Maniolas

Abra province, a perennial hotbed of election-related violence, will be the target of a Commission on Elections (Comelec) project that will “aim to restore the full functioning of the electoral exercise” there. Abra is “really an area of concern for so many years,” noted Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. on Tuesday. “This is where I grew up.” In order “to make elections work” in Abra, the Comelec has partnered with nongovernment organizations and academic institutions. The project proponents have chosen Peñarrubia town for the endeavor. Those who signed the memorandum of agreement with the Comelec were the Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government (CCAGG), Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN), De La Salle University—Jesse M. Robredo Institute  of Governance, and University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration and Governance. Vicious cycle The project proponents cited a study conducted by Ateneo School of Government in 2009 describing the situation in Abra as “a vicious cycle of violence, disempowerment and abuse of authority where politicians, due to failures of institutions, are able to use violence to stay in power and enrich themselves at the expense of the people who are kept poor and disempowered, unable to change their fate and the situation of their province.” The same study also stated that “national and local connections allow the same political families to have a long hold on power and the local elites are one way or another connected to who’s who in politics at the national level.” Under the MOA, the Comelec Read More …