TO SHOW their commitment to clean and non-violent elections this coming May, senatorial candidates from both sides of the political fence signed a “Covenant of Peace and Honest Elections” before some 300 Thomasians and media men at the miting de avance last March 8 at the Medicine Auditorium.
Signing the accord were Team Unity (TU) candidates Prospero Pichay, Tessie Aquino-Oreta, and Luis Chavit Singson, and Genuine Opposition (GO) candidates Sonia Roco, Sen. Panfilo Lacson. Representatives of TU candidates Miguel Zubiri and Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and a representative of GO bet Antonio Trillanes IV also signed the agreement.
“The signing is a symbol of oneness among the candidates in terms of their desire for a credible election,” said Edmund Tayao, adviser of the Political Science Forum which organized the event. “Election is our means of giving legitimacy to our government because it is how we organize our government. We have to make it credible and acceptable not only to the greater public but also to the stakeholders.”
Political Science professor Dennis Coronacion said that the covenant provided an avenue for a more direct interaction between candidates and voters since the students could directly question the candidates’ platforms.
Tayao said that the May election is significant since it is expected to be a vote of confidence on President Macapagal-Arroyo.
“If the Filipinos voted for the Opposition, it means that we want the government to leave,” Tayao said. “This election will manifest people’s support for or against the administration.”
The candidates laid down their platforms and urged Thomasians to vote.
“Decisions are made by those who show up. Let the pen be your weapon and your conscience your guidance,” Leslie Cordero, representative of TU candidate Miguel Zubiri, said. Kristine Jane R. Liu
