"Vox Populi, Vox Dei" could sometimes just be a myth in the Philippines. When is the "Voice of the People is the Voice of God" not always real?

The imperfections of the electoral system, the poverty of people, political bossism and the damaged culture of most Filipinos make it so.

Thus the winners in a given election may not always reflect the "democratic" choice of voters who are constrained by the aberrations in the system when they elect their public officials.

For instance, the manualized rather than automated voting and counting system opens the process to various manipulation and fraud that is limited only to the extent of the criminal-minded imagination of the culprits, who seem to have a direct advisory line to Beelzebub in Hell. The intimidation by political pressure, warlordism and dynastic rules can give rise to a "command vote" that does not allow voters the principled discernment of who is the better candidate(s).

The poverty of most people also makes them vulnerable to enticements of the almighty peso to vote one way or the other. For another, the "damaged culture" of many folks to accommodate personal rather than country interests limit the choice to the parochial, not the best communal or national choice.

When the country's own Secretary of Justice promised financial rewards for those who would vote straight Team Unity in Iloilo and passed through media without getting a tsunamic howl that "such is clearly vote buying," many people followed suit.

The act of Governor Erico Aumentado to reward the five towns that shut out the GO 12-0 with P2-million (Buenavista, Dagohoy, Getafe, Valencia and Danao) and P100,000 for those who gave an 11-1 mandate (Balilihan, Antequera, Sagbayan, Lila and Sierra Bullones) smacks of gross political patronage. But it is also "practical politics" at work.

We are not saying that organic vegetable projects, eco tourism, fish ports and livelihood in the islands are not laudable. But in the overall scheme of things, the total of P10.5 million "political bonus" is allotted to "command voters" allies without regard for the development priorities in the province (in other towns) which are known at the beginning of each fiscal year. It is clearly a political quid-pro-quo.

Certainly, not all towns (the Administration only "predicted" 12 towns) carried 12-0 for Team Unity because some sample ballots obtained by the Chronicle showed the Ruling Party carrying a GO senatorial candidate for reasons many already know. So there.

Likewise, the national papers carried the story about the proliferation of fake P1,000 and P500 bills in the province which the Bankers Association Bohol Chapter - should be candid enough now to give a final total summation of the damage. We are not pointing any finger to anyone - Administration or Opposition - because any one with a devilish mind can produce fake money even in a garage printing operation.

But we condemn this nefarious activity in the strongest terms possible. Not only did the perpetrators buy, in the face of his poverty, the voter's "right of free suffrage" but gave him a reward that is not a "legal tender" (from which he can buy nothing with) since it is fake and is not even worth the paper it is printed on.

This is a reincarnated diabolical scheme originated by the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, who sensing Serging Osmeña might beat him (since historically no Philippine president ever got reelected), flooded the country with new printed money in the 1969 presidential polls. Marcos, of course, "won" but drove the country into hyper-inflation and caused a serious devaluation of the Philippine peso.

If the fake bills are so many today, then the Filipino electorate has been had again - because he does not have his cake so he cannot eat it too. What gross cruelty!

In another front, the battle for Party List entry into Congress is an interesting case in point. As you may know, the Party List was instituted by the New Constitution, so that the marginalized folks (poor) can be represented directly in the Hall of Congress.

Many of the progressive Party List Groups made it to Congress in 2004 (to include Bayan Muna, Gabriela, and Akbayan, among others).

Since the law allows one Congress representative if the Party List Group gets at least 2% of the total Party List votes, the strategy of the Administration was fairly simple.

To have as many Party List allies accredited by Comelec so that the total number of Party List votes will increase, making it increasingly hard for radical groups to get 2% of the total.

Thus in Bohol, the total Party List votes in 2007 totaled 192,000 compared to 2004's 140,000 or an increase of a high 37% certainly far higher than the increase of new registered voters. In Bohol, a lesser known Party List Group called ARC (backed by the Administration-DAR) topped the list in 2007 with 24,000 votes, followed by a Boheco-identified Group called APEC with 16,000 votes.

Meantime, Akbayan which topped the 2004 polls in Bohol with 23,937 votes (17% of total) dropped by 50% votes to 12,100 in the 2007 polls. Bayan Muna dropped from 16,000 votes (2004) to 10,413 votes (2007), according to Alvin Acuzar of Akbayan. All three however including Gabriela remained among the top ten party list groups who won in Bohol. (All three also had their representatives elected nationwide.)

Akbayan who used to be carried by the Lakas leadership in 2004, paid the price of political dissent (impeachment and disqualification moves in the Comelec against obvious government-allied party list groups) and had to fend for itself in Bohol.

Meantime, John Ruiz of Bayan Muna reports of military political intervention in Trinidad town.

It is the Party List voting pattern in Bohol (comparing the 2004 and 2007) that Political Bossism emphasize the true meaning of the term.

Given all the above aberrations, it is very clear that political reforms (Government) and voters education (Private Sector and Church) are still very much wanting.

By its own admission, political divisiveness has pulled down all the so-called "economic gains" of the administration.

It stands to reason then, that far better than crowning about economic statistics that do not land immediately on the food table of Juan de la Cruz, Government must see to it that political reforms are started immediately by cleaning up the electoral process in order to prevent further political polarization.

No need for a rocket scientist to figure that out.