DPP Taiwan revisits campaigns in Manila

Nine years since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taiwan visited the Philippines to observe the elections, the CALD founding member returned to Manila to discuss effective campaign strategies with local experts and like-minded parties such as the Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP). The electoral mission held on 3-7 May aimed to assist the DPP as it prepares for the next major election in Taiwan in 2014.

As the Philippines approaches the midterm elections set on 13 May, the 8-member delegation met with representatives of key institutions and organizations that are instrumental in making this year’s elections as free and as fair as possible. The meetings with civil society groups, government officials, candidates, the electorate, and experts from the academe provided a holistic understanding on the dynamics of Philippine electoral politics.

The visit commenced with the hosted dinner of Dr. Neric Acosta, secretary general of CALD, who also shared his insights on the developments and issues leading to the elections.

The following day, the delegation met with Mr. Damaso G. Magbual, national council member of the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), who stressed the important role of non-partisan/civil-society groups in ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections. The participants then proceeded to a briefing with Director James Jimenez, spokesperson of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), at the COMELEC office in Intramuros, Manila. Mr. Jimenez shared updates on the preparations the government is undertaking to make the elections successful and gave a short demonstration on how the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines are operated. Automated Elections is relatively new in the Philippines as the procedure was only first implemented in the last 2010 National Elections. As Mr. Jimenez explained, automated counting is favored over the traditional practice of tallying and verifying votes because it is faster, more transparent, and more credible and acceptable in the eyes of the general public. The day concluded with the delegates attending the meeting de avance of the Liberal Party candidates in Muntinlupa City, an event that was also attended by selected Team PNoy senatorial candidates. Senator Franklin Drilon, Team PNoy Campaign Manager and former CALD Chair, LP Congressman Rudolfo Biazon, and Bureau of Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon, were also present.

The delegation went for a quick out-of-town trip to the province of Laguna where they met re-electionist and incumbent Mayor Calixto Cataquiz. The delegates then joined Mayor Cataquiz in his campaign activities: church visit, feeding program, and attending a town community assembly. The day of campaigning continued in Manila, where the delegates joined Mayor Alfredo Lim in his kalesa-cade (kalesa or calesa is a horse-drawn carriage used in the Philippines). In this unique campaign style, Mayor Lim took the delegation along with his team of supporters into the “heart” of the city” the vote-rich areas of Manila.

On the last day of meetings, the delegation participated in a roundtable discussion, hosted by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), on the upcoming elections. Among the panelists were Usec. Chito Gascon deputy minister for political affairs in the Office of the President and former director general of the Liberal Party of the Philippines; Mr. Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform (IPER); Atty. Takihiro Kenjie Aman, head of the national secretariat of the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE); and Mr. Jules Maaten, country director of FNF, Manila Office. Mr. Celito Arlegue, executive director of CALD, facilitated the discussions. The highly esteemed speakers provided an in-depth critical analysis of the state of affairs of Philippine Politics and discussed the possible trajectories politicians and political parties would take after the elections.

The Team PNoy Headquarters was the final stop of the delegates with Senator Franklin Drilon, vice chairperson of LP, campaign manager of Team PNoy, and former chair of CALD, welcoming them. Usec. Henry Bacurnay, deputy minister from the Office of the President provided a comprehensive presentation on the strategies and operations of Team PNoy. Mr. Sam Santos, head of the Team PNoy Media Group, answered questions on the senatorial campaign media strategies the party is undertaking.

“As a democracy, we care about the political development of our ally in the region, and we look for strengthening our ties with the common value of democracy”, said DPP’s head of delegation, Mr. Ho Po-Wen, Director of the Taiwan Institute of Democracy.