What do you think

Title

What do you think

Creator

Mella, Cesar A.

Language

English

Year

1953

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

'W&at Z>* zO /O EE= Conducted by = CESAR A. MELLA An election day is just numbered, everybody asks this question: "Will there be frauds and terrorism in the next elections?" We want peace, but we want the peace of justice, the peace of righteousness. We want it because we believe that it is right and just, not because we are afraid. For Justice in a nation as in an individual counts most when it is not shown by the weak and the oppressed, but by the strong and the powerful. How can justice triumph if the farce of 1949 is re-enacted? Now that the call has been sounded, let us unite and, with inspired spirits, join the crusade for freedom. We must not leave a stone unturned, a darkened spot unbrightened, so that our young Republic may rightly be called the SHOW WINDOW OF DEMOCRACY IN THE EAST. Everybody wants a clean and honest election. In this column you can read the opinions of a few of our youths in the best means to combat electoral frauds. Read them. You may agree with them. truth and goodness will always triumph over evil, so the NAMFREL, which has been born out of that truism will always come out victor over those who are now planning to sell democracy down the river for the second time. FELIPE VERALLO, JR., Pre Law R, says: We must combat electoral frauds from without and from within; by within I mean, ... Is The Best Means To Combat Electoral Frauds? MAMERTO Y. COLIFLORES, Pre-Law II says: "With our com bined efforts cemented with fer vent prayers, let us strive to gether and make it our solemn obligation to hold our election free from terrorism, fraud and in timidations because these are the evils that gnaw the vital life-vein of Democracy. Rizal once said, "The oppres sion of some depends upon the cowardice and indifference of others." For more than three cen turies of Spanish domination, we had enough of this and we don't want them any more. In this connection Jefferson also said, "The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to pro tect its free expression should be our first concern." Whoever wants his right respected but is not will ing to protect it has no reason to enjoy the blessings of Democra cy. The kind of government that the people produces depends upon the people who fashion that government. It is thru eternal vi gilance on the part of the peo ple that electoral frauds are checked." PRIMITIVO V. LARA, Jr., Pre Law II, says: "The people's vi gilance is the best means in com bating any future electoral frauds. Since it is the people themselves who are victimized and whose right of suffrage is trampled upon, it is the job, therefore, of every Filipino to beware. Presently, there are clandestine signs that seem to point to one direction and that is the very thing we are fighting against. We must not lose faith in the Filipino spirit. The spirit of Lapulapu is not yet frozen in the blood of the Filipi nos. We must not fight only ex ternal forces but also the internal evils that threaten our young Republic." “Eternal Vigilance is the price of Liberty." SOCORRO G. BALBUENA, of the College of Commerce, says: "If past incidents are to be made barometers of the future, I safe ly infer that the NAMFREL is the best entity for the prevention of electoral frauds. It may be recalled that not long ago, in the course of its program of holding cleaned and honest elections, the NAMFREL extended invitations to the key men in each of the three politic al parties, but, sad to say, one failed to show up on the flimsy reason that the NAMFREL is none but a "publicity stunt." Observ ers were quick to react averse ly, calling the refusal as an ob struction formulated by a certain political group to cripple the good mission of the NAMFREL. However, as the saying goes, man's will power—the will pow er to overcome the temptations of extorting money from the can didate because the more we drain the pocket of a candidate the more we let him down and make him corrupt because once he gets elected into office he will find nefarious ways and means to recover his losses during elec tion campaigns. Sometimes ter rorism is employed because it is less expensive to run the busi ness and win an election. Once we can do away with this business-like attitude every thing will be on the highway for a prosperous and peaceful Phil ippines. Only there and then can this infant republic be made sec ure for our children's children. DULCE KINTANAR, Pre-Med L says: "In my opinion, the best weapon to combat electoral frauds is an educational cam paign among the electorate. This campaign must consist of indoc trinating the masses on the im portance of the right of suffrage, the supreme right of an individu al to choose the men who should be vested with authority. I also believe in the high ob jectives of the NAMFREL which has been organized by men, who, conscious of their rights and pri vileges could not allow their rights and privileges be trampled upon." Page 36 THE CAROLINIAN

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