Milford chronicle., 1961-11-17
Philippine Democracy
Is Raw But Real
BY CARL ZIMMERMAN

MANILA (AP) = With strong
man rule, military coups "a n d
tOngue-in-cheek democracy the
rule among most of their neigh
hOrs, Filipinos go to the polls in
November to elect a President.
1t will be the fifth presidential
elects on for the 15-year-o
Philippine Republic, and like all
the others it will be a hard-fought,
exciting contest.
Elections here don't go off as
smoothly as in the Western de-
mOcracies.
People get killed, votes are
bought, and frauds are committed.
In IlOcOs Sur Province in northern
kuzon Island candidates wife
has already been wounded this
year in an ambush, and the con-
stabularyman who investigated the
case was killed.
But not since 1949 has there
been serious question as to who
was really elected Pr s i n t.
Philippine democracy is still
raw, but it is real.
Every national election has been
held on schedule. Despite a Com
munist-led rebellion in the late
194Os and early 1950s, the govern
ment has never been changed by
violence
Voters Aren't AWed
Voters are not Overawed by the
party in power. In 1858 President
ElpidiO Quirino was defeated by
Ramon Magsaysay in his bid for
reelection In 1857 Carlos P. Gar
cha was elected by a mere plurality
of the vote, although he had sue
ceeded to the presidency upon the
death of Magsaysay earlier that
year.
And in the same year DiOsdadO
Macapagal, now battling Garcia for
the presidency, was elected vice
president although he was with the
opposition party.
This year third candidate,
Rogelio de la Rosa, former movie
star and senator since 1857, is
running for President as an in
dependent. Though De la Rosa is
very popular, especially among the
women, experts give him little
chance of winning.
Seven to rs million voters are
expected to vote Nov Ia, of a
population Of about 27 million. Be-
sides a President, they also will
elect vice president, eight Sena-
tors and 104 Congressman.
In $4,000 precincts throughout
the Philippine archipelago, simple
farmers and fishermen, sugar-rich
landowners and sophisticated pro-
fessionals will enter polling booths
and write the names of their candi-
dates-a precaution against Hitter
ateS.
The Commission on Elections is
charged with seeing to it that the
voting is peaceful, orderly and
honest"
I'm confident that the election
will be peaceful and orderly" said
chairman Gaudencio Garcia.
II won't say it will be honest.
but then, my standards of hon.
esty are higher than some
peoples"
Much improvement
Still, Garcia believes the Philip
pines has come a long way from
the 1949 election, when Quirino
narrowly defeated Jose P. Laurel
Both men are now dead. They say
in that election even the birds and
the bees voted, and terrorism
reached scandalous proportions.
Each polling booth many are
located in modest schoolhOuses in
villages Of thatched huts is in
the hands of a four-man board of
inspectors:
A chairman and a poll clerk,
both usually public school teach
ers, and two watchers, one from
each OF the major parties, who are
supposed to make sure their candi-
dates aren't cheated
One of the cOmmissiOn's big
gripes is that "the watchers don't
watch" Often they are uneducated
people given the job by the party
for the sake of their votes and
those OF their families.
Guns Banned
Much of the trouble in the past
has come from the police and 9TH
er armed official elements The
commission tries to stop this by
putting the police under it's direct
control on election day and ban
ming all firearms = including the
police's = from the vicinity of the
polling booths.
Compiling the national vote is a
lengthy process, taking two weeks
or more. Although major commun-
tiles have telegraphic facilities,
there are still places in the islands
that can be reached only by five
days Of walking. and others that
must wait for the Navy to pick
up the ballots.