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New group vows to end vote-buying

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By Philip Tubeza
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 19:10:00 05/10/2009

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Lighting a candle

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Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:01:00 05/12/2009

The ChangePolitics Movement also faces a very difficult task: to eliminate vote-buying which has become so common that it is practically accepted as a normal practice in every election. Former Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman said they would encourage development NGOs, micro-enterprise programs, cooperatives and livelihood programs to start helping the “vote-buying vulnerable areas” to decrease vote-buying. Most voters sell their votes because they are poor. If these voters could be helped to increase their income, they would no longer be vulnerable to vote-buying.

The vulnerable voters could be convinced that they should not sell their votes because it is largely the unqualified, selfish, self-aggrandizing candidates who buy votes to win elections. Vote-buying enables traditional politicians who do not have the interest of the people at heart to win elections and perpetuate themselves in power. This practice cannot continue forever; something has to be done to stop vote-buying, and thank God the ChangePolitics Movement is doing something about it.

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