COMELEC's Well-intentioned Yet Ill-thought Resolution

With the upcoming Philippine Midterm Elections just around the corner, the COMELEC issued a resolution prohibiting banks from allowing depositors to withdraw more than PHP 100,000 from May 8 up to May 13 - the election day.

Understandably, in an Inquirer report, the BAP says it will not comply with such order. The BSP, the country's paramount bank, is also loathe to implement such order. As the country's bank of all banks, the BSP has the sole power and authority to order banks to comply with the COMELEC resolution, but the BSP expressed disinterest in ordering banks in the Philippines. From the way the report was presented, it can be culled that the COMELEC did not consult with and coordinate with the BSP with such plan.

The COMELEC should know better than to make resolutions in which it does not actually have jurisdiction, or to ensure whether such plan actually violates existing laws. Although the intent is noble, lessen the incidence of vote buying, which all Filipinos by now know is a constant and perennial feature of our electoral process, that such idea was even allowed to be put into paper is actually a testament to the COMELEC's desperation and lack of foresight.

Although the goal is good, the COMELEC cannot just sacrifice the country's economic lifeblood, in which cash is still very much the king in most economic transactions, for a single handed objective - no matter how admirable it may seem. If the COMELEC is really serious about the rapacity of vote buying  in the Philippines, then it should have conducted aggressive and comprehensive educational campaign about electoral integrity among the populace in the last three years. That is how long-term goals are achieved, not by last-to-the-minute, crammed resolutions that are well - not well thought!