hold public office and deprivation of the right of suffrage.” Unfortunately, poverty, unemployment and lack of sense of morality, caused many to say NO to P500 bill. Hear’s To Watch. In Olongapo City, four individuals had filed their Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for Mayoralty: the incumbent Rolen Paulino, Jr., the incumbent Vice Mayor Jong “Serbilis” Cortez, incumbent Barangay Gordon Heights Chairman Priscilla “Kap Echie” Ponge, and businessman Arnold “Manager Ng Bayan” Vegafria. Candidate Ponge is set to file her COC on Tuesday, October 8. Of the four aspirants, only Vegafria has disclosed his platforms of administration if elected as mayor of Olongapo. Among these are 1) Invite investors to the city to resolve unemployment; 2) Promoting Olongapo as Entertainment Capital of the Philippines by bolstering Tourism industry; 3) Improving the three main roads and shorelines in the city, and 4) Strengthening health services. A new player in the political arena, Vegafria is confident that if only without vote buying, their team “Anak ng Gapo” has a chance of winning in this coming election. He also call on all voters in the city to protect their right to vote, and intelligently vote for candidates who they believe could deliver progress for the people of Olongapo, and not for who could buy their votes. Every election has its own story to tell, and depending on the principle of the voters, what it would be for 2025?