The midterm elections are just around the corner. In fact, a number of aspirants have already started their campaign, taking advantage of a loophole in law, which allows them to unabashedly advertise and sell themselves.

Under the law, unless they have filed their candidacy papers, they cannot be held liable for premature campaigning. This explains why the tarpaulins of some prospective candidates are everywhere.

To be honest, something needs to be done about it. However, I seriously doubt if Congress would enact an apropos measure considering they’re the ones who benefit from said gap in the law.

Anyway, one question that still lingers is whether or not cheating is still possible considering that we have already computerized our system.

If you ask me, I couldn’t give a categorical answer to that. Candidly though, I could share with you my personal experience to somehow shed light on this. You be the judge.

In 2016, I and other lawyers represented a gubernatorial candidate in Maguindanao. What we personally saw there was definitely one for the books.

On the day of the elections, I saw certain precincts in one municipality that were heavily guarded by motorcycle-riding hooligans. They called themselves the green brigade not because they’re environmentalists but because they wore green shirts. Anyway, their task was to prevent voters from even getting near the polling place by threatening to beat them up. The teachers inside meanwhile were busy pre-shading the ballots.

In another municipality, I saw a personnel who was batch feeding the ballots inside the municipal hall. Sadly, not even the military could do anything about it. Of course, I couldn’t say whether or not that had always been the practice because I wasn’t there in the previous elections.

Anyway, during the supposed canvassing of votes in Cotabato, the board for some reason wouldn’t commence, although the lawyers for candidates and parties were there. Everyone waited for hours, but nobody from the board would explain the reason for the delay. Still, we all waited. Around 6 p.m., the board finally convened, only to inform everyone that the canvassing would be transferred to Buluan, which is a remote municipality in the province.

Without informing us, the board began to surreptitiously transfer all the machines, equipment and other election-related paraphernalia to Buluan by midnight, accompanied by the police and lawyers from the ruling political party then. When we found out about it, we tried to stop them, but to no avail.

I should stress here that said transfer without representatives from all camps accompanying the board was significant because it could be an opportunity for tampering. Note that some votes in some municipalities, at least at that time, were not transmitted due to poor internet signal and some technical glitch. By mere chip-switching, one can replace the actual votes cast. Just like that.

At any rate, when canvassing finally commenced in Buluan, nobody, except lawyers from one party, participated. Due to threats and intimidation, we and lawyers for some national candidates and parties could not even make an attempt to go there. So, we just packed our things, went home and called it a day.

Certainly, it is not within my province to provide other details because I was not privy to those. I also don’t wish to cast aspersion against any candidate, national or local, or accuse any party of anything somehow. Let me just put it this way. However we reform and modernize our electoral system, unscrupulous individuals can always find a way to circumvent them. Why? Because cheating, like corruption, has become a culture in our society.