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First of Two Parts AMONG ITS many excuses for being, the government is supposed to combat crime and corruption. Those elected to office thus take a solemn oath before God, country…

IF YOU can’t jail them, elect them. If you do jail them, well, you can always elect them again. This appears to be a recurring theme in the Philippines, where the popular saying…

Last of Two Parts WHEN MEDIA marketing giant Universal McCann declared the Philippines the social networking capital in the world in 2009, it sounded as if every Tomas, Ricardo…

First of Two Parts IT’S STILL a game of cat and mouse, and when the cat is away, the mouse clicks like crazy. When the Commission on Elections (Comelec) started strictly enforcing…

ONE OUT of four senatorial bets in today’s elections is a woman, the highest rate of female participation yet in the senatorial race in the country’s history. But there is hardly a…

First of Four Parts IT MIGHT well be because he has had to fill out only two of them, compared to his colleagues who have already collected quite a pile. Whatever the reason…

Second of Four Parts BAYAN MUNA party-list representative Teodoro ‘Teddy’ Casiño ranks 283 out of 284 members of the Lower House in terms of declared net worth. That may be why…

Third of Four Parts THEY HAD been out of Congress for the last three years or more, but the nine former legislators who are among the 33 senatorial candidates in the upcoming…

Last of Four Parts HOW RICH are the Binays? Vice President Jejomar ‘Jojo’ Binay never fails to point to his humble beginnings, but for decades now, there has been non-stop…

TO EACH his own power base. Among the six senators who are raring to return to the Upper House, lawyers Alan Peter Cayetano, Chiz Escudero, and Koko Pimentel all belong to…

IF TEDDY Casiño is looking mighty lonely in the Senate race, it’s not only because he’s running as an independent. Among the House members now seeking a Senate seat, Casiño is the…

IT’S THE homestretch to the May 13, 2013 midterm elections, and the field personnel of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) are now feeling the pressure of the last of its…

OLD CRIB. The façade of what used to be a Geriatrics Center is now home to Manila’s Comelec Districts 1 to 6 . PCIJ Photo by Ilych Mana-ay THE COUNTRY’S capital has a population of…

NAILING A DEADLINE. Carpenters rush renovation work on Quezon City’s Comelec Districts 1, 3, 5, and 6 in time for election day on May 13, 2013. PCIJ Photo by Maya Angelique Jajalla…

GANITO SILA SA MAKATI. The hallway leading to Makati City’s Comelec Districts 1 and 2 is a world apart from the swanky corridors of many high-rise buildings in the country’s…

WANTED: SPACE. Marikina City’s Comelec office, a 10 x 30-square-meter affair, bursts with files, documents, 19 employees, and a handful of visitors every day. PCIJ Photo by Lavilyn…

IT’S FINAL. Despite issues surrounding voter registration, Pasay City’s Comelec office has already finalized the official list of voters. PCIJ Photo by Josebelle Bagulaya COMPARED…

THE POOL of donors of the national candidates in the Philippines remains an exclusive club of a few big donors who come from old elite families, big business entities, affluent law…

THURSDAY, APRIL 25TH, 2013 IN POLITICS as in the movies, it seems it pays to be the child of the so-called “kings.” Four children born to veritable political royalty — in other…

COMMISSION ON Elections (Comelec) head Sixto S. Brillantes Jr. almost quit in frustration after the Supreme Court recently issued a temporary restraining order against the…

NO LESS than its highest-ranking officials have repeatedly stated in media a serious intent to curb campaign spending and other illegal campaign activities in the May 13, 2013…