Philippine Daily Inquirer
10:30 pm | Saturday, September 15th, 2012
Looking for the right people to vote for in the 2013 midterm elections? For starters, don’t vote for those represented by the pictures, names and initials you see plastered all over the place.
That, in essence, was what Commission on Elections Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. said recently on Twitter. After admitting that the law has not been effective in curbing premature campaigning, Brillantes said: “The best way to deal with these ‘epals’ [is to] remember their faces now and forget their names come election day.”
What a truly fitting term to describe the crime: “epal,” which plays on the Filipino words “mapapel” (roughly, attention-grabber) and “kapal” (thick-faced), and which has become synonymous with aspiring or incumbent politicians who attach their pictures and names to public works projects (and even their initials to sidewalks), as though they, and not the taxpayers, were paying for the projects. These types also put up posters congratulating graduates, announcing barangay events (free circumcision, say) and greeting residents (“Happy fiesta,” etc.), taking any excuse to mount their smiling images on every public space available. (In the not too distant past, pedestrian overpasses in Quezon City were festooned with streamers thanking Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the structures.) It’s an affront that may be classified as littering or visual pollution, apart from it being an attack on good taste.
Striking at the heart of this tacky Filipino electoral ritual is the “anti-epal bill,” officially known as House Bill 1967 or An Act Prohibiting Public Officers from Claiming Credit through Signage announcing a Public Works Project. In the explanatory note, the bill’s author, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, explained: “It is a prevalent practice among public officers, whether elected or appointed, to append their names to public works projects which were either funded or facilitated through their office.” She added: “This is unnecessary and highly unethical” and “promotes a culture of political patronage and corruption.”
The bill seeks to require government agencies like the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority to take down the offending signs within three months. Regrettably, despite positive reactions to the measure, it has yet to be passed.
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These are today's Suertres/Swertres Lotto tips; Yesterday's results are at the bottom
012**
066
156
135
256*
025**
258*
348
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Yesterday's Philippine PCSO Draw Results
For September 15, 2012 Saturday
EZ2 Lotto
Morning 11am: 25-07
Afternoon 4pm: 24-25
Evening 9pm: 15-23
Winning numbers in exact order
Php 4,000.00 per 10 peso play
Suertres Lotto Luzon Vis-Min
Morning 11:00 am: 8-5-8
Afternoon 4:00 pm: 6-8-0
Evening 9:00 pm: 4-3-8
Winning numbers in exact order
Php 4,500 per 10 peso play
6Digit Luzon
9pm: 5-8-3-8-5-8
Winning numbers in exact order
6/42 National Lottery
03-25-28-07-16-38
Current Jackpot: Php 19,285,275.60
(0)winner
Winning numbers in any order
Grand 6/55 Lotto
43-45-17-15-11-04
Current Jackpot: Php 30,000,000.00
(1)winner
Winning numbers in any order
For best results, it is suggested to always employ rumble on the tips above.
* = Hot Numbers
** = Very Hot Numbers
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