Costly campaigns

Why do politicians devise all sorts of devious ways to get their dirty paws on public funds for their own use? Apart from the obvious reasons - plain greed, and because they can (they think) - there is the enormous cost of running for public office.

- ANA MARIE PAMINTUAN

Winning candidates begin building up their war chests for the next election campaign as soon as they are installed in office. Often, they use their position to build up the war chests of their family members who also want to run for election. This could be everyone of voting age in the family.

Turning politics into a family enterprise has plummeted to such appalling depths that dynastic folks don't even see anything wrong with polluting public space with their campaign materials featuring the entire family running for public office. Greed has become a source of family pride. In some places, members of the same family, bearing the same surnames, are battling each other for the same posts.

If their pets could qualify, the dogs and cats would also be fielded for any government position - as therapy animals, perhaps? At least the pets - sure to be decked out in cutesy outfits and diapers - would be pleasant to look at, unlike the photoshopped images of politicians.

Those Supreme Court rulings - the first declaring that there's no such thing as premature campaigning, and the second allowing the unfettered display of campaign materials on private property - widened the advantage of moneyed candidates. They can pay to have their materials displayed on every piece of private property, long before the official start of the campaign period, without worrying about violating election rules.

These days, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) must also contend with "unli" campaigning through social media and online influencers.