The Filipino electorate needs to be educated on the economics of an expensive election.

By expecting his votes to be bought, the electorate increases Mr. Politician's cost of getting elected - which if he is not a super-millionaire-will spend his next term of office not just to recoup the expenses, but mind you, to prepare his new arsenal of funds for the next election.

Let's be practical and logical - on a P25,000 to P35,000 monthly salary, how will a local elected executive ever recover his millions when his salary is a maximum of P100,000 a year of P1.2 Million over three years?

Of course, that comes from the cut or kickback - God bless this name SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) of this 2nd Most Corrupt Nation in Asia - which translates into inferior bridges, roads, school buildings, books and medicines This has given the country the bad reputation for having a "poor infrastructure" in the region.

If Mr. Politician's commission on the deal was not there, that would have translated into more socio-civic projects in the community because the individual projects would have cost less if the contractor did not "build in" the SOP into the computation.

At the end of the day, for getting a few hundred pesos or a thousand, Juan de la Cruz will pay the price of being perpetually in a Third World country.

It may seem like an act of "self-flaggelation" - but can one entirely blame poor Juan de la Cruz, on the other hand, who can barely make ends meet if he succumbs to the tempting color of the money?

We have some information that one of the militant Party List groups called Akbayan, which had to campaign nation-wide, allegedly only spent P27-Million in 2004 and even got three members elected to the Lower House. The party relied on a clear, communicable platform and leaned on reliable, competent cadres of leaders to convince the electorate to vote for their cause.

It is therefore "totally shocking" to know that even a mayoralty candidate for a 3rd class municipality in Bohol would have to spend P8-Million just to get elected. Is getting elected as "top town executive" really one big ego-trip down history's lane to spend that kind of money? How in the name of the almighty peso can this small town mayor "recoup" his electoral investment?

Medium-sized province as Bohol is, bidding for a voter's one vote can go up as high as P1,000 per person, making a P10-Million election kitty for town mayorship a "reasonable" financial war chest. Certainly, it is getting more and more expensive by the year to have the Honorable title before one's name through elections.

One adds to this (in some towns) the "permit-to campaign" fees imposed by bandits and/or some members of the extreme leftist organizations for their own "fund-raising" exercise, then one gets the frigging idea that those who want to run for an elective office in this country - should have his head examined first. Unfortunately, in this nation, one only has to be an able citizen within the age of reason to become a candidate, sorry, even a nuisance one.

At the very least, however, three major provincial positions may not be that totally expensive-due to the absence of a material opponent at this moment. Last-termers Gov. Rico Aumentado, Rep. Edgar Chatto (1st district) and Rep. Roberto Cajes (2nd district), to this day, appear to have a dearth of serious opponents for the May polls, although we are 40 days away still from the deadline of the certificate of filing of candidates at the local level.

The electorate in Bohol's largest district - the third district - could be luckier mainly because Rep. Eladio Jala is barred from running for a fourth term. So there are at least four serious contenders - all financial guns cocked to the populace, waiting to be dispensed at the proper time and purpose. They are Ex-Gov. Rene Relampagos, Provincial Board Member Dionisio Balite, lawyer Alexander Lim and Manila-based businessman-philanthropist Angelo Balili - if and when he decides to throw his pricey hat to the political ring.

The every-three year circus called elections is quite fluid when it comes to the city mayoralty position. Expected to lock in mortal combat in a return grudge match will be Mayor Dan Lim and ex-Mayor Joe Torralba - with spoilers wanting to run for mayor-likely throwing a different spin to the outcome if they indeed decide to join the fray.

Economists, since Marcos printed more money in 1969 to beat Serging Osmena of Cebu (to be the first re-elected president in Peace Times) and every election thereafter, had always seen how this massive vote-buying only heat up inflation - because they are dole-outs for consumption and not really invested to improve the country's collective productivity.

That is the reason why this paper had lauded Speaker Joe de Venecia (the few times we have) for pushing a bi-partisan support for the Political Party Act which will sanction a giant Fund of P500-Million to be used by all political parties for election purposes. In turn, they will be required to make an accounting of electoral expenses (with limits and sanctions) which may make vote-buying UNECESSARY, if no one else is doing it.

Let us remember that it is only when any one member of the vying candidates starts vote-buying, that the spending frenzy begins.

The Political Party Act could be one of the major political reforms that this country is in dire need 4. This not only equalizes the level of getting elected field (since the haves and the have nots will be in equal footing) - but most importantly - will erase the major "excuse" of Politicians why they have to make money while they are still in office.