Rumour Mill: May 15,2007

The Philippines just got to elections last Monday, May 14,2007. And guess what? Just hours after the elections started, some candidates just declared themselves as winners in their respective areas..Hmmnn.. it is an open secret here that buying of votes are rampant... too rampant I might add..When the campaign period started a supposed HQ for a group of candidates vying for both national and local seats started giving food..Not just rice, canned goods, and noodles, But also cold cash...very cold cash..It ran for weeks, the handouts starts around 4pm then ends around 8 in the evening. Traffic in that area increase, making a secondary route into a major thorough fare.

But one of the biggest rumours around is not situated nearby, but is located on the whole region of Davao Oriental. Yes, Davao Oriental, a quiet place where rice and some agricultural products abound and where white sand beaches facing the pacific also is abundant. According to some reports, goons taken hostage some government staff at a local government building, holding them up at gun point for nearly a day, preventing them from casting there votes. Its a hostage drama wherein the police nor the military where not aware? or supposed to be not aware. In the report, both local police and military personnels on the area where PAID to "See no evil, Hear no evil, and Speak no evil" ...How much was PAID? I don't know...

And in addition to that goons taking hostage employees of the government, the very same people that hired those goons have jacked up the cost of buying a vote..a night before the elections, a single vote can be bought at 2000 Pesos...Come Again!!! WTF...

If you want to ask where the money came from??? recent reports on the logging activities in the northern part of Davao Oriental has increased in the past few months and most of it are illegal logging...That would sum up where all those money came from...

And this is not just in Davao Oriental..this things happen in other places...Lanao del Norte on the other hand has been in trouble again..as always. Some parts in Mindanao are known hot spots of vote buying, vote rigging, and election violence..

If someone wants to confirm these rumours, Do at your own risk!! Don't blame me..